THEATRE SPACES #2 Drama Vocabulary 2.2

FRONT of HOUSE The parts of a theatre, cinema, concert hall, or other performance venue where members of the audience are usually admitted.

BOOTH The area designated for the operation of technical equipment (lighting and sound), and is sometimes the location of the stage manager as well as the lighting controls and sound board.

DRESSING ROOM A room in which actors change clothes before, during, and after a performance.

GREEN ROOM The space in a theatre or similar venue that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before and after a show, and during the show when they are not engaged on stage. (Ask me…”why green?”)

LOADING DOCK Place where set pieces and equipment are brought into and out of the theatre. A “dock” could also be a place near the stage or beneath the floor of the stage for the storage of scenery.

FOYER The large open area in a theatre before you go into the auditorium.

VAUMITORIUM (VAUM) Entrance/exit passages in ancient Roman amphitheatre or theatre. According to legend, the ancient Romans are supposed to have vomited during feasts to make more room for food. (YUCK!)

PARADOS An entrance affording access either to the stage (for actors) or to the orchestra (for the chorus) of the ancient Greek theatre.

ORCHESTRA PIT The area in a theatre, usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage, in which musicians perform.

LEGS Tall narrow stage drapes that are used to mask the wings on either side of the stage.

TEASERS Horizontal pieces of fabric usually part of the fly system that are used to mask the flies and its loads.

TRAVELER Curtains onstage which can open (typically the same width as the legs) and close (typically obscuring the entire upstage) sometimes creating portals.

GRAND DRAPE The front curtain located just behind the proscenium arch. It is typically opened and closed during performances to reveal or conceal the stage and scenery from the audience.

SCRIM (GAUZE) A curtain made of an open-weave fabric that appears opaque when lit from the front, but transparent when a person or object behind the curtain is lit.