Theater Tech Final

Front 1

Actor/Actress

Back 1

A male or female person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie.

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Antagonist

Back 2

A person or a situation that opposes another character’s goals or desires.

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Articulation

Back 3

The clear and precise pronunciation of words.

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Blocking

Back 4

The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.

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Catharsis

Back 5

The purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity, fear, grief, etc.) affected in a work of tragedy.

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Center Stage

Back 6

The center of the area defined as the stage.

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Character

Back 7

A personality or role an actor/actress re-creates.

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Characterization

Back 8

The development and portrayal of a personality through thought, action, dialogue, costuming, and makeup.

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Climax

Back 9

The point of greatest dramatic tension or transition in a theatrical work.

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Cold Reading

Back 10

A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.

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Collaboration

Back 11

Two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort.

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Concentration

Back 12

The ability of the actor/actress to be “in” character - that is, to be like the character s/he is portraying – in dialog, attitude, carriage, gait, etc.

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Conflict

Back 13

Opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action.

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Context

Back 14

Interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs.

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Costume

Back 15

Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.

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Creative Drama

Back 16

An improvisational, process-centered form of theatre in which participants are guided by a leader to imagine, enact, and reflect on human experiences.

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Crisis

Back 17

A decisive point in the plot of a play on which the outcome of the remaining action depends.

Front 18

Cue

Back 18

A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen.

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Denouement

Back 19

The final resolution of the conflict in a plot.

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Design

Back 20

The creative process of developing and executing aesthetic or functional designs in a production, such as costumes, lighting, sets, and makeup.

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Dialogue

Back 21

The conversation between actors on stage.

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Director

Back 22

The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production.

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Downstage

Back 23

The stage area toward the audience.

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Dramatic Play

Back 24

Children’s creation of scenes when they play “pretend”.

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Dramaturg

Back 25

A person who provides specific in-depth knowledge and literary resources to a director, producer, theatre company, or even the audience.

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Dress Rehearsals

Back 26

The final few rehearsals just prior to opening night in which the show is run with full technical elements. Full costumes and makeup are worn.

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Electronic Media

Back 27

Means of communication characterized by the use of technology (e.g., radio, television, and the Internet).

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Elizabethan Theatre

Back 28

The theatre of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and often extended to the close of the theatres in 1640.

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Emotional Memory

Back 29

The technique of calling upon your own memories to understand a character’s emotions.

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Genre

Back 30

In literary and dramatic studies, refers to the main types of literary form, principally tragedy and comedy. The term can also refer to forms that are more specific to a given historical era, such as the revenge tragedy, or to more specific sub-(*) of tragedy and comedy, such as the comedy of manners.

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Gesture

Back 31

An expressive movement of the body or limbs.

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Greek Theater

Back 32

Theatrical events in honor of the god Dionysus in Ancient Greece and included play competitions and a chorus of masked actors.

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Kabuki

Back 33

One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600’s and combining stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment.

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Motivation

Back 34

A character’s reason for doing or saying things in a play.

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Musical Theatre

Back 35

A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance.

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Rising Action

Back 36

The part of a plot consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict.

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Run-Through

Back 37

A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or notes.

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Script

Back 38

The written text of a play.

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Sense Memory

Back 39

Memories of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. It is used to help define a character in a certain situation.

Front 40

Stage Left

Back 40

The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.

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Stage Right

Back 41

The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.

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Text

Back 42

Printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script.

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Volume

Back 43

The degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.

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Theatre

Back 44

To imitate or represent life in performance for other people; the performance of dramatic literature; drama, the milieu of actors, technicians, and playwrights; the place where dramatic performances take place.

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Theatre of the Absurd

Back 45

Theatrical movement beginning in the 1950s in which playwrights created works representing the universe as unknowable and humankind’s existence as meaningless.

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Theatrical Conventions

Back 46

The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical productions.

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Theatrical Experiences

Back 47

Events, activities, and productions associated with theatre, film/video, and electronic media.

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Theatre Games

Back 48

Noncompetitive games designed to develop acting skills and popularized by Viola Spolin.

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Vocal Quality

Back 49

The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so forth.

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Commedia dell'arte

Back 50

A professional form of theatrical improvisation, developed in Italy in the 1500’s, featuring stock characters and standardized plots.

Front 51

Comedy

Back 51

A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous.

