Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
Beats
sections of a play, marked off by the actions and or objectives in a scene. A scene may have many beats- each character can have his own.
‘Cheat out’
to turn and quarter the body to the audience in such a way that is unnatural in real life but is effective and necessary on the stage.
Conflict
when two or more opposing forces and objectives collide. Often one side loses ground, one side gains ground.
Counter
a movement in the opposite direction in adjustment to the cross of another actor.
Cross
to move from one part of the stage to another. (often written in script notes as an ‘x’)
Emotional memory
this is when the actor remembers certain experiences in their own lie to create the appropriate emotion of the character in the moment, or they imagine what they would do if they were in the circumstances of the character - Magic If - ; or the actor can create completely different scenarios in their imagination to bring about the necessary emotion; this is called substitution.
Universal
worldwide, large, something everyone experiences.
Full back
occurs when the actor is facing 100% away from the audience. rarely uses; often for stylistic purposes when implemented.
Full Front
occurs when the actor is facing 100% downstage, their body and face ‘head on’ with the audience directly; not angled to either stage right, stage left or upstage.
Given circumstances
the conditions of the moment that affect the character 5 w’s: who, what, when, where, why? This affects the chat=cter each and every moment of the play, including the ‘moment before’. These are the things to think about when a director tells an actor to ‘get into character.’
Improvisation
spontaneous performance that comes from instinct, imagination, and awareness of surroundings.
‘The movement before’
his is the moment before the character walks onstage at any given point in the play. This is manifested in the imagination of the actor to give the character more authenticity when he makes his entrance. It often is a combination of emotional and sensory imagination.
Objective
the immediate goal of a character in a beat. Often the need is opposed by the need of another character - this creates conflict, which is the heartbeat of drama. (eg., ‘character a wants to get a drink of water, character b wants no one to see the faucet)
Play
a piece of literature meant to be performed in the theater. A play consists of acts, which are broken down into scenes; scenes are further broken down into beats by the actors, directors, and designers.
Public solitude
a term coined by Konstantin Stanislavski, which means the ability to perform an action in front of an audience as though the actor was alone without any spectators. (e.g. combining hair in front of a mirror, writing a love poem and practicing it.)
Rehearsal
lay practice. Rehearsals progress to run thoughts which progress to cue to cue, which progresses to final dress rehearsal before the show ‘goes up’, or begins official performances.
Sense memory
recreating in the mind, hopefully manifesting in the body, the feeling of sensory impulse. (e.g. the heat, weight, scent, and sound of drinking a hot cup of coffee).
Super objective
the overarching need and desire of a character throughout their entire existence, which drives their actions beat by beat in a play. (eg., ‘to rise above’, ‘to be remembered forever.’)
Tableau
an arrangement of actors in a moment ‘frozen in time’ to convey a meaning.
World of the play
he society, worldview, social structure, time period of the play.
Actor
one who acts in a play, movie, television show, etc.
Designer
a person who devises or executes designs, especially one who creates forms, structures, and patterns, as for works of art or machines.
Director
the head of an organized group or administrative unit.
Ensemble
a group of musicians, dancers, or actors who perform together.
Playwright
someone who writes plays.
Producer
a maker or manufacturer of something.
Stage manager
a person responsible for the technical details of a theatrical production, assisting the director during rehearsal, supervising the lighting, costuming, setting, prompting, etc.
