Vocabulary

Question 1

Ad-Lib

Answer 1

To make up words or dialogue on the spot, to speak at liberty.

Question 2

Apron

Answer 2

Front part or area of a stage extending past the main act curtain, also called lip.

Question 3

Arena

Answer 3

Type of performance space with audience surrounding all sides of the stage.

Question 4

Aside

Answer 4

For an actor to speak directly to the audience (not always meant to be heard).

Question 5

Backdrop

Answer 5

Painted cloth or set wall to serve as a background for the setting on stage.

Question 6

Black Box

Answer 6

Type of performance space that is small, created out of a room, painted all black.

Question 7

Blocking

Answer 7

Stage directions and movements given to an actor by the script or the director.

Question 8

Box Set

Answer 8

A type of setting that is built on stage to look like the interior of a house or room, having three walls and no ceiling.

Question 9

Build

Answer 9

Rising intensity or climbing action that that develops within a scene or play.

Question 10

Business

Answer 10

Busy work for the actor while playing on the stage to establish character, setting, and situation.

Question 11

Call

Answer 11

The time one must be at the Theatre or ready to go onto to stage.

Question 12

Callback

Answer 12

A second, more specific audition where a director looks closer at given actors.

Question 13

Catharsis

Answer 13

For an audience to have an emotional reaction while watching a performance where they purge themselves of their pity and fears.

Question 14

Center Stage

Answer 14

The middle point of the performance space, symbolized by CS in blocking notes.

Question 15

Cheat Out

Answer 15

A body position for the stage wherein the actor faces more towards the audience.

Question 16

Chorus

Answer 16

A group of performers that make up the community of characters within a play, having few lines individually, and seen on stage as one entity.

Question 17

Climax

Answer 17

The high point of action or conflict within a scene or a play.

Question 18

Cold Reading

Answer 18

A first look at a script, seeking an actors interpretation of the text, without rehearsing first; used at an audition.

Question 19

Cross

Answer 19

To move from one point of the stage to another. Symbolized by an X in blocking notation.

Question 20

Cue

Answer 20

A signal or line that prompts the next action or stage business during a performance.

Question 21

Downstage

Answer 21

The area of the performance space that is closest to the audience.

Question 22

Dramatic Irony

Answer 22

Happens when the audience knows more information about the plot and situations in a play than certain characters do.

Question 23

Dress Rehearsal

Answer 23

The final rehearsal(s) of a play before it opens to the public; utilizing all costumes, props, lighting, sound, and set changes.

Question 24

Dry Tech

Answer 24

A rehearsal that is run without the actors, bringing together all the technical aspects of a show, following the cues in the order that they are executed.

Question 25

Crossover

Answer 25

An area hidden from the audience, that allows someone to move from one side of the space to the other without being seen.

Question 26

Exposition

Answer 26

The background information of a story, usually told at the beginning of a play through narration or dialogue.

Question 27

Flat

Answer 27

A constructed piece of scenery, usually made of wood and/or canvas, used to create a set wall or backdrop for a stage setting.

Question 28

Floor Plan

Answer 28

A drawn picture of a set, as seen from a bird's eye view (from above), using geometric shapes to represent set pieces and levels.

Question 29

Fly System

Answer 29

A system of rigging and ropes that is used to raise and lower scenery within on stage, operated by hand or mechanically from backstage.

Question 30

Follow Spot

Answer 30

A concentrated source of light that illuminates a performer on stage, and stays with them as they move; most often coming from a spotlight instrument.

Question 31

Fourth Wall

Answer 31

The imaginary divide that separates the audience from the performance space.

Question 32

Grand

Answer 32

The main act curtain or drape that hangs at the front of the stage, always found in a Proscenium theatre, and usually is of a royal color.

Question 33

Hold

Answer 33

A command called out by a director wherein the actors must hold their stage positions or take a pause in the action of the scene.

Question 34

House

Answer 34

The area of a theatre where the audience sits or watches from.

Question 35

Major Role

Answer 35

A character part that is dominant in the plot of a play, having many scripted lines.

Question 36

Masking

Answer 36

1. Curtains, drapes, or set walls that are used to block the audiences sight from the backstage. 2. Used in stage combat to block the audiences sight from certain moves.

Question 37

Melodrama

Answer 37

A style of overacting that focuses on contrived action rather than realistic characterization or situations; dramatized for effect.

Question 38

Minor Role

Answer 38

A supporting character to a story, having less stage time and lines than a Major.

Question 39

Monologue

Answer 39

A speech performed by one performer, giving depth and insight into a characters thoughts or feelings; also called a soliloquy.

Question 40

Pantomime

Answer 40

To act out very physically without using words; a style of acting that is most often utilized in Children's Theatre.

Question 41

Pit

Answer 41

The area, usually below the front part of the stage, where the orchestra is set up to play the music for a live performance.

Question 42

Presentational

Answer 42

A style of performance where the characters or performers make aware of the audience's presence, often breaking the fourth wall.

Question 43

Properties (Props)

Answer 43

Used to enhance a scene or characterization, abbreviated-props. 1. Stage: large, stay on the set. 2. Hand: small, used by many actors. 3. Personal: used only by one actor, and stays with them.

Question 44

Proscenium

Answer 44

The most common type of Theatre space, known for its framed arch that outlines the stage opening, having the audience facing one side directly in front.

Question 45

Raked

Answer 45

A type of stage that slopes downward towards the audience, built at gradual angle.

Question 46

Sides

Answer 46

Selections taken from a script used for an actor to read a scene aloud (usually used at an audition for a cold reading).

Question 47

Sight Lines

Answer 47

The audience's view of a performance space, being blocked from the backstage.

Question 48

Spectacle

Answer 48

Large scenery or set pieces used for awe and illusion in a performance.

Question 50

Stage Combat

Answer 50

A style of acted movement that is planned out, or choreographed, to look like real fighting between characters within a performance.