Glossary (See related pages) Above   Upstage or away from the audience. Action   According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, a sequence of events linked by cause and effect, with a beginning, middle, and end. Said by Aristotle to be the best way to unify a play. More generally, the central, unifying conflict and movement through a drama. Ad lib   To improvise lines of a speech. Aesthetic distance   Physical or psycho- logical separation or detachment of audience from dramatic action, usually considered necessary for artistic illusion. Agon (AG-ohn)   In classical Greek Old Comedy, a scene with a debate between the two opposing forces in a play. Alienation   Bertolt Brecht's theory that, in his epic theater, audiences' emotional involvement should be minimized to increase their intellectual involvement with the political message. Allegory   Symbolic representation of abstract themes through characters, action, and other concrete elements of a play. Amphitheater   Large oval, circular, or semicircular outdoor theater with rising tiers of seats around an open playing area; also, an exceptionally large indoor auditorium. Antagonist   Opponent of the protagonist in a drama. Apprentice   Young performer training in an Elizabethan acting company. Apron   Stage space in front of the curtain line or proscenium; also called the forestage. Arena   Stage entirely surrounded by the audience; also known as theater-in-the-round. Artistic director   Person responsible for all creative and artistic activities for resident and repertory companies. Aside   In a play, thoughts spoken aloud by one character (often, to the audience) without being noticed by others onstage. At rise   Expression used to describe what is happening onstage at the moment when the curtain first rises or the lights come up. Auditions   Tryouts held for perfor-mers who want to be considered for roles in a production. Auteur director   A director who believes that his or her role is to be the author of a production. An auteur director's point of view dominates that of the playwright, and the director may make textual changes and modifications. Automated lights   Generic term for a new type of lighting instrument that can tilt, pan, rotate, change colors, and change focus--all electronically by computerized remote control. Avant-garde (ah-vahn GARD)   Intellectual, literary, or artistic movement that breaks with tradition and seems ahead of its time. Backdrop   Large drapery or painted canvas which provides the rear or upstage masking of a set. Backlighting   Lighting that comes from behind. Backstage   Stage area behind the front curtain; also, the areas beyond the setting, including wings and dressing rooms. Ballad opera   Eighteenth-century English form which burlesqued opera. Basic situation   Specific problem or maladjustment from which a play arises. Batten   Pipe or long pole suspended horizontally above the stage, upon which scenery, drapery, or lights may be hung. Beam projector   Lighting instrument without a lens which uses a parabolic reflector to project a narrow, nonadjustable beam of light. Beijing opera   See Peking opera. Below   Opposite of above; toward the front of the stage. Biomechanics   Meyerhold's theory that a performer's body should be machinelike and that emotion could be represented externally. Blackout   Total darkening of the stage. Blocking   Pattern and arrangement of performers' movements onstage with respect to each other and to the stage space, usually set by the director. Book   (1) Spoken (as opposed to sung) portion of the text of a musical play. (2) To schedule engagements for artists or productions. Border   Strip of drapery or painted canvas hung from a batten to mask the area above the stage; also, a row of lights hung from a batten. Bourgeois drama   See Domestic drama. Box   Small private compartment for a group of spectators built into the walls of a traditional proscenium-arch theater. Box set   Interior setting using flats to form the back and side walls and often the ceiling of a room. Build   To create a costume from scratch in a costume shop. Bunraku (buhn-RAH-koo)   Japanese puppet theater. Burlesque   Satire of a serious form of literature. Business   Obvious and detailed physical movement of performers to reveal character, aid action, or establish mood. Casting   Assigning roles to performers in a production; this is usually done by the director. Catharsis (kuh-THAR-sis)   Greek word, usually translated as "purgation," which Aristotle used in his definition of tragedy, referring to the vicarious cleansing of emotions in the audience through their representation onstage. Catwalk   Narrow metal platform suspended above the stage to permit ready access to lights and scenery hung from the grid. Cazuela (cah-zoo-EHL-ah)   Gallery above the tavern in the back wall of the theaters of the Spanish golden age; the area where unescorted women sat. Center stage   Stage position in the middle acting area of the stage, or the middle section extended upstage and downstage. Choregus (koh-REE-guhs)   Wealthy person who financed a playwright's works at an ancient Greek dramatic