Theater Terms

Actors
individuals who 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.
Actor’s Equity Association
165 West 46 Street, New York, New York 10036. Founded in 1912, this organization serves as a labor union for professional actors.
Ad lib
to improvise words and actions
Apron
(forestage) stage area in front of the main curtain or proscenium arch.
Assistant stage manager
the all-purpose technical assistant to the Stage Manager.
Audition
tryout for a performer seeking a role in a theatre production. The process may included interviews, cold readings from the script, the presentation of a prepared piece, improvisations, or any combination of these.
Authentic Audience
patrons who do not have a personal relationship with the cast
Backdrop
large sheet of painted canvas or muslin that hangs at the back of a set.
Back light
light coming from upstage of an actor.
Backstage
stage area beyond the acting area, including the dressing rooms.
Balcony
second tier of seating
Batten
long iron pipe that stretches across the stage and upon which scenery or drops are hung.
Black-box theater
flexible room for theater performances where the audience seating and playing areas can be rearranged in any way that suits the needs of the individual production.
Black out
a fast darkening of the stage
Blackout drop
a black drop.
Blocking
the movement of the actors onstage.
Blocking rehearsals
rehearsal emphasis placed on stage movement, which is either overseen or dictated by the director.
"Break a leg"
a saying for actors before they go out on stage, meaning "good luck". Coined from the idea that audiences will clap so loud that the legs in the theater will break.
Broadway
that area of New York City on and adjacent to the street named Broadway where the commercial theater of the United States is concentrated. Broadway houses in NY are 300+ Seats capacity.
Call
1) announcement to performers or crews that they are needed for a rehearsal or performance; 2) warning to performers to get ready for an entrance
Call Times
are the times at which each individual actor is expected to be at the theater. Call times vary based on the amount of time required to make-up the actor and may be staggered among smaller roles to allow for sharing of dressing room space, and/or make up artists.
Callboard
place in a theatre where company rules, announcements, notes, and messages are posted.
Calling a show
the process of calling out the lighting, sound, and scene-change cues during a performance; usually done by the stage manager over a headset.
Casting
difficult task of matching the actors who auditioned for the production with the roles in the play or musical.
Catwalk
narrow platform suspended above the stage to permit ready access to the ropes, the lights, and the scenery hung from the grid.
Center line
an imaginary line down the center of the stage, from upstage to downstage.
Cheat
is the practice of turning one's body towards the audience even while keeping the head facing one's scene partner. Cheating is usually necessary for the audience to really see the actors and view the scene.
Closing
the last night of a show.
Cold reading
reading from a script or other text without any prior rehearsal, usually in the context of an audition or workshop.
Contact sheet
the list of addresses and phone numbers used to keep track of everybody's whereabouts during the production period.
Costume fitting
the meeting where costume personnel measure actors and test-fit their costumes.
Costume designer
the person who researches the costumes, decides which styles and fabrics to use, and then draws or paints the costumes in renderings.
Costume parade
an event held in the theatre where each actor walks onstage wearing his or her costumes, one at a time. Designed to show the costumes to the director
Counterweight system
device for balancing the weight of scenery, allowing it to be easily lowered or raised above the stage by means of ropes or wires and pulleys.
Counterweights
also called bricks or pig iron; the slabs of iron that are loaded into a counter weight system to offset the weight of the scenery.
Crossing
move from one point on the stage to another.
Crossover
a passageway that leads from one side of the stage to the other, out of view of the audience.
Cue
signal (line, piece of business) to an actor or stage technician that the next line or stage function is to occur.
Cue-to-cue
runs through each of the cues to check for errors.
Curtain call
bowing and receiving the audience’s applause at the end of the show.
Curtain line
imaginary line at which the act curtain meets the floor.
Cyclorama (CYC)
white or blue tautly stretched canvas drop or plaster dome across the back wall of the stage which when lit simulates the sky.
Dead-hung
scenery or lighting that is hanging in the air and not designed to be moved during the performance, as opposed to "flying" scenery or lighting that is designed to be moved up and down.
Deck
the stage floor, or a temporary floor that has been built on top of the permanent floor.
Designers
(scenic, special effects, sound, costume, makeup) architects of a production; they provide the practical and artistic environment for a play or musical.
Director
in modern theatre, the major interpretive figure, the artistic visionary whose job it is to bring to life the playwright’s script. The director’s primary objective is to provide artistic meaning to the theatre experience. The director might have a number of professional assistants to work with him/her: casting director, movement coach, speech consultant (vocal coach). In musicals, the music director and the choreographer are also major interpretive figures.
