Drama Terminology

Question 1

Theatre in Education (TIE):

Answer 1

A play that is created to teach a particular lesson. Often toured round schools and to young people. Often followed by a workshop or discussion about the topic.

Question 2

Physical Theatre:

Answer 2

This means the performance is literally more
physical. To tell the story the performers focus on their bodies. E.g. Mask work, creating a forest using the bodies of the performers, Mime…

Question 3

Naturalistic

Answer 3

The performance is as close to real life as possible.

Question 4

Non-naturalistic:

Answer 4

The performance is more theatrical and stylised and tells the story using a variety of techniques such as flashbacks; direct address to the audience; multiple role-play.

Question 5

Comedy

Answer 5

: The story shown is funny and ends happily. There are many
types of comedy…

Question 6

Slapstick:

Answer 6

Physical comedy that centres around accidents, mock fights
and humiliation

Question 7

Tragedy:

Answer 7

The story shown is sad and usually involves the death or
downfall of its main character/s.

Question 8

Gritty Realism:

Answer 8

About real, usually working class, poor people.

Question 9

Historical Drama

Answer 9

: Set in a particular historical period

Question 10

Docudrama:

Answer 10

Looking like a documentary with reconstructions (like
‘Crimewatch’)

Question 11

Soap:

Answer 11

Follows the format of a television soap; long interrelated
storylines; prologue at the beginning; follows the fortunes of the characters who live/work in a particular place.

Question 12

Target Audience:

Answer 12

The sort of people the play is aimed at

Question 13

Message:

Answer 13

What the play intends the audience to have learned or to
think about

Question 14

Themes:

Answer 14

The general ideas that the play looks at.

Question 15

Episodic:

Answer 15

A play is episodic when it shows particular events (episodes)
that happen in the course of a long period of time, not necessarily in the order that they happen. E.g. Blood Brothers shows the key events that happen to a pair of twins from the moment they are born to the moment they die

Question 16

Linear Narrative:

Answer 16

A play has a linear narrative when the story is told in the order that events happen. Each scene normally links from the last one and the story is over a relatively short period of time.

Question 17

Framing Device:

Answer 17

A scene that goes at the beginning and end to help the audience get into the theme of the play.

Question 18

Holding Scene:

Answer 18

a scene that literally holds the rest of the play together. It is the most important scene in the play without which the rest would not make sense.

Question 19

Flashback/ forward:

Answer 19

The scene shows an event that happens earlier in the story or later in the story.

Question 20

Split Scene:

Answer 20

Two connected scenes going on at the same time. Uses a freezing devise to shift the focus of attention between them. Can be useful to show two points of view about the same event in the story

Question 21

Narration:

Answer 21

Telling the story directly to the audience either from within a character (narration from within) or in the role of a narrator.

Question 22

Monologue:

Answer 22

A character has a fairly long speech that gives the audience a lot more information about him/ herself or the story. A monologue can give information that you wouldn’t necessarily expect a person to say out loud.

Question 23

Chorus:

Answer 23

A character or characters that talk about events that have happened and usually say what they think about it. This is another way of telling part of the story without having to act it out in full.

Question 24

Freeze Frame/Thoughts Out Loud:

Answer 24

The performance is frozen and the characters break out of the action to tell the audience directly what they are thinking or to comment on what is happening.

Question 25

Mime:

Answer 25

Showing what happens through the use of detailed movement without speaking.

Question 26

Setting the Scene:

Answer 26

Introducing the characters, place, time and
situation.

Question 27

Exposition:

Answer 27

Tells the story up to the point when the play starts. What the audience needs to know.

Question 28

Introduce the Dilemma:

Answer 28

Something starts to go wrong or a problem occurs.

Question 29

Develop the tension:

Answer 29

Tension builds. Things get worse and worse
causing the audience to literally get ‘tense’ wondering what will happen
next.

Question 30

Climax:

Answer 30

The height of the scene where the problem comes to a head.
The emotions are very extreme: extremely funny, extremely sad,
extremely shocking etc.

Question 31

Resolution:

Answer 31

How the situation ends. Usually the characters have
changed as a result. A new beginning.

Question 32

Transitions:

Answer 32

The movements between scenes. How these are carried
out in a manner that keeps the audience interested and maintains the
atmosphere.

Question 33

Anti-climax:

Answer 33

this is where tension builds to the point where it looks like
something dramatic is about to happen but then it doesn’t. It’s used a lot in comedy when somebody says something funny to defuse the tension.

Question 34

Given Circumstances:

Answer 34

What we already know about the character from the text.

Question 35

Objective:

Answer 35

What the character wants in the play. (This will influence how the character acts and reacts to get it)

Question 36

Arc:

Answer 36

The emotional trajectory of the character. How the character changes from the beginning of the play to the end.

Question 37

Status:

Answer 37

How much power and importance the character has. (High or low)

Question 38

Emotional Memory:

Answer 38

Finding moments in the actors life where he/she
felt the same or similar to the character and trying to remember what it felt like.

Question 39

Inner Dramatic Dialogue:

Answer 39

The thoughts going through the characters mind. This can be very different from what they are actually saying and will make for a much more interesting performance

Question 40

Empathy:

Answer 40

Being able to get inside the character to think and feel as they do

Question 41

7 Levels of Tension states (exhausted; tired; neutral; Alert; scared; petrified; rigor mortis):

Answer 41

Each character will have a usual level of tension but will also get more tense and more relaxed depending on what happens to him/her.

Question 42

Staging

Answer 42

Upstage right Upstage Upstage left
Stage right Centre stage Stage left
Downstage right Downstage Downstage left

Question 43

Physicality

Answer 43

How the actor creates meaning with the body

Question 44

Gesture

Answer 44

A movement made with the hand/arm/head that means a particular thing. E.g thumbs up.

Question 45

Facial expression

Answer 45

The expression on the face. It needs an adjective such as ‘fierce’ or ‘sad’, Don’t just talk about ‘good’ or ‘lots’

Question 46

Vocal expressions

Answer 46

How the actor crates meaning with the voice not just words

Question 47

Pitch

Answer 47

(High or low) ; pace (speed); projection (volume) and emphasis (stressed words)

Question 48

Signature Gesture:

Answer 48

A mannerism or repeated gesture that gives an indication about the character’s personality and creates interest.

Question 49

Vocal Mannerism:

Answer 49

As above but for the voice.

Question 50

Reactions:

Answer 50

How the character reacts to others (especially when not speaking).

Question 51

Performance Energy:

Answer 51

the amount of effort put into the performance.

Question 52

Tone:

Answer 52

A general description of the voice. E.g. a sarcastic tone of voice.