festival. Chorus   In ancient Greek drama, a group of performers who sang and danced, sometimes participating in the action but usually simply commenting on it. In modern times, performers in a musical play who sing and dance as a group. City Dionysia (SIT-ee digh-eh-NIGH-see-uh)   The most important Greek festival in honor of the god Dionysus and the first to include drama. Climactic structure   Also referred to as intensive structure. Dramatic structure in which there are few scenes, a short time passes, there are few locales, and the action begins chronologically close to the climax. Climax   Often defined as the high point in the action or the final and most significant crisis in the action. Comedia (koh-MAY-dee-ah)   Full-length (three-act) nonreligious play of the Spanish golden age. Comedy   In general, a play that is light in tone, is concerned with issues that are not serious, has a happy ending, and is designed to amuse. Comedy of manners   Form of comic drama that became popular in seventeenth-century France and the English Restoration, emphasizing a cultivated or sophisticated atmosphere and witty dialogue. Comic premise   Idea or concept in a comedy that turns the accepted notion of things upside down. Commedia dell'arte(koh-MAY-dee-ah dehl-AHR-teh)   Form of comic theater, originating in sixteenth-century Italy, in which dialogue was improvised around a loose scenario calling for a set of stock characters. Compañias de parte (cahm-pa-NYEE-ahs day PAHR-teh)   Acting troupes in the Spanish golden age, organized according to a sharing system. Complication   Introduction, in a play, of a new force which creates a new balance of power and entails a delay in reaching the climax. Composition   How lighted areas are arranged onstage relative to each other. Conflict   Tension between two or more characters that leads to crisis or a climax; a fundamental struggle or imbalance--involving ideologies, actions, personalities, etc.--underlying a play. Constructivism   Post-World War I scene-design movement in which sets--frequently composed of ramps, platforms, and levels--were nonrealistic and intended to provide greater opportunities for physical action. Corral   Theater of the Spanish golden age, usually located in the courtyard of a series of adjoining buildings. Counterweight   Device for balancing the weight of scenery in a system which allows scenery to be raised above the stage by means of ropes and pulleys. Created space.   See Found space. Crew   Backstage team assisting in mounting a production. Crisis   Point within a play when the action reaches an important confrontation or takes a critical turn. In the tradition of the well-made play, a drama includes a series of crises that lead to the final crisis, known as the climax. Cross   Movement by a performer across the stage in a given direction. Cue   Any prearranged signal, such as the last words in a speech, a piece of business, or any action or lighting change, that indicates to a performer or stage manager that it is time to proceed to the next line or action. Cue sheet   Prompt book marked with cues, or a list of cues for the use of technicians, especially the stage manager. Curtain   (1) Rise or fall of the actual curtain, which separates a play into structural parts. (2) Last bit of action preceding the fall of the curtain. Cycle plays   See Mystery plays. Cyclorama   Permanent fixture or curved drop used to mask the rear and sides of the stage, representing sky or open space. Dada   Movement in art between the world wars, based on presenting the irrational and attacking traditional artistic values. Denouement (deh-noo-MAHN)   Point near the end of a play when suspense is satisfied and "the knot is untied." Descriptive criticism   Criticism that attempts to describe as clearly and accurately as possible what is happening in a performance. Deus ex machina (DEH-oos eks MAH-kih-nah)   Literally, "god from a machine," a resolution device in classic Greek drama; hence, intervention of supernatural forces--usually at the last moment--to save the action from its logical conclusion. In modern drama, an arbitrary and coincidental solution. Dialogue   Conversation between characters in a play. Dimmer   Device for changing lighting intensity smoothly and at varying rates. Dim out   To turn out lights with a dimmer. Director   In American usage, the person responsible for the overall unity of a production and for coordinating the work of con-tributing artists. The American director is the equivalent of the British producer and the French metteur-en-scène. Dithyramb (DITH-ih-ramb)   Ancient Greek choral song describing the adventures of a god or hero. Domestic drama   Drama dealing with problems--particularly family problems--of middle- and lower-class characters; also called bourgeois drama. There are serious and comic domestic dramas. Dominant trait   Found in certain theatrical characters: one paramount trait or tendency that overshadows all others and appears to control the conduct of the character. Examples could include greed, jealousy, anger, and self-importance. Dominus   Leader of a Roman acting troupe. Double entendre (DOO-bluh ahn-TAHN-druh)   