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Critique

Back 52

Opinions and comments based on predetermined criteria that may be used for self- evaluation or the evaluation of the actors or the production itself.

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Diction

Back 53

The pronunciation of words, the choice of words, and the manner in which a person expresses himself or herself.

Front 54

Directing

Back 54

The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make a play.

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Dramatic Structure

Back 55

The particular literary structure and style in which plays are written.

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Ensemble

Back 56

A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production.

Front 57

Epic Theatre

Back 57

Theatrical movement of the early 1920’s and 1930 characterized by the use of such artificial devices as cartoons, posters, and film sequences distancing the audience from theatrical illusion and following focus on the play’s message.

Front 58

Exposition

Back 58

Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot.

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Farce

Back 59

A comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual humor, and, often, an improbable plot.

Front 60

Form

Back 60

The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows and established design. May refer to a literary type (e.g., narrative, short-story, dramatic) or to pattern of meter, line, and rhymes (e.g., stanza, verse).

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Formal Theatre

Back 61

Theatre that focuses on public performance in the front of an audience and in which the final production is most important.

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Improvisation

Back 62

A spontaneous style of theatre through which scenes are created without advance rehearsal or a script.

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Informal Theatre

Back 63

A theatrical performance that focuses on small presentations, such as one taking place in a classroom setting. Usually, it is not intended for public view.

Front 64

Level

Back 64

The height of an actor’s head actor as determined by his or her body position (e.g., sitting, lying, standing, or elevated by an artificial means).

Front 65

Make-Up

Back 65

Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to emphasize facial features, historical periods, characterizations, and so forth.

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Masks

Back 66

Coverings worn over the face or part of the face of an actor to emphasize or neutralize facial characteristics.

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Melodrama

Back 67

A dramatic form popular in the 1800s and characterized by an emphasis on plot and physical action (versus characterization), cliff-hanging events, heart-tugging emotional appeals, the celebration of virtue, and a strongly moralistic tone.
A joint creation by TCAP and SPARKed – SPARK in Education tugging emotional appeals, the celebration of virtue, and a strongly moralistic tone.

Front 68

Mime

Back 68

An incident art form based on pantomime in which conventionalized gestures are used to express ideas rather than represent actions; also, a performer the art.

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Monologue

Back 69

A long speech by a single character.

Front 70

Noh

Back 70

One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre in which masked male actors use highly stylized dance and poetry to tell stories.

Front 71

Objective

Back 71

A character’s goal or intention

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Pacing

Back 72

The tempo of an entire theatrical performance.

Front 73

Pantomime

Back 73

Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement.

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Pitch

Back 74

The highness or lowness of voice

Front 75

Play

Back 75

The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition.

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Playwright

Back 76

A person who writes plays.

Front 77

Position

Back 77

The orientation of the actor to the audience (e.g., full front, right profile, left profile).

Front 78

Projection

Back 78

The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience.

Front 79

Props (properties)

Back 79

Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.

Front 80

Proscenium

Back 80

The view of the stage for the audience; also called a proscenium arch. The archway is in a sense the frame for stage as defined by the boundaries of the stage beyond which a viewer cannot see.

Front 81

Protagonist

Back 81

The main character of a play and the character with whom the audience identifies most strongly.

Front 82

Puppetry

Back 82

Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types include rod, hand, and marionette.

Front 83

Rehearsal

Back 83

Practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare for public performance through repetition.

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Stage

Back 84

The area where actors perform.

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Stage Crew

Back 85

The backstage technical crew responsible for running the show. In small theatre companies the same persons build the set and handle the load-in. Then, during performances, they change the scenery and handle the curtain.

Front 86

Stage Direction

Back 86

(See center stage, downstage, stage left, stage right, and upstage.)

Front 87

Stage Manager

Back 87

The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. Responsible for the running of each performance.

Front 88

Stock Characters

Back 88

Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky villains, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience.

Front 89

Style

Back 89

The distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects. Essentially combines the idea to be expressed with the individuality of the author. These arrangements include individual word choices as well as such matters as the length and structure of sentences, tone, and use of irony.

Front 90

Subtext

Back 90

Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialogue, including actions and thoughts.

Front 91

Tableau

Back 91

A silent and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a picture.

Front 92

Upstage

Back 92

Used as a noun, the stage area away from the audience; used as a verb, to steal the focus of a scene.

Front 93

Tragedy

Back 93

A play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, esp. one concerning the downfall of the main character.