Keywords

Front 1

absurd

Back 1

by the world is absurd, writers and performers are able to make a serious point in a comic way

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accepting

Back 2

associated with improvisation, how the performer accepts a fictitious situation

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ad lib

Back 3

comes from latin 'ad libitum' it means 'as you please', its an improvised comment

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amphitheatres

Back 4

allows every member of the audence to see what was going on

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antagonist

Back 5

the character who is in some kind of conflict with the main character

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anti-hero

Back 6

the main character, but may not be the sort of person the audience admires

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aside

Back 7

is a remark made to the audience as if the character is letting them in on a secret that the other characters on the stage dont know

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Auditorium

Back 8

the space where the audience sits/stands to watch the performance

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barndoors

Back 9

are metal flaps that slot into the front of spotlight and help stop the beam spilling onto areas that do not need to be lit

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blocking

Back 10

in improvisation, 'it is' the opposite of accepting, 'it' also refers to the process of deciding when and how characters should move in different sections

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centring

Back 11

this is a technique used by actors to find a way of showing a character physically, the idea is to imagine that the character is'ruled' by a particular part of the body

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characterisation

Back 12

different actors and directors will interpret the same lines in different ways. it is the way an actor decides to use his voise and body to represent the character they are playing

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chorus

Back 13

people who are on the edge of the action, they comment on what is going on, they provide links events, somtimes there could only be one person

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climax

Back 14

is the most tense or exciting part of the play

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cross-cutting

Back 15

to explore a scene from different perspectives

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cross-fade

Back 16

its when one or more lights being dimmed while other lights are brought on simultaneously

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cyclorama

Back 17

a rigid canvas or plaster wall at the back. lighting or projected images can be used on it to give a sence of space or sky

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dialogue

Back 18

whare two or more people are speaking with each other

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direct address

Back 19

when a character talks directly to the audence, in some ways the character treating the audence as if they are apart of the play, or involves the actor coming out of role to comment on the play

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epilogue

Back 20

a way of summarising what has happened in the play and giving the audence a few key thoughts to ponder at the end

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genre

Back 21

somtimes plays fit easily into them, such as: tragedy, comedy, history, documentary or thriller, sometimes a mixture

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flastback

Back 22

to explore the background to a character or a story

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forum theatre

Back 23

to explore the different ways a scene might be enacted or how a situation might be resolved

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fresnel

Back 24

this has the effect of spreading the beam more gently. they are used to provide a more general sort of covering light across the stage..focused to allow for different intesity

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gel

Back 25

... pg 34

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gobo

Back 26

are small metal plates that are inserted into a spotlight behind the lens in order to shape the beam and poject a chosen image onto the stage or cyclorama

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ensemble

Back 27

a technique used by actors to build a character by thinking of one part of their body

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hubris

Back 28

Overconfident pride often accompanied by a lack of humility and resulting in fatal retribution

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improvisation

Back 29

Is when actors make up the words and actions rather than relying on the script

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iris

Back 30

Is a special type of shutter that is inserted in a spotlight behind the lens and is used to make the beam smaller

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melodrama

Back 31

They provide an escape from the noisy and dull routines of industrial life

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metaphor

Back 32

A way of representing something by drawing a parallel with something else

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monologue

Back 33

A speech made by just one character

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narration

Back 34

to provide either a background to the scene or give further information about a situation that would be difficult or unwieldy to act out

Front 35

naturalism

Back 35

Is used to describe drama that tries to reproduce real life stories

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patching

Back 36

Each lantern is plugged into a socket on the lighting rig. The wires from the socket lead to another plug that is then "Patched" into a dimmer rack. Each socket of the dimmer rack is connected to a channel on the control board.

Front 37

pathetic fallacy

Back 37

When a human emotion is reflected by a natural occurance such as weather or landscape.

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plot

Back 38

The story of the play is simply the chain of events. Plot refers to the way the story unfolds and how the events are related to each other.

Front 39

preset

Back 39

A lighting control usually has two rows of slides for each lighting channel. This allows the lighting operator to preset the lights for second scene while the first scene is still running.

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prologue

Back 40

A speech made to introduce a play. It often reveals just enough of the story so that the audience is intrigued and encouraged to stay and watch the events unfold.

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promenade

Back 41

The audience does not sit down. Rather, the preformers work in different parts of the performance space and the audience moves around to see what is being presented.

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proscenium arch

Back 42

The effect of the arch is that the audience gets the impression that they are looking into a picture box.

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protagonist

Back 43

The main character of a play

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proxemics

Back 44

The terms used to decribe the way space is being used to communicate meaning.

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rake

Back 45

Some stages are raked so that the back of the stage is higher than the front. It helps the audience to see clearly.

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rigging

Back 46

The grid that the stage lanterns hang from is called the rig. The term used to decribe the act of hanging the lanterns in their required position and focusing them onto the performance area.

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role

Back 47

The part an actor plays

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set

Back 48

The three-dimensional environment in which an actor performs.

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soliloquy

Back 49

A speech made by a character who is thinking out loud as if no-one is there to hear them.

Front 50

strobescope

Back 50

Srtobe lighting flickers to a set rhythm. Strobes can give the impression that the action is being slowed down rather like an old silent movie.

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style

Back 51

The lines spoken by a number of different characters to each other.

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stylisation

Back 52

Naturalism tries to imitate life as it normally appears to be. Stylised theatre on the other hand, recognises that theatre is an illusion. Characters may therefore appear to be exaggerated or unreal.

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symbol

Back 53

A technique of telling a part of a story to the audience directly.

Front 54

tableau

Back 54

Sound effects

Front 55

Theatre-in-the-round

Back 55

In a scene this is the most natural sort of performance space. An audience will gather around in a cirle to see what is going on. Where performers and audience have a very close relationship.

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thespian

Back 56

An actor

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Traverse

Back 57

When a play is staged, the audience sits on either side of the channel. The sort of staging can give an audiecnce the impression of being very close to the action.

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Wings

Back 58

The areas at either side of the proscenium arch stage that cannot be seen by the audience. It is also an area in which the actors wait before entering the stage.