Theater Vocabulary

Question 0

Actor’s Equity Association

Answer 0

Union for professional stage actors and actresses

Question 1

A Capella

Answer 1

To sing without musical accompaniment

Question 2

Audition

Answer 2

To try out for a role

Question 3

Backstage

Answer 3

The part of the stage not visible to the audience

Question 4

Bit

Answer 4

A small non-speaking part, or a routine developed by a performer for his/her character

Question 5

Blocking

Answer 5

Arranged movements and positions of an actor on a stage or in a performance space that accompany the progress of a play or scene

Question 6

“Break a leg”

Answer 6

An expression used in theater to wish someone good luck

Question 7

Business

Answer 7

Refers to any tasks or activities an actor does within a scene

Question 8

Call

Answer 8

The appointed time when a performer must be present at the theater before a performance

Question 9

Callback

Answer 9

Additional auditions for a specific role in a single production

Question 10

Cheat font

Answer 10

When an actor improves his projection and sight lines by changing the angle of his body to the audience

Question 11

Choreographer

Answer 11

The individual who develops all dance steps for a production

Question 12

Cue

Answer 12

A sign or line that signals it’s time for the actor to enter, exit, or speak during a scene

Question 13

Curtain call

Answer 13

The tint following a performance when performers take a bow

Question 14

Dark

Answer 14

When a theater is closed or at the beginning of a scene when the lights are down

Question 15

Dialect

Answer 15

A regional speech pattern

Question 16

Director

Answer 16

The person who is responsible for the overall vision of a production and directs the actors towards that goal

Question 17

Dressing Room

Answer 17

Where actors change into and out of costumes

Question 18

Ensemble

Answer 18

A cast of performers working together to tell a story

Question 19

Focus

Answer 19

When an actor draws the audience’s attention to himself in a positive way

Question 20

Fourth Wall

Answer 20

The term that refers to the imaginary space between the performers on stage and the audience beyond it

Question 21

Gel

Answer 21

The transparent colored plastic that’s placed in a theater light to tint the light on the stage

Question 22

Go Up

Answer 22

When a performance starts, when an actor forgets his lines

Question 23

Green Room

Answer 23

Where the actors wait to be called for their scenes

Question 24

House

Answer 24

The part of the theater where the audience sits

Question 25

Lights Up

Answer 25

When the lights go up at the beginning of the show

Question 26

Mark

Answer 26

A specific space on stage that a performer must stand on

Question 27

Masking

Answer 27

Drapes that cover the wings of the stage

Question 28

Monologue

Answer 28

Dialogue performed by one person

Question 29

Musical director

Answer 29

Director responsible for conducting instrumental and vocal direction

Question 30

Notes

Answer 30

Constructive comments that directors give to the cast for the purpose of improving the next performance

Question 31

Off Book

Answer 31

When an actor had memorized his lines and doesn’t use his script in rehearsal

Question 32

Pace

Answer 32

The energy and rate of progression throughout a performance

Question 33

Pit

Answer 33

Where the orchestra is located

Question 34

Producer

Answer 34

Individual who handles the financial, marketing, and commercial aspects of a production

Question 35

Projection

Answer 35

The method by which the sound of the voice is pushed a distance, the display of a filmed image used for scenic effect