THEATRE VOCABULARY
Actor/ActressAmaleorfemalepersonwhoperformsaroleinaplay,workoftheatre,or movie.
AntagonistApersonorasituationthatopposesanothercharacter’sgoalsordesires.
ArticulationThe clear and precise pronunciation ofwords.
BlockingThe planning and working out of the movements of actors onstage.
CatharsisThe purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity, fear, grief, etc.) affected in a work oftragedy.
ConcentrationThe ability of the actor/actress to be “in” character - that is, to be like the characters/heisportraying–indialog,attitude,carriage,gait,etc.
CenterstageThe center of the area defined as thestage.
CharacterA personality or role an actor/actressre-creates.
CharacterizationThedevelopmentandportrayalofapersonalitythroughthought,action,
dialogue, costuming, and makeup.
ClimaxThepointofgreatestdramatictensionortransitioninatheatricalwork.
ColdreadingA reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.
CollaborationTwoormorepeopleworkingtogetherinajointintellectualeffort.
Commediadell’arteAprofessionalformoftheatricalimprovisation,developedinItalyinthe
1500’s, featuring stock characters and standardized plots.
ComedyA theatrical work that is intentionallyhumorous.
ConflictOpposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramaticaction.
ContextInterrelated conditions in which a play exists oroccurs.
CostumeClothing worn by an actor on stage during aperformance.
CreativedramaAn improvisational, process-centered form of theatre in which participants areguidedbyaleadertoimagine,enact,andreflectonhumanexperiences.
CrisisAdecisivepointintheplotofaplayonwhichtheoutcomeoftheremaining action depends.
CritiqueOpinions and comments based on predetermined criteria that may be used forself-evaluationortheevaluationoftheactorsortheproductionitself.
CueAsignal,eitherverbalorphysical,thatindicatessomethingelse,suchasa line of dialogue or an entrance, is tohappen.
DenouementThe final resolution of the conflict in aplot.
DesignThecreativeprocessofdevelopingandexecutingaestheticorfunctional designsinaproduction,suchascostumes,lighting,sets,andmakeup.
DialogueThe conversation between actors onstage.
DictionThe pronunciation of words, the choice of words, and the manner in which a person expresses himself orherself.
DirectingTheartandtechniqueofbringingtheelementsoftheatretogethertomake a play.
DirectorThepersonwhooverseestheentireprocessofstagingaproduction.
DownstageThe stage area toward theaudience.
DramaticplayChildren’s creation of scenes when they play“pretend”.
DramaticstructureThe particular literary structure and style in which plays arewritten.
DramaturgApersonwhoprovidesspecificin-depthknowledgeandliteraryresourcesto a director, producer, theatre company, or even theaudience.
DressrehearsalsThe final few rehearsals just prior to opening night in which the show is run with full technical elements.Full costumes and makeup are worn.
ElectronicmediaMeansofcommunicationcharacterizedbytheuseoftechnology(e.g.,
radio, television, and the Internet).
ElizabethantheatreThetheatreofEnglandduringthereignofQueenElizabethIand
often extended to the close of the theatres in 1640.
EmotionalmemoryThetechniqueofcallinguponyourownmemoriesto understanda character’s emotions.
EnsembleAgroupoftheatricalartistsworkingtogethertocreateatheatrical production.
EpictheatreTheatrical movement of the early 1920’s and 1930 characterized by the use ofsuchartificialdevicesascartoons,posters,andfilmsequences