Acting Terminology #1

Question 1

Moment Before

Answer 1

the time and events prior to the beginning of a play or scene

Question 2

Opposites

Answer 2

contradictions and ambivalence within your character’s desires

Question 3

Discovery

Answer 3

something that happens or is understood for the first time

Question 4

Competition

Answer 4

Rivalry within a relationship

Question 5

Place

Answer 5

the character’s environment and feelings associated with it

Question 6

Conflict

Answer 6

the clash that results when two opposing objectives meet

Question 7

Importance/ (stakes)

Answer 7

emotional significance of the outcome to your character

Question 8

Mystery & Secret

Answer 8

things your character cannot understand or explain

Question 9

Relationship

Answer 9

the shared bond of history, facts, and feelings between characters

Question 10

Objectives

Answer 10

What your character wants to do to or get from others ( “ I want..”)

Question 11

Tactic

Answer 11

What your character does to get what they want

Question 12

Humor

Answer 12

Making light of a serious line or moment as a coping mechanism

Question 13

Game Playing

Answer 13

playful or childish exchanges between characters

Question 14

Business

Answer 14

blocking that involves the specific, necessary use of a prop

Question 15

Motivation

Answer 15

Why your character does what they do

Question 16

Text

Answer 16

the words spoken by the characters

Question 17

Subtext

Answer 17

the meaning and unspoken undercurrents under the words

Question 18

Action Verb

Answer 18

type of word stating objective and tactics

Question 19

Climax

Answer 19

moment when your character wins or loses their objectives

Question 20

Beat

Answer 20

change of subject, action, mood, or motivation within a scene

Question 21

Super Objective

Answer 21

character’s overall want in the play; remains consistent while objectives vary from scene: “ I want control.”

Question 22

Spine

Answer 22

one sentence that states the overall objective for every character in the play: “To escape the confines of small-town life”

Question 23

Spine Line

Answer 23

a single line stated by or about the character that makes the super objective clear

Question 24

Obstacle

Answer 24

The barrier that makes gaining the objective difficult. Maybe a person, an object, or a feeling