5th six weeks vocab

book (TA 6, 7) another word for script. Off book would mean – memorized, On book means – holding the script/not memorized.

break a leg (TA 6, 7) -- an expression used instead of “good luck” when one wishes an actor success before a show

call (TA 6, 7) -- 1) announcement to performers or crews that they are needed for a rehearsal or performance; 2) warning to performers to get ready for an entrance.

costume designer (TA 6, 7) -- the person who researches the costumes, decides which styles and fabrics to use, and then draws or paints the costumes in renderings.

go (TA 6, 7)-- the magic word; the universal way to tell someone to do their thing (actor to enter, light cue to happen, etc).

house manager (TA 6, 7) – person in charge of the house and audience’s happiness and safety.

jump lines (TA 6, 7) – to skip some lines in a scene or play.

latecomers (TA 6, 7) – audience members who arrive after a show has started.

lead (TA 6, 7)-- the starring role in a performance.

leading lady, man (TA 6, 7)- the performer who plays the main role in a show.

minimal setting (TA 6, 7) – a set for a play that uses very few set pieces to create the environment, no walls.

monologue (TA 6, 7)-- uninterrupted speech delivered by one character in a play to other characters who are at least present, if not listening- usually a speech that is at least 30 seconds in length.

opening night (TA 6, 7) – the first performance of a play in a series of performances.

plagiarize (TA 6, 7)-- to copy to work of another writer and claim it as one’s own.

playbill (TA 6, 7)--a program usually containing information about the play, cast, crew, supporters, and advertisers.

scenic designer (TA 6, 7)-- one responsible for designing the set.

sight gag (TA 6, 7)-- -- visual humor from a funny prop, costume, makeup, hairstyle, or movement (ex: arrow thru the head).

sight lines (TA 6, 7)-- -- imaginary lines from seats at the sides of the house and top of the balcony to the stage to determine what parts of the acting area will be visible to audience members sitting in those seats.

sign-in sheet (TA 6, 7)-- -- a list of performers and crew that lives on the callboard; cast and crew should check off their name when they arrive – so the stage manager knows who isn’t there and can call them.

spike (TA 6, 7)-- -- to mark the stage floor with chalk or tape to indicate the position of furniture, properties, or scenery so that they will be placed correctly during scene shifts.

spike tape (TA 6, 7)-- -- colored tape that is used to mark (or "spike") scenery positions onstage.

strike (TA 6, 7)-- -- in two words, to remove; in rehearsal, perhaps a prop, like a glass or a chair; after a production, the entire set and all the properties from the stage area and put them back where they belong so they can be found/used later.

typecasting (TA 6, 7)-- -- selection of actors based upon their physical similarity to a certain dramatic type or upon their reputation for specializing in that kind of role.

understudy (TA 6, 7)-- -- performer in the show who studies another role and is prepared to substitute in case of emergency.

walk through (TA 6, 7)-- -- a rehearsal at which the actors go through their parts with the emphasis on blocking and stage motion rather than lines.

walk-on (TA 6, 7)-- - a very small part in a play without lines.

Middle School Level 2 Vocabulary

control board (TA 7, 8) -- also called the dimmer board; the panel that controls the lighting instruments.

control booth (TA 8) -- (light booth/projection booth) small, glass-enclosed room at the back of the auditorium; used to house light and sound equipment. The stage manager often runs the show from the control booth.

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.

costume designer (TA 6, 7) -- the person who researches the costumes, decides which styles and fabrics to use, and then draws or paints the costumes in renderings.

costume fitting (TA 7) -- the meeting where costume personnel measure actors and test-fit their costumes.

deadpanning (TA 7) -- getting laughs through using no facial expressions.

debut (TA 7) -- player’s first appearance in public, in a new place, or in a new production.

epilogue –(TA 7) - speech or short scene that sometimes follows the main action of a play – helps wrap up the story.

flat (TA 6, 7) -- frame constructed of 1-by-3 boards, covered with canvas or ¼” plywood, painted, and used most often for interior or exterior walls of a building in a stage setting.

grease paint (TA 7) -- slang for stage makeup, usually meaning the foundation/base.

greenroom (TA 7) -- traditional name of the room in which actors gather to wait for entrances. Although many are not painted green today, it is thought that the equivalent room in London’s Drury Lane Theater was green -- hence the name.

gross (TA 7)-- the money taken in for a performance before paying bills, salaries, taxes, etc.

ground cloth (TA 7) -- a canvas covering the floor of a stage used as a padding for the acting area usually painted to represent grass, stones, etc.

hit (TA 7) – a successful play or performer.

melodrama (TA 7) -- suspenseful, plot-oriented drama featuring all-good heroes, all-bad villains, simplistic an naturalistic dialogue, soaring moral conclusions, and bravura acting. Only when taken to extreme is melodrama laughable. Mysteries and problem plays are two types of drama that fall under this category.

orchestra (TA 7) -- main floor seating area of the auditorium, house.

pad (TA 7)-- add lines to a script.