Downstage
the part of the stage closest to the audience as you face the audience from the Stage.
Dramaturge
is a theatrical scholar. During production a dramaturge is responsible for historical accuracy, and conforming to the vision of the absent, or deceased, playwright.
Dresser
the person who assists actors with their costumes before, during, and after a performance.
Dressing room
a space for performers to hang costumes, put on makeup, and otherwise prepare for their show.
Dress parade
point in the rehearsal period at which some directors require that all costumes be ready to be seen, often a specific rehearsal during which actors don their costumes and appear on the stage for consideration by the director, the costume designer, and others of the artistic leadership.
Dress rehearsal
final rehearsal in which all visual elements of production, including costumes, are used.
Drop
a flat piece of fabric, generally painted, that forms part of the scenery.
Dry tech
extended rehearsal, devoted to setting (and, if time allows, practicing) the various technical elements of the production (lighting, sound, flying, set changes, trapping, and so on)
Ensemble
sense of “family” unity developed by a group of performers during the course of a play; the willingness of actors to subordinate themselves to the production as a whole.
Entr’acte
1) orchestral opening to the second act of a musical; 2) a dance, musical number or interlude performed between the acts of a play.
Entrance
1) entering the stage; 2) opening in the set that is used for entering.
Escape stair
any staircase out of the audience's view that is used to help actors get off the set.
Exit
1) leaving the stage; 2) opening in the set that is used for leaving
Extreme sightline
the seat in the auditorium that, by the nature of its location, has the best view of back stage; used to determine masking requirements.
False proscenium
a portal that sits in front of or inside the real proscenium, giving the set its own "picture frame".
Fire curtain
first specially treated curtain hung immediately behind the proscenium; usually held by a fused link which will separate automatically in case of fire and lower the curtain.
First electric
the most downstage electric.
Flat
frame constructed of 1-by-3 boards, covered with canvas, painted, and used most often for interior or exterior walls of a building in a stage setting.
Floor plan
line drawing of a stage set as seen from above showing the placement on the stage floor of the scenic elements.
Flying
being raised up in the air; to "fly" a piece of scenery is to raise it up using ropes or cables. People may also be flown, but only by trained professionals using special equipment.
Fly loft (flies)
space above the stage where scenery may be lifted out of sight of the audience.
Flyman
the person who operates the flying system.
Front-of-house (FOH)
anything in the audience; commonly used to describe staff such as ushers; also lighting positions, parking, and concessions.
Front light
any light that is coming from downstage of an actor
Full back
performer has his/her back to the audience
Full front
performer is facing the audience
Gel
color medium used to change the color in a stage lighting instrument.
Ghost Light
A light left on the stage overnight and/or when the stage is not in use for safety.
Go
the magic word; the universal way to tell someone to do their thing.
Gobo
metal cutout that creates a simple pattern when placed on the aperture of an ellipsoidal reflector spotlight.
Grand drape
the main curtain; aka, the main rag.
Greenroom
traditional name of the room in which actors gather to wait for entrances.
Grid
framework of steel affixed to the stage ceiling, used to support rigging necessary for flying scenery.
Ground row
a low, horizontal piece of scenery designed to hide lighting instruments on the floor.
Hotspot
the center of a beam of light; the brightest part of the beam.
House
rows of seats in which the audience sits to watch a performance.
House left/right
the left/right side of the auditorium, from the audience's point of view.
Houselights
lights that illuminate the auditorium of a theater.
House curtain
full drapery that separates the stage from the audience. This curtain is rigged to move up and down or open from side to side.
In-one
the first set of legs behind the proscenium arch.
Intermission, Interval
A break between acts (usually first and second, but some plays have three or more acts).
Improvisation
When an actor who is "in character" makes up action or dialog without prior scripting.
Jumper Cable
An extension cable for stage lighting.
Legs (tormentors)
curtains or flats placed on either side of the stage just upstage of the curtain line. Legs serve to mask the wings from the view of the audience and vary the width of the playing area.
Libretto
text of an opera or musical.
Lighting cues
the instructions that tell the lighting operators what to do and when to do it.
Lighting designers
in the theatre, the person who decides where the lighting instruments should go, how they should be colored, and which ones should be on at any particular time.
Loading dock
a place where you can unload scenery, costumes, and other items that you are bringing to the theatre.
Loading rail
where you go to put weight on the arbor in a flying system.
Mask
To block another actor, or something worn over the face.
