first six weeks vocab

act (TA 6, 7) to perform by representing a character in a play.

act (TA 6, 7) -- the major division of a play;

acting (TA 6, 7)-- creating an illusion with behavior attributed to a particular character; to play a role.

actors (TA 6, 7) -- individuals who, within the performance contract, enact or portray characters or situations other than their own, using as the materials of the art, their own body and voice. The term “actor” applies to both women and men.

actress (TA 6, 7)-- a female actor.

antagonist (TA 6, 7)-- the character of force opposing the main character in a play.

apron (TA 6, 7)-- (forestage (TA 7)) stage area in front of the main curtain to the front edge of the stage.

arena stage / theatre-in-the-round (TA 6, 7) -- theater space where the audience sits on all four sides of the auditorium and watches the action in an area set in the middle of the room. Stage directions are typically given using a clock as reference (enter at 12 and cross to 3).

backdrop (TA 6, 7)-- large sheet of painted canvas or muslin that hangs at the back of a set

backstage (TA 6, 7) -- stage area beyond the acting area, including the dressing rooms

balance (TA 6, 7) -- aesthetically pleasing integration of performers, set, properties, and lighting – essential for good stage pictures.

blocking (TA 6, 7) – the planned movement of the actors onstage (usually given by the director to the actors)

cheat / cheat out (TA 6, 7) – to angle the actor’s body so that it is open to the audience.

climax (TA 6, 7) -- highest point of dramatic tension in a script. Usually the crux of the play, when the major conflict can proceed no further without beginning the process of resolution. The point in the story when the audience knows if the protagonist will or will not get what he/she wants.

conflict (TA 6, 7) – the problem – the thing or person that gets in the way of what the protagonist wants.

constructive comments (TA 6, 7) – a critique that offers suggestions for improvement rather than just saying “I didn’t like it; it was boring; good job.”

critique (TA 6, 7) – feedback given to the cast or crew about what was done well and what needs to be improved.

cross (TA 6, 7) -- movement of an actor from one position on the stage to another; usually indicated in a script by a “X.”

dialogue (TA 6, 7) -- conversation characters have on stage with each other.

dimension / planes (TA 6, 7) – using a variety of placement of the set pieces and actors on the stage (some upstage, some center, some downstage) – important to having a good stage picture.

dynamic character (TA 6, 7) – a character who changes from the start of the show to the end of the show – usually the protagonist.

ensemble (TA 6, 7) – a group of 3 or more.

entrance (TA 6, 7)-- 1) entering the stage; 2) opening in the set that is used for entering.

exeunt (TA 6, 7) -- Latin word referring to an actor’s exit.

exit (TA 6, 7)-- 1) leaving the stage; 2) opening in the set that is used for leaving.

exposition (TA 6, 7) -- units in the scripts in which the playwright supplies background and past information necessary to the complete understanding of the play – the beginning of a play.

falling action (TA 6, 7) -- that part of the plot that follows the climax and includes the denouement/resolution.

fourth wall (TA 6, 7)-- imaginary wall filling in the proscenium arch through which the audience can see in and observe the action.

freeze (TA 6, 7)-- to stop all movement.

full back (TA 6, 7)-- performer has his/her back to the audience.

full front (TA 6, 7) -- performer is facing the audience.

house left/right (TA 6, 7)– the left/right side of the auditorium, from the audience’s point of view.

house(TA 6, 7)– rows of seats in which the audience sits to watch a performance.

improvisation (TA 6, 7) – a story that is acted out with little or no time to prepare and with no script.

improvise (TA 6, 7)-- to ad lib or invent dialogue not in the script to make a moment more realistic or to help cover for a mistake or problem.

inciting incident (TA 6, 7)-- incident near the beginning of a play that gets the main action started – introduces the conflict – the first thing that gets in the way of what the protagonist wants.

levels (TA 6, 7)-- steps, platforms etc., that raise the actor from the stage; varying the levels of the actors on stage helps to create better stage pictures and visual interest.