Word or phrase in comedy that has a double meaning, the second often sexual. Doubling   Term used when a performer takes more than one role in a play. Downlighting   Lighting that comes directly from overhead. Downstage   Front of the stage toward the audience. Dramaturg   Literary manager or dramatic adviser of a theater company. Drame (DRAHM)   Eighteenth-century French term usually denoting a serious drama that dealt with middle-class charac ters. Dress rehearsal   Rehearsal in which a play is performed as it will be for the public, including all the scenery, costumes, and technical effects. Drop   Large piece of fabric, generally painted canvas, hung from a batten to the stage floor, usually to serve as backing. Emotional recall   Stanislavski's exercise which helps the performer present realistic emotions. The performer feels a character's emotion by thinking of an event in his or her own life which led to a similar emotion. Ensemble playing   Acting that stresses the total artistic unity of a group performance rather than individual performances. Entrance   Manner and effectiveness with which a performer comes into a scene, as well as the actual coming onstage; also, the way this is prepared for by the playwright. Environmental sounds   Noises from everyday life that provide background sound in a production. Environmental theater   Branch of avant-garde theater stressing the environment in which a performance takes place. Epic theater   Form of episodic drama associated with Bertolt Brecht and aimed at the intellect rather than the emotions. Epilogue   A brief scene or speech by one of the performers to the audience after the conclusion of a play. Episodic structure   Also referred to as extensive structure. Dramatic structure in which there are many scenes, taking place over a considerable period of time in a number of locations. Many also employ such devices as subplots. Existentialism   Term applied to plays illustrating a philosophy whose principal modern advocate was Jean-Paul Sartre and which holds that there are no longer any fixed standards or values. Exit   A performer's leaving the stage, as well as the preparation for his or her leaving. Exposition   Imparting of information necessary for an understanding of the story but not covered by the action onstage; events or knowledge from the past, or occurring outside the play, which must be introduced for the audience to understand the characters or plot. Expressionism   Movement in Germany at about the time of World War I, characterized by the attempt to dramatize subjective states through distortion; striking, often grotesque images; and lyric, unrealistic dialogue. Fade   Slow dimming of lights, changing from brighter to darker, or vice versa. Farce   Dramatic genre usually regarded as a subclass of comedy, with emphasis on plot complications and few or no intellectual pretensions. Flat   Single piece of flat, rectangular scenery, used with other similar units to create a set. Flood   Lighting instrument without lenses which is used for general or large-area lighting. Fly loft or flies   Space above the stage where scenery may be lifted out of sight by means of ropes and pulleys. Focus   Aiming light on a particular area of the stage. Follow spot   Large, powerful spotlight with a sharp focus and narrow beam which is used to follow principal performers as they move about the stage. Footlights   Row of lights in the floor along the front edge of the stage or apron. Forestage   See Apron. Found space   Space not originally intended for theater use which is converted for productions. Avant-garde artists often produce in found spaces. Fourth-wall convention   Pretense that in a proscenium-arch theater the audience is looking into a room through an invisible fourth wall. Freeze   To remain motionless onstage, especially for laughs or in a tableau. Fresnel (fruh-NEL)   Type of spotlight used over relatively short distances with a soft beam edge which allows the light to blend easily with light from other sources; also, the type of lenses used in such spotlights. Front of the house   Portion of a theater reserved for the audience; includes both the auditorium and the lobby area. Sometimes called simply the house. Futurism   Art movement begun in Italy about 1905 which idealized mechanization and machinery. Gallery   In traditional proscenium-arch theaters, the undivided seating area cut into the walls of the building. Gel   Thin, flexible color medium used in lighting instruments to give color to a light beam. Genre   Category or type of play. Gesamtkunstwerk   Richard Wagner's theory of a unified work of theatrical art. Gobo   Template in a theater lighting instrument that determines the shape and arrangement of the beam or pool of light thrown by the instrument. For example, a pattern created by a gobo or template could result in stripes, leaves on trees, the outline of a windowpane, or the like. Grid   Metal framework above the stage, from which lights and scenery are suspended. Groove system   System in which tracks on the stage floor and above the stage allowed for the smooth movement of flat wings on and off the stage; usually