Theatre Arts I Flashcards
The information put before an audience that gives the where, when, why, and who facts of a play.
Exposition.
A line spoken directly to the audience.
Aside.
The environment of the play created by staging and lighting.
Atmosphere.
The emotional feeling of a play.
Mood.
A clearly defined explanation of the events in the lives of characters before the start of the play’s action.
Preliminary Situation.
A speech delivered by an actor alone onstage that reveals the character’s innermost thoughts.
Soliloquy.
The basic idea of a play.
Theme.
The lesson or the principle contained within or taught by a play.
Moral.
The lines of a play spoken by characters.
Dialogue.
A play in which the protagonist fails to achieve desired goals.
Tragedy.
A set of three related plays.
Trilogy.
Type of comedy with clowning, practical jokes, and improbable situations and characters.
Farce.
A play that deals with unrealistic and fantastic characters.
Fantasy.
The emotional release an audience feels after the downfall of a tragic character.
Catharsis.
Style of comedy that presents humorous attacks on accepted convections of society, holding up human vices and follies to ridicule.
Satire.
Originally considered serious plays, based on romantic plots that have little regard for convincing motivation or detailed characterization.
Melodrama.
A play that treats characters and situations in a humorous way and has a happy ending.
Comedy.
An element in drama that arouses pity and compassion in an audience.
Pathos
The reason behind a character’s behavior.
Motivation.
The last words, action, or technical effect that immediately proceeds bag mine or business; a stage signal.
Cue.
The appearance of a play’s cast in response to an audience’s applause.
Curtain Calls.
A tryout for a position In a play.
Audition.
Word describing new or experimental styles of an art form.
Avant-garde.
Rehearsal without scripts.
Off book.
