ENG Technical Words Used in Drama and Theater

Question 1

The area where actors perform

Answer 1

Stage

Question 2

Non-acting area behind the stage.

Answer 2

Backstage

Question 3

The back wall of the stage which can be painted or lit.

Answer 3

Cyclorama

Question 4

Area above the stage from where scenery/actors are flown in on pulleys.

Answer 4

Flies

Question 5

Left-hand side of the stage where prompter and stage manager sit during a performance.

Answer 5

Prompt side

Question 6

Short for properties–objects used by an actor.

Answer 6

Props

Question 7

Audience follows the action on foot, moving from one location to another.

Answer 7

Promenade

Question 8

To come on stage.

Answer 8

Enter

Question 9

A remark to the audience only.

Answer 9

Aside

Question 10

Blocks or platforms used to create levels.

Answer 10

Rostrum

Question 11

An item placed on set, usually part of it e.g., a lamp, clock, picture.

Answer 11

Set prop

Question 12

What the audience sees of the stage from where they are sitting.

Answer 12

Sight lines

Question 13

A single lengthy speech, made when no other characters are on stage.

Answer 13

Soliloquy

Question 14

Attitude or position of the body.

Answer 14

Stance

Question 15

A stage picture, held without movement

Answer 15

Tableau

Question 16

Speaking, moving, or pausing at exactly the right moment.

Answer 16

Timing

Question 17

Door in a floor.

Answer 17

Trapdoor

Question 18

Stairs

Answer 18

Treads

Question 19

Recorded speech plated during a drama.

Answer 19

Voiceover

Question 20

People watching a drama.

Answer 20

Audience

Question 21

The area for the audience, generally filled with seats.

Answer 21

Auditorium

Question 22

Audience seated on two sides of the acting area.

Answer 22

Avenue

Question 23

The acting area is not lit.

Answer 23

Blackout

Question 24

Canvas cloth which covers the back of the stage, can be painted.

Answer 24

Backcloth

Question 25

Deciding where and when actors will move on stage.

Answer 25

Blocking

Question 26

Specific person in drama.

Answer 26

Character

Question 27

Clothes worn by actors for their character.

Answer 27

Costume

Question 28

To change from one lighting/sound cue to another with no blackout/silence in between.

Answer 28

Crossfade

Question 29

A conversation between two or more characters.

Answer 29

Dialogue

Question 30

Actions or remarks whose significance is not realized by all the characters

Answer 30

Dramatic irony

Question 31

Final rehearsal of a drama with all the theater arts.

Answer 31

Dress rehearsal

Question 32

The stress on a word or phrase.

Answer 32

Emphasis

Question 33

To leave the acting area.

Answer 33

Exit

Question 33

Audience seated at one end, acting area at the other.

Answer 33

End on

Question 34

Acting out an event in the past.

Answer 34

Flashback

Question 35

Acting out a future or imagined event.

Answer 35

Flashforward

Question 36

Wooden frames, joined together and covered with canvas, which can be painted.

Answer 36

Flats

Question 37

Frames into which a door is built.

Answer 37

Door flat

Question 38

Reading of a script done by an actor who has not previously reviewed the play.

Answer 38

Cold reading

Question 39

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

Answer 39

Cue

Question 40

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

Answer 40

Design

Question 41

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

Answer 41

Directing

Question 42

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

Answer 42

Farce

Question 42

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

Answer 42

Dramatic structure

Question 43

Specific in-depth knowledge and literary resources to a director, producer, theater company, or even the audience.

Answer 43

Dramaturgy

Question 44

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

Answer 44

Ensemble

Question 45

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

Answer 45

Improvisation

Question 46

The height of an actor’s head actor as determined by his/her body position(Sitting, lying, standing)

Answer 46

Level

Question 47

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

Answer 47

Makeup

Question 48

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

Answer 48

Masks

Question 48

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

Answer 48

Mime

Question 49

A long speech by a single character.

Answer 49

Monologue

Question 50

The tempo of an entire theatrical performance.

Answer 50

Pacing

Question 51

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

Answer 51

Pantomime

Question 51

Highness or lowness of voice.

Answer 51

Pitch

Question 52

The orientation of the actor to the audience.(Full front, right profile, left profile)

Answer 52

Position

Question 53

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.

Answer 53

Proscenium

Question 53

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

Answer 53

Puppetry

Question 53

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

Answer 53

Projection

Question 54

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

Answer 54

Run-through

Question 55

The written text of a play.

Answer 55

Script

Question 56

The backstage technical crew responsible for running the show. In small theater companies the same person builds the set and handles the load-in. Then,during the performance, they change the scenery and handle the curtain.

Answer 56

Stage crew

Question 57

The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance.

Answer 57

Stage manager

Question 58

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

Answer 58

Stock characters