lines (TA 6, 7) -- words that the characters say in a play that are memorized by the actor for a show.

lines off (TA 6, 7) – memorized lines.

magic “if” (TA 6, 7)-- the actor’s technique to imagine themselves as one with the situations they play; “What would I do IF I were this person in this situation?”

main curtain (TA 6, 7) -- used to separate the auditorium from the stage in a proscenium theatre; the pretty curtain; main drape.

mime (TA 6, 7)-- communication by gesture, no words; a person who performs pantomime.

obstacle (TA 6, 7) – what gets in the way of what the character wants.

offstage (TA 6, 7) -- areas of the stage not in view of the audience.

orchestra pit (TA 6, 7) -- space for musicians located right in front of the stage, often sunken so the audience can see above them; also known as the “pit.”

pantomime (TA 6, 7) – acting without words or props – emphasis is on gesture and body and expression.

pit (TA 6, 7)-- area immediately below the stage which is usually lower than the auditorium level; used primarily by the stage orchestra.

play (TA 6, 7) – a story written in dramatic format.

playwright (TA 6, 7)-- person who writes or adapts properties known as play; in most traditions, the first and most creative artist of all those who collaborate to make theatre. It is the playwright’s property that stimulates the impetus for a full-fledged production. In musicals, the writers include the writers of the music, the lyrics, and the book.

plot (TA 6, 7)-- the story line of a play developed through a logical unfolding of a series of events; also means a very detailed layout of lighting, properties, etc.

projection / project (TA 6, 7)-- actor’s technique for making voice, movements, and gestures clear to all parts of the house.

property/prop -(TA 6, 7)- article or object that is carried by performers or is used on the set.

proscenium arch (TA 6, 7)-- wall forming a picturing frame separating the stage from the auditorium/house.

proscenium stage(TA 6, 7) – a stage with an audience on only one side; the most common type of stage.

protagonist -(TA 6, 7)- the main character or hero of a play that the audience is supposed to identify or sympathize with.

rehearsal (TA 6, 7)-- the time for discussion and analysis of the play, a time for the performers to learn their parts and their blocking and to synchronize the playing aspect of the show with the technical aspect of the production.

resolution (TA 6, 7)-- the unraveling of the difficulties in a drama so that the solution can be revealed.

rising action (TA 6, 7)-- that action in a play that occurs before the climax, more events that get in the way of what the protagonist wants.

scene (TA 6, 7)—the smallest division of a play – a division of an act, usually denoting a change in time or place; can also be the descriptor for the locale of a play.

script (TA 6, 7)-- -- dialogue, lyrics, and stage directions of a musical or play; what a playwright writes; book.

set (TA 6, 7)—the items that create the setting of the show on the stage.

setting (TA 6, 7)-- -- indicates the time and place where the action of a play takes place.

sight cue (TA 6, 7)-- -- a non-verbal cue usually given as stage business.

stage directions (TA 6, 7)-- -- those instructions given to the actor in the script and are usually in typed italics and in (parentheses).

stage left/right (TA 6, 7)-- -- the left/right side of the stage, from the actor's perspective; L; R.

stage picture (TA 6, 7)-- -- arrangement on a stage of performers and the visual production elements as it looks from the center of the house. Good stage pictures have balance, levels, dimension and focus.

static character (TA 6, 7) – a character that does not change during the course of the story.

subjective (TA 6, 7) – subject to opinion – not fact (what one person thinks is a great show, someone else make think it was horrible – both are right because it is opinion not fact).

text (TA 6, 7)-- -- words of the dialogue and lyrics; lines; what you memorize.

theater (TA 6, 7) - a building where plays are performed for audiences. I am going to the theater to see a show tonight..

theatre (TA 6, 7) - all aspects of theatre: acting, educational, technical, performing, writing, etc. I am taking a theatre class.

theatre in the round (TA 6, 7)-- -- an arena style production in which the audience surrounds the acting stage, and the actors use the various aisles for exits and entrances.

thrust stage/open stage/apron stage (TA 6, 7)-- -- wraparound theater space where the stage extends out into the audience and the spectators view the action from three sides. The main advantage to this setup is that more of the audience can be closer to the actors. Scenically, it can be less expensive to mount a theater piece on a thrust stage than on a proscenium stage.

upstage (TA 6, 7)-- -- area on the stage area farthest away from the audience. The term dates back to the days when the stage was raked away from the audience so that actors had to literally walk upstage; US.

wings (TA 6, 7)-- -- offstage areas right and left stage.