Masking
Drapery or flats used to frame the stage, and stop the audience from seeing the backstage areas.
Master carpenter
the person in charge of all the carpenters.
Master electrician
the person in charge of all the electricians.
Mezzanine
lower section of the second tier of seating.
Monologue
An extended set of lines spoken by one person either directly addressing the audience (as in a soliloquy) or another character (a speech).
Off-Broadway
smaller professional theaters (with a capacity of less than 299 seats) around and outside the central New York theater district on Broadway and around Times Square. Originally noted for their experimental nature, these theaters have become for the most part, as commercial as their Broadway counterparts.
Off-off-Broadway
very small professional theaters with a capacity of under 99 seats, often subsidized, which are often set up in lofts, warehouses, or churches and are usually characterized by their experimental scripts and styles of productions.
Offstage
areas of the stage not in view of the audience.
On (or off) book
unable (or able) to perform a scene without looking at a script; the stage manager following along in the script during rehearsal is also said to be "on book".
Orchestra (Stalls)
main floor seating area of the auditorium.
Orchestra pit
where the musicians play, usually directly in front of the stage, often sunken below the seating sections.
Overture
orchestral beginning of a musical, opera, or play.
Paper tech
informal sessions scheduled with the set, lighting, and sound designers to discuss specific cues and desired effects.
Pit
area immediately below the stage which is usually lower than the auditorium level; used primarily by the stage orchestra.
Playing space
the amount of room available onstage for the performance; does not include wing space, storage, or any part of the stage that is not visible to the audience.
Playwright
person who writes or adapts properties known as play.
Polishing rehearsal
rehearsal that concentrates on pacing: the perfection of timing (the overall rate and speed in handling lines and business) and tempo (the rhythm) of a production.
Portal
the archway formed by two legs and a border.
Practical
able to be operated, like a window or a faucet; also used to describe a "real" lamp or other lighting fixture on a set.
Producer
practical visionary of a theater company (like a chairman of the board or president of a corporation) whose primary responsibility is to secure rights to the script, establish the budget for the production, raise money, lease an appropriate theater space, and draw together the artistic leadership. Working with the producer is a legal counselor and an accountant.
Preproduction
the time period before actors have begun rehearsal and before the shops have begun to build the show.
Preset
used to describe the position of a prop at the beginning of a performance
Preview performance
special performance aimed at helping the director to judge the response of the audience once the play is open to the public. Usually, audience members are especially invited to preview performances, however, some commercial theaters attract preview audiences with reduced admissions.
Production
the time period during which the actors are rehearsing and the shops are building the show.
Production manager
the person in charge of the technical side of the production.
Production meeting
a meeting of production staff to discuss items of mutual interest.
Prop designer
the person who selects, designs, and finds the props.
Property/prop
article or object that is carried by performers or is used on the set.
Prop table
the table backstage where handheld props are put when they are not being used onstage.
Proscenium arch
wall forming a picturing frame separating the stage from the auditorium.
Raked stage
a stage that is slanted, either to increase visibility or to produce false perspective.
Read-through
cast reads through the play to clarify meaning and pronunciations and to gain greater insight into character development and interpretation.
Regional theatre
also called resident theatre. A term applied to permanent nonprofit professional theatre companies that have established roots outside the major theatre centers. Besides bringing first-rate theatre to their region, they often have programs to nurture local talent and to encourage new plays of special regional interest.
Rehearsal
Practice of the play.
Rendering
perspective drawing of the stage set
Repertory
set group of productions that a theatre company has prepared for performance; also, the practice of alternating performances of different plays of the repertory.
Royalties
payments made to authors (and their representatives) for permission to reproduce, in text or in performance, their artistic products (plays, designs, etc.)
Run
the number of performance for a particular show.
Running crews
all the skilled employees who run the show including flyman, production electrician, production soundman, production propertyman, wardrobe supervisor, wig master, union stagehands, etc.
Run-through
rehearsal in which the actors perform long sections of the play (an act or the entire play) without interruption, usually to improve the sense of continuity and to gain a better understanding of the shape of the whole.
Scene breakdown
a list of scenes showing which characters are in which scenes.
Scene shop
where scenery is constructed.
Scenic artist
a person who applies paint and other forms of decoration to scenery.
Scrim
a net or gauze curtain, drop, or set that appears opaque when lighted from the front but becomes transparent when lighted from behind.
Script
dialogue, lyrics, and stage directions of a musical or play.
Set dressing
decorations that have no function on a set, but are merely placed there to look good.
