4th six weeks vocab

beat (TA 6, 7) -- specific moment for an actor’s to pause for dramatic emphasis; marked by a “/” in script when scoring.

bit part (TA 6, 7 ) -- small role with few lines and little stage time

blocking rehearsals (TA 6, 7) -- rehearsal emphasis placed on stage movement, which is either overseen or dictated by the director

cast (TA 6, 7) – all the actors in a show.

center line (TA 6, 7) -- an imaginary line down the center of the stage, from upstage to downstage.

copyright (TA 6, 7) -- way by which an author can register the ownership of literary or musical property & then receive payments from others for the right to produce the work.

crew (TA 6, 7) – all the technicians in a play.

curtain call (TA 6, 7) -- bowing and receiving the audience’s applause at the end of the show, or, sometimes in opera, at the end of an act.

curtain line (TA 6, 7)-- imaginary line at which the main drape meets the floor.

double (TA 6, 7) -- to play more than one role in a production.

doubling (TA 6, 7) – when one actor plays two or more roles in a play.

downstage (TA 6, 7) -- the part of the stage closest to the audience as you face the audience.

downstage right/left (TA 6, 7)-- acting area closest to the audience and on the right/left side of the stage as you face the audience (the actor’s right).

techies (TA 6, 7) – a nickname for technicians.

ham (TA 6, 7) – an inferior or pretentious actor, often one who doesn’t know he’s bad; actor who overacts.

hold (TA 6, 7)– to pause for laughter or applause to die down.

intermission(TA 6, 7) -- intervals between the acts or scenes allowing for set changes audience respite, costume change, etc.

lighting cues (TA 6, 7)-- the instructions written on the script that tell the lighting operators what to do and when to do it.

lighting designers (TA 6, 7)-- in the theatre, the person who decides where the lighting instruments should go, how they should be colored, and which ones should be on at any particular time.

line rehearsals (TA 6, 7)-- actors are expected to be “off book” and line perfect when these rehearsals are called; line check.

mugging (TA 6, 7)-- using excessive, exaggerated expressions.

on (or off) book (TA 6, 7)-- unable (or able) to perform a scene without looking at a script; the stage manager following along in the script during rehearsal is also said to be "on book."

overlap (TA 6, 7)-- to respond before an actor stops speaking; indicated in the script by “. . .” at the end of the cue line and by “. . .” in the next line.

places (TA 6, 7)-- a call to the actors to get ready as the curtain is about to go up – actors should answer with “Thank You.” So the director or stage manger who did the call knows he/she was heard.

pre-casting (TA 6, 7)-- selecting actors for parts before auditions are held.

program (TA 6, 7) – the printed booklet for the audience with information about the play, actors, technicians, etc.

prop designer (TA 6, 7)) -- the person who selects, designs, and finds the props.

prop list(TA 6, 7) -- the master list of all items that could be considered props.

prop table (TA 6, 7) -- the table backstage where handheld props are put when they are not being used onstage.

props crew -(TA 6, 7)- the people who find/get the props needed for a show, make the prop table, keep track of the props, and who get the props in the right hands at the right times during the performance.

ramp (TA 6, 7)-- a sloped platform-like runway upon which an actor may walk.

rise (TA 6, 7)-- indicating a curtain is going up to start the show.

royalties (TA 6, 7) - payments made to authors (and their representatives) for permission to reproduce, in text or in performance, their artistic products (plays, designs, etc.).

run (TA 6, 7)-- the number of performance for a particular show.

run lines (TA 6, 7) – a rehearsal just to check the memorization – no blocking.

run-through (TA 6, 7) -- rehearsal in which the actors perform the play without interruption (not stopping when there is a mistake) , usually to improve the sense of continuity and to gain a better understanding of the shape of the whole or to time the length of the show.

special effect -- (TA 6, 7)-- technical effect -- usually spectacular -- found in a play, television program, or film. These can vary from the relatively simple gunshot or the flying of a character to a vast flood or thermonuclear war. The more elaborate special effects may be beyond the capacity of the most theatre technicians; in this case, a specialist -- a special effects artist -- may be employed.

thespian (TA 6, 7)-- -- actor; after Thespis, the first Greek dramatist.

throw away (TA 6, 7)-- -- underplay a moment or line in a scene; de-emphasize a line reading or a piece of business.

upstaging (TA 6, 7)-- -- to cross deliberately to a place upstage of another actor and assume a full front or one-quarter position, thereby forcing the other performer to turn to a three-quarter position in order to talk with the upstager.

Middle School Level 2 Vocabulary:

abstract stage (TA 7) -- one in which the bare minimum of setting is used such as free-standing doors, free-hung windows, limited furnishings; stylistic rather than realistic.

anachronism (TA 7) -- something that is out of chronological order (using a computer in the 1800's).

anti-hero (TA 7) -- when the protagonist is not your usual "good-guy" for example - protagonist who is bank robber.

balcony (TA 7)-- second tier of seating, cheaper than orchestra seats.

batten (TA 7) -- long iron pipe that stretches above the stage and upon which scenery, drops, or lights are hung

box office (TA 6, 7) -- place where tickets are sold for admission to performances.

box seats (TA 7) -- expensive seats located in front of and to the right of the balcony and separated from other seating areas.

comp (TA 6, 7) – a free ticket.

company (TA 7) -- group of actors and technicians working on a show.

counter (TA 7) -- as one actor moves, another actor shifts his/her position to balance the composition of a scene.

cover (TA 7) -- to stand in front of someone, an object, or a movement so that the audience cannot see it.

double take (TA 7) -- the actor looks at something or someone, then looking away, then realizing what he has seen or hear and quickly looks back.

dramatic irony (TA 7) -- derived from the audience’s understanding of a speech or situation not grasped by the characters in the play – the audience knows more than the characters do (think horror movie when you know the bad guy is waiting but the character on stage/film/TV does not.

dressing room (TA 7) -- a space for performers to hang costumes, put on makeup, and otherwise prepare for their show.

dry up (TA 7) -- to forget one’s lines.

ensemble (TA 7) -- sense of “family” unity developed by a group of performers during the course of a play; the willingness of actors to subordinate themselves to the production as a whole.

exit line (TA 7) -- a line delivered just before or just as an actor leaves the stage.

fantasy (TA 7) -- a dramatic work characterized by fanciful or supernatural elements.

flashback (TA 6, 7)-- theatrical convention in which the audience is able to see scenes from the past through the eyes of one of the characters in a play.

front-of-house (FOH) (TA 7) -- anything in the audience; commonly used to describe staff such as ushers; also lighting positions.

gobo (TA 7) -- metal cutout that creates a simple pattern on stage when placed in front of a beam of light.

go up (TA 7) -- to forget one’s lines while on stage.

incidental music (TA 7) -- played during a dramatic performance to underscore the action.

minor part (TA 7) -- a role with few lines necessary for advancing the plot or aiding other characters.

pick up (TA 6, 7)-- to speed up or shorten the time between a cue and the next line.