X (cross) (TA 6, 7) – -- notation in the prompt book that an actor crosses at that time

MI2 Vocabulary

act (TA 6, 7) -- the major division of a play;

act (TA 6, 7) to perform by representing a character in a play.

ad-lib (TA 6, 7) -- to add in words and actions that are not in the script

amphitheatre (TA 7) -- an oval or round structure having levels of seats rising outward from an open space or arena.

apron (TA 6, 7)-- (forestage (TA 7)) stage area in front of the main curtain to the front edge of the stage.

aside (TA 6, 7) -- unspoken thoughts of a character delivered directly to the audience with the other characters on stage but unable to hear what is being said; the actors “hear” but the characters do not hear; usually used to share with the audience a secret or a mean thought you’d not want to say to the other character in real life but you do think in your head anyway.

at rise (TA 7)-- often the beginning of a play script describing who is onstage, what they are doing, and where they are placed.

backdrop (TA 6, 7)-- large sheet of painted canvas or muslin that hangs at the back of a set

backstage (TA 6, 7) -- stage area beyond the acting area, including the dressing rooms

balance (TA 6, 7) -- aesthetically pleasing integration of performers, set, properties, and lighting – essential for good stage pictures.

blackout (TA 6, 7) -- a fast darkening of the stage, all stage lights out at once and quickly.

blocking (TA 6, 7) – the planned movement of the actors onstage (usually given by the director to the actors)

breaking character (TA 6, 7) -- when an actor does anything that is not consistent with what the character would do.

build (TA 6, 7) -- to increase the loudness, rate, and energy of a line, speech, scene or song in order to reach a climax.

business (TA 6, 7) -- activity performed by an actor during a scene that is done in addition to blocking in order to make a scene more realistic (ironing, eating, folding laundry, doodling).

characterization (TA 6, 7) -- representation of a character’s qualities or peculiarities through dialogue, gesture, movement, costume and makeup.

cheat / cheat out (TA 6, 7) – to angle the actor’s body so that it is open to the audience.

conflict (TA 6, 7) – the problem – the thing or person that gets in the way of what the protagonist wants.

constructive comments (TA 6, 7) – a critique that offers suggestions for improvement rather than just saying “I didn’t like it; it was boring; good job.”

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

critique (TA 6, 7) – feedback given to the cast or crew about what was done well and what needs to be improved.

cue (TA 6, 7) -- signal (line, piece of business) to an actor or stage technician that the next line or stage function is to occur.

delivery (TA 7) -- the way an actor says his lines.

denouement (TA 7) -- final scene of a play when the plot is unraveled and the play is brought to a tidy conclusion, another word for resolution.

dialogue (TA 6, 7) -- conversation characters have on stage with each other.

director (TA 6, 7)-- in modern theatre, the major interpretive figure, the artistic visionary whose job it is to bring to life the playwright’s script. The director’s primary objective is to provide artistic meaning to the theatre experience. The director might have a number of professional assistants to work with him/her: casting director, movement coach, speech consultant (vocal coach). In musicals, the music director and the choreographer are also major interpretive figures. In charge of rehearsing with the actors and giving them blocking.

director’s concept (TA 8) -- central idea, metaphor, that forms the basis for all artistic choices in a production.

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).

improvisation (TA 6, 7) – a story that is acted out with little or no time to prepare and with no script.

inflection (TA 6, 7) – the “musical” quality to a voice, uses a variety of pitch, tempo, volume .

lines (TA 6, 7) -- words that the characters say in a play that are memorized by the actor for a show.

lines off (TA 6, 7) – memorized lines.