Vocab

Question 1

above

Answer 1

that area of the stage farthest away from the audience. A written stage direction might call for an actor to “cross above table.” Also called upstage. Term originated from original raked stage which was angled to give audience member a better view of entire stage.

Question 2

abstract stage

Answer 2

one in which the bare minimum of setting is used such as free-standing doors, free-hung windows, limited furnishings; stylistic rather than realistic.

Question 3

acetone

Answer 3

strong solvent used to remove spirit gum or other adhesives used in makeup.

Question 4

act I

Answer 4

1. the major division of a play; 2. to perform by representing a character in a play.

Question 5

act change

Answer 5

a change of setting, props, lights, and/or costumes between acts.

Question 6

act curtain

Answer 6

the front of main curtain on a prescenium stage directly behind the grand drapery.

Question 7

act drop

Answer 7

the painted curtain closing the proscenium between the qacts of a play, so-called ruing the latter part of the eighteenth century.

Question 8

acting

Answer 8

creating an illusion with behavior attributed to a particular character, project by voice and movement to an audience.

Question 9

acting area

Answer 9

a small area of the stage that has its own set of lights. Lighting designers often divide the stage into acting areas in order to create balanced lighting.

Question 10

acting edition

Answer 10

softbound copy of the script which often contains the stage directions, sound and light, cues, prop lists and costume descriptions from the prompt script of the world premier production. It is important to note that this added information was not provided by the playwright

Question 11

acting play

Answer 11

one having a wide variety of dramatics as opposed to a literary play which depends on the effective delivery of lines for success.

Question 12

action

Answer 12

the incidents of a play as expressed through the dialogue and movement of the characters

Question 13

actor proof

Answer 13

a term meaning the script is so good that any actor, regardless of his ability, could succeed in using it.

Question 14

actors

Answer 14

– individuals who, within the performance contract, enact characters or situations other than their own, using as the materials of the art, their own body and voice. The term “actor” applies to both women and men.

Question 15

actors equity association

Answer 15

165 West 46 Street, New York, New York 10036. Founded in 1912, this organization serves as a labor union for professional actors.

Question 16

actors studio

Answer 16

a well-known American training school devoted to teaching the Stanislavski system of acting.

Question 17

actor trap

Answer 17

a slang term assigned to any technical situation that will trip up an inattentive actor ,e.g., an uneven step on a staircase.

Question 18

actress

Answer 18

a female actor

Question 19

ad lib

Answer 19

to improvise words and actions

Question 20

adaptation

Answer 20

a play taken from a novel, a movie or other literary material; pdates of earlier plays; musical adaptations of straight plays.

Question 21

advance

Answer 21

refers ot tickets sold before the production begins

Question 22

advance man

Answer 22

someone who travels ahead of any traveling production arranging for the theatre, publicity, housing, etc.

Question 23

aesthetic distance

Answer 23

a detachment that allows a viewer’s attention to be held, and his emotions appealed to while the viewer is aware that he is a spectator in the theatre.