there were a series of grooves at each stage position. Ground plan   Blueprint or floor plan of stage design that outlines the various levels on the stage and indicates the placement of scenery, furniture, doors, windows, and other necessary scenic elements. Hamartia (hah-MARH-tee-ah)   Ancient Greek term usually translated as "tragic flaw." The term literally translates as "missing the mark," which may suggest that hamartia is not so much a character flaw as an error in judgment. Hanamichi (hah-nah-MEE-chee)   In kabuki theater, a bridge running from behind the audience (toward the left side of the audience) to the stage. Performers can enter on the hanamichi; important scenes may also be played on it. Hand props   Small props carried on- or offstage by actors and actresses during a performance. See Props. Happening   Nonliterary or unscripted theatrical event using a scenario that allows for chance occurrences. Hashigakari (ha-shee-gah-KAH-ree)   Bridge in No theater on which the performers make their entrance from the dressing area to the platform stage. Heroic drama   Serious but basically optimistic drama, written in verse or elevated prose, with noble or heroic characters in extreme situations or unusual adventures. Hireling   Member of an Elizabethan acting troupe who was paid a set salary and was not a shareholder. Hubris (HEW-brihs)   Ancient Greek term usually defined as "excessive pride" and cited as a common tragic flaw. Inner stage   Area at the rear of the stage which can be cut off from the rest by means of curtains or scenery and revealed for special scenes. Iris   Component of a lighting instrument that controls the size of the beam or pool of light thrown by the instrument. Irony   A condition the reverse of what we have expected or an expression whose intended implication is the opposite of its literal sense. Kabuki   Form of popular Japanese theater combining music, dance, and dramatic scenes. Kathakali   Traditional dance-drama of India. Kill   To eliminate or suppress; for example, to remove unwanted light or to ruin an effect through improper execution. Lazzi (LAHT-zee)   Comic pieces of business used repeatedly by characters in Italian commedia dell'arte. Left stage   Left side of the stage from the point of view of a performer facing the audience. Light plot   Detailed outline or diagram showing where each lighting instrument is placed in relationship to the stage. Liturgical drama   Early medieval drama, written in Latin and dealing with biblical stories. Living newspapers   In the United States, the Federal Theater Project's dramatizations of newsworthy events in the 1930s. Long run   Term used in commercial theater when a drama is performed for as long as it is popular. Ludi Romani (LEW-dee roh-MAH-nee)   Roman festival, in honor of Jupiter, into which drama was first introduced. Magic if   Stanislavski's acting exercise which requires the performer to ask, "How would I react if I were in this character's position?" Mansions   Individual scenic units used for the staging of religious dramas in the Middle Ages. Mask   (1) To cut backstage areas or technical equipment off from the view of the audience by means of scenery. (2) Face or head covering in the image of the character portrayed. Masking   Scenery or draperies used to hide or cover. Masque   Lavish and spectacular form of private theater in Renaissance Italy and the courts of France and England. Melodrama   Dramatic form made popular in the nineteenth century which emphasized action and spectacular effects and also used music; it had stock characters and clearly defined villains and heroes. Mime   Form of theatrical entertainment in ancient Greece and Rome which consisted of short dramatic sketches characterized by jesting and buffoonery. Minor characters   In a drama, those characters who have small, secondary, or supporting roles. These could include soldiers and servants. Minstrelsy   Type of nineteenth-century production featuring white performers made up in blackface. Miracle play   Medieval vernacular drama dealing with the lives of saints or the Virgin Mary. Mise-en-scène (miz-on-SEHN)   Arrangement of all the elements in a stage picture at a given moment or throughout a performance. Morality play   Medieval drama designed to teach a lesson. The characters were often allegorical and represented virtues or faults. Motivated sounds   Sounds called for in the script that usually come from recognizable sources. Moving lights   See Automated lights. Multifocus theater   Theater in which something is going on simultaneously in several playing areas. Multimedia   Use of electronic media, such as slides, film, and videotape, in live theatrical presentations. Multiple setting   Form of stage setting, common in the Middle Ages, in which several locations are represented at the same time; also called simultaneous setting. Used also in various forms of contemporary theater. Musical theater   Broad category which includes opera, operetta, musical comedy, and other musical plays (sometimes called lyric theater). Mystery plays   Also called cycle plays. Short dramas of the Middle Ages based on events of the Old and