The McGettrick Dictionary

Audition – When students show their singing, acting, or dancing so directors can see where they might fit best in the show.

Backstage – The space behind the stage where students and crew wait, get ready, or prepare for their entrances.

Blocking/Staging – The planned movements on stage—where actors stand, walk, or face so that the story is clear to the audience.

Call Time – The time students are expected to arrive before rehearsal or a performance begins.

Callback – An additional round of auditions when directors need to see certain students again before casting is decided.

Cheating - Angling our bodies or adjusting movement so that the audience can be clear on what is happening on stage.

Choreo - Choreography is dance or character/emotion driven movement that might (or might not!) happen along with music in a show.

Company – Everyone who’s part of the production: actors, crew, directors, designers, stage managers—all of us working together.

Costume – The clothing and accessories actors wear to help bring their characters to life.

Crew – The behind-the-scenes helpers who make the show happen—working with lights, sound, props, sets, and more.

Cue – A signal for someone to do something, like an actor’s entrance, a line, a light change, or music starting.

Designer – The person who creates the look or feel of part of the show, such as costumes, sets, lights, or sound.

Dialogue – The words characters say to each other in the script.

Dress Rehearsal – A rehearsal that runs just like a real performance, with costumes, lights, sound, props, and all.

Ensemble – A group of actors working together in a scene or song. It can mean the whole cast or a smaller group, like “students in the cafeteria” or “citizens of the town.”

House – The audience area where families and friends sit to watch the show.

Intermission – A short break in the middle of the show.

Line – A character’s spoken words from the script.

Monologue – A moment when one actor speaks alone on stage.

Music Rehearsal – Practice time focused on learning or polishing the vocal (singing) parts of the show.

Pit – The area (often in front of the stage) where musicians play live music for a show, if there is one.

Props – Objects that actors carry or use on stage, like a book, phone, or basket.

Rehearsal – The practice time when students come together to learn, review, and polish the show.

Run Time – How long the performance lasts from start to finish.

Script – The book of the show that contains all the dialogue, lyrics, and stage directions.

Set – The scenery and furniture on stage that show where the story takes place.

Stage Left / Stage Right – Directions from the actor’s point of view while facing the audience (Stage Left is the actor’s left, Stage Right is the actor’s right).

Stage Manager – The person who helps keep rehearsals organized and makes sure the show runs smoothly from start to finish.

Stumble-Through – A rehearsal where the cast runs the show all the way through without stopping, even if things go wrong, to see how it flows.

Strike – The clean-up after the last performance, when sets, props, and costumes are taken down and put away.

Tech / Tech Rehearsal – A rehearsal where we add lights, sound, microphones, sets, and props so students can practice with everything in place.

Understudy – A student who learns someone else’s part so they can step in if needed.

Vocal Book – The binder of music students use, with all their vocal parts written out.

Wings – The spaces just offstage where actors wait for their entrances.