Sight lines
imaginary lines from seats at the sides of the house and top of the balcony to the stage to determine what parts of the acting area will be visible to audience members sitting in those seats.
Sign-in sheet
a list of performers and crew that lives on the callboard; cast and crew should check off their name when they arrive.
Sold out
When the number of tickets sold for a performance is equal to or greater than the number of available seats.
Soliloquy
A monologue spoken by a character to him or herself or the audience to reaveal his or her thoughts.
Sound designer
the person who operates the sound system during a performance.
Special
a lighting instrument that is used to light a single, isolated person or thing.
Spike
to mark the stage floor with chalk or tape to indicate the position of furniture, properties, or scenery so that they will be placed correctly during scene shifts.
Spike tape
colored tape that is used to mark (or "spike") scenery positions onstage.
SRO
See Standing Room Only.
Stage direction
In the script of a play, any instruction for the actors, or setting, or character description.
Stage left
The side of the stage on the left when facing the audience.
Stage right
The side of the stage on the right when facing the audience.
Standing ovation
At the end of a performance, when the audience stands and claps, a higher form of praise than normal applause.
Standing room
A space where people can stand to watch a performance, especially if all the seats are filled. Most New York houses count standing room tickets in their house counts.
Standing room only
Admittance to a performance after all of the seats are filled which requires people to stand to watch.
Stadium stage
theater space where banks of seating face each other and design elements are simulated on end walls.
Stage crew
the crew that works backstage during the show, shifting the scenery.
Stage left/right
the left/right side of the stage, from the actor's perspective.
Stage manager
member of the artistic leadership of a theatre company who accepts full responsibility for the integrity of a production once it is open to the public. The stage manager normally “calls the show” (i.e., gives commands to execute all cues during performance) and accepts responsibility for maintaining the artistic integrity of the production throughout the duration of its run.
Stock scenery
scenery that is stored and used for many different productions, e.g., flats and platforms.
Strike
in two words, to remove; in rehearsal, perhaps a prop, like a glass or a chair; after a production, the entire set and all the properties from the stage area.
Summer Stock
Theatrical productions of stock companies presented during the summer.
Tab
a vertical drape just inside the proscenium that masks performers in the wings; also a term meaning to pull a drape aside.
Teaser
a horizontal drape across the stage.
Theater
Building where acting takes place (also a cinema).
Theatre
The world of this type of acting, or the world of acting in general; the art itself.
Theatre in the round
Any theatre where the audience is seated on every side of the stage.
Technical director (TD)
the person who figures out how the set will be built and then oversees construction.
Technical rehearsal
rehearsal for perfecting the technical elements of a show, such as the scene and property shifts, lighting, sound, and special effects.
Thespian
actor; after Thespis, the first Greek dramatist
Thrust stage/open stage/apron stage
wraparound theater space where the stage extends out into the audience and the spectators view the action from three sides.
Tie lines
small cotton lines used to attach drapes and drops to battens.
Tormentors
flats or drapes at the sides of the proscenium arch that may be used to alter the with of the stage opening.
Trap
opening in the stage floor, normally covered, which can be used for special effects, such as having scenery or performers rise from below, or which permits the construction of a staircase which ostensibly leads to a lower floor or cellar.
Traveler
a horizontally drawn curtain.
Trims
the heights of flying scenery and masking.
Understudy
performer in the show who studies another role and is prepared to substitute in case of emergency.
Unit set
uses flats, screens, curtains, platforms, and stairs that can be rearranged to change locales.
Uplight
light that comes from underneath a performer, either from footlights or through a grated or Plexiglas stage floor.
Upstage
area on the stage area farthest away from the audience. The term dates back to the days when the stage was raked away from the audience so that actors had to literally walk upstage.
Upstaging
to cross deliberately to a place upstage of another actor and assume a full front or one-quarter position, thereby forcing the other performer to turn to a three-quarter position in order to talk with the upstager.
Valance
a small drapery that runs across the tops of the grand drape, hiding the hardware that suspends it.
Verisimilitude
The trait of seeming truthful or appearing to be real, from the Latin veri similis, "like the truth."
Wardrobe
Costumes, or the people responsible for them.
Wings
offstage areas right and left stage.
Wing space
the amount of space on the stage that is not visible to the audience.
Work lights
lights use solely for illuminating the stage when it is not being watched by an audience, as at rehearsals and when scenery is being shifted.
Yoke
the U-shaped piece of metal that attaches a lighting instrument to a clamp.