New Testaments and often organized into historical cycles. Naturalism   Special form of realism developed in Europe in the late nineteenth century, which was not carefully plotted or constructed but was meant to present a "slice of life." Neoclassical ideals   Rules developed by critics of the Italian Renaissance, supposedly based on the writings of Aristotle. New Comedy   Hellenistic Greek and Roman comedies which deal with romantic and domestic situations. No ("o" is special character with line over it)   Rigidly traditional form of Japanese drama combining music, dance, and lyrics. Objective   Stanislavski's term for that which is urgently desired and sought by a character, the desired goal which propels a character to action. Obstacle   That which delays or prevents the achieving of a goal by a character. An obstacle creates complication and conflict. Offstage   Areas of the stage, usually in the wings or backstage, which are not in view of the audience. Old Comedy   Classical Greek comedy which pokes fun at social, political, or cultural conditions and at particular figures. Onstage   Area of the stage which is in view of the audience. Open   To turn or face more toward the audience. Orchestra   Ground-floor seating in an auditorium; also, a circular playing space in ancient Greek theaters. Pace   Rate at which a performance is played; also, to play a scene or an entire event to determine its proper speed. Pan   Term used in theater lighting when a beam of light from a lighting instrument moves horizontally, from side to side. Pantomime   Originally a Roman entertainment in which a narrative was sung by a chorus while the story was acted out by dancers. Now used loosely to cover any form of presentation which relies on dance, gesture, and physical movement without dialogue or speech. Parabasis (puh-RAB-uh-sihs)   Scene in classical Greek Old Comedy in which the chorus directly addresses the audience members and makes fun of them. Parodos (PAR-uh-dohs)   In classical Greek drama, the scene in which the chorus enters. Also, the entranceway for the chorus in Greek theater. Patio   In the theater of the Spanish golden age, the pit area for the audience. Peking (Beijing) opera   Popular theater of China that developed in the nineteenth century. Performance art   Experimental theater that initially incorporated elements of dance and the visual arts. Since performance art often is based on an individual performer or director's vision, rather than a playwright's, the autobiographical monologue has become a popular performance art form. Period   Term describing any representation onstage of a former age (e.g., period costume, period play). Perspective   Illusion of depth in painting, introduced into scene design during the Italian Renaissance. Pit   Floor of the house in a traditional proscenium-arch theater. It was originally a standing area; by the end of the eighteenth century, backless benches were added. Platform   Raised surface on the stage floor serving as an elevation for parts of the stage action and allowing for a multiplicity of stage levels. Platform stage   Elevated stage with no proscenium. Plot   As distinct from story, the patterned arrangement in a drama of events and characters, with incidents selected and arranged for maximum dramatic impact. Also, in Elizabethan theaters, an outline of the play which was posted backstage for the actors. Point of attack   The moment in the story when a play actually begins. The dramatist chooses a point which he or she judges will best start the action and propel it forward. Pole and chariot   Giacomo Torelli's mechanized means of changing sets made up of flat wings. Poor theater   Term coined by Jerzy Grotowski to describe his theater, which was stripped to the bare essentials. Postmodernism   A contemporary concept suggesting that artists and audiences have gone beyond the modernist movements of realism and the various departures from realism. Preparation   Previous arranging of circumstances, pointing of character, and placing of properties in a production so that the ensuing actions will seem reasonable; also, the actions taken by a performer in getting ready for a performance. Prescriptive criticism   Criticism that offers advice and sometimes suggests rules for what should be done in theater. Private theaters   Indoor theaters in Elizabethan England. Producer   In American usage, the person responsible for the business side of a production, including raising the necessary money. (In British usage, a producer is the equivalent of an American director.) Prologue   Introductory speech delivered to the audience by one of the actors or actresses before a play begins. Prompt   To furnish a performer with missed or forgotten lines or cues during a performance. Prompt book   Script of a play indicating performers' movements, light cues, sound cues, etc. Props   Properties; objects that are used by performers onstage or are necessary to complete a set. Proscenium (pro-SIN-ee-um)   Arch or frame surrounding the stage opening in a box or picture stage. Protagonist   Principal character in a play, the one whom the drama is about. Public theaters   