1. Act- major division of a play
Apron- part of the stage extending past proscenium arch toward audience
Articulation- shaping and molding of sounds into syllables; how clearly you speak
Audition- to try out for a role in a production

2. Backstage- the areas of the stage not visible to the audience
Blocking- positions and movements that actors make onstage as given by the director
“Break a leg”- how theatre people say “Good Luck”

3. Call- time a performer or technician must be at the theater to prepare for the production
Callback- a call from the director after initial audition that lets the performer know he or she is under consideration for a role and must audition again
Casting- selecting actors to play roles in a production

4. Cheat out, or cheat front- turning the head or body toward the audience to improve sound quality and sight lines
Choreographer- person who develops all dance steps and teaches them to the cast
Cold read- audition technique where actors are given material that they have never seen

5. Crew- group of technicians who work behind the scenes to put the production together
Cue- a signal for something to happen: a performer to enter, exit, or speak; or a technical cue (lights, sound, et)
Curtain call- the appearance of the performers onstage at the end of the performance to take a bow

6. Dark- a closed theater
Director- person in charge of the artistic production of a play. Tells actors what to do and confers with designers to create the world of the play
Dress rehearsals- rehearsals that are conducted with costume, make-up, and technical elements

7. Dressing rooms- areas backstage where actors change in and out of costumes
Ensemble- the cast as a whole; in musical theatre- the unnamed characters that finish out the cast
Fourth Wall- the imaginary area between the actor and the audience

8. Front of house- the part of the theater that contains the lobby, the box office, etc
Gel- a colored material that goes over a light that creates scenic effects
Green room- the room where actors wait for their entrances
House- the part of the theater where the audience sits

9. Improvisation- spontaneous style of theatre that is unrehearsed (improv)
Inflection- the rising and falling of pitch. It adds meaning, color, and rhythm
Intermission- short break in the action of the play

10. Masking- drapes that block the audience’s view of the backstage area (legs)
Monologue- a speech
performed by one person
Notes- given to the
cast by the director after
a rehearsal to improve
performances
Off-book- complete memorization of lines

11. Pace- the energy and speed of a show
Pit- where the orchestra sits (usually in front of the stage)
Pitch- the musical tone of a voice
Projection- the volume at which a performer communicates lines to an audience

12. Props- short for ‘properties.’ items used by the actor during a scene
Prop table- table backstage where all props are kept during a show
Proscenium- the opening separating the stage from the auditorium together with the area immediately in front of the arch

13. Read-through- the first rehearsal; the play is read aloud by the cast
Rehearsals- time in which the director and actors create the play and prepare it for performance
Royalties- the amount of money a theatre must pay to produce a play
Scene- a subdivision of an act in a play

14. Script- written copy of the production, contains dialogue, stage directions, and other information
Set- the non-human pieces onstage that create the world of the play
Soliloquy- a speech by one character who is alone onstage. Used often in Shakespearean plays
Stage Directions- information provided by playwright to give instructions to actors and the director. Always given from performer’s point of view

15. Stage Door- entrance/exit leading immediately to the backstage area
Stage Manager- person in charge of calling the show in performances; supervisor of cast and crew
Strike- time immediately after the show closes in which the set is taken down

16. Technical rehearsals- rehearsals in which elements such as lights, sound, props are incorporated
Theatre in the round- theatre
where the stage is surrounded
on all sides by the audience
Thrust stage- a stage that is surrounded on three sides by
audience

17. Understudy- actor who learns a part in order to substitute should the original actor be unable to appear in a performance
Warm-up- exercises done by actors to improve physical and vocal performance
Wings- offstage spaces to
the side of the acting area

18. Parts of the stage