Outdoor theaters in Elizabethan England. Pull   To choose a costume from an inventory owned by a theater company. Rake   To position scenery on a slant or at an angle other than parallel or perpendicular to the curtain line; also, an upward slope of the stage floor away from the audience. Raked stage   Stage which slopes upward away from the audience toward the back of the set. Realism   Broadly, an attempt to present onstage people and events corresponding to those in everyday life. Regional theater   (1) Theater whose subject matter is specific to a particular geographic region. (2) Theaters situated in theatrical centers across the country. Régisseur (ray-zhee-SUHR)   Continental European term for a theater director; it often denotes a dictatorial director. Rehearsal   Preparation by a cast for the performance of a play through repetition and practice. Reinforcement   Amplification of sounds in the theater. Repertory or repertoire   Acting company which at any given time can perform a number of plays alternately; also, the plays regularly performed by a company. Representative characters   Characters in a play who embody characteristics that represent an entire group. Reproduction   Use of mechanically re-created sounds in the theater. Restoration drama   English drama after the restoration of the monarchy, from 1660 to 1700. Reversal   Sudden switch of circumstances or knowledge which leads to a result contrary to expectations; called peripeteia or peripety in Greek drama. Revolving stage   Large circular turntable in a stage floor on which scenery is placed so that, as it moves, one set is brought into view while another one turns out of sight. Right stage   Right side of the stage from the point of view of a performer facing the audience. Ritual   Specifically ordered ceremonial event, often religious. Romanticism   Movement of the nineteenth century which sought to free the artist from rules and considered unfettered inspiration the source of all creativity. Run   Operation of a show; also, the length of time a production is performed. Run-through   Rehearsal in which the cast goes through the entire text of the play in the order that it will be performed. Satire   Dramatic form using techniques of comedy--such as wit, irony, and exaggeration--to attack and expose folly and vice. Satyr play   One of the three types of classical Greek drama, usually a ribald takeoff on Greek myth-ology and history that included a chorus of satyrs, mythological creatures who were half-man and half-goat. Scaena (SKAY-nah)   Stagehouse in a Roman theater. Scene   (1) Stage setting. (2) One of a series of structural units into which a play or acts of a play are divided. (3) Location of a play's action. Scrim   Thin, open-weave fabric which is nearly transparent when lit from behind and opaque when lit from the front. Script   Written or printed text--consisting of dialogue, stage directions, character descriptions, and the like. Set   Scenery, taken as whole, for a scene or an entire production. Set piece   Piece of scenery which stands independently in a scene. Shadow play   A play performed widely in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia involving intricately carved flat leather puppets that create patterns of light and shadow when their image is projected on a screen. Shareholders   In Elizabethan acting troupes, members who received part of the profits as payment. Sides   Script containing only a single performer's lines and cues. Elizabethan actors learned their roles from sides. Simultaneous setting   Medieval tradition of presenting more than one locale onstage at the same time. Skene (SKEE-nee)   In ancient Greek theater, the scene house behind the orchestra. Slapstick   Type of comedy or comic business which relies on ridiculous physical activity--often violent in nature--for its humor. Soliloquy   Speech in which a character who is alone onstage speaks inner thoughts. Spill   Light from stage-lighting instruments which falls outside of the areas for which it is intended, such as light that falls on the audience. Spine   In the Stanislavski method, a character's dominant desire or motivation; usually thought of as an action and expressed as a verb. Stage door   Outside entrance to dressing rooms and stage areas which is used by performers and technicians. Stage convention   Understanding established through custom or usage that certain devices will be arbitrarily accepted or assigned a specific meaning. Stage house   Stage floor and all the space above it up to the grid. Stage left   Left side of the stage from the performer's point of view. From the audience's perspective, it would be the right side of the stage. Stage manager   Person who coordinates all the rehearsals for the director and runs the actual show during its performances. Stage right   Right side of the stage from the performer's point of view. From the view of the audience, it would be the left side of the stage. Stage picture   Visual composition of how an entire scene onstage will appear to the audience. Standing room only (SRO)   Notice that all seats for a performance have been sold but standees can be accommodated.