Technical Theatre Terms - The Theatre Building

Question 1

aisle

Answer 1

a passage through the seating in an auditorium

Question 2

apron

Answer 2

the part of the stage that sticks out in front of the opening, extending beyond it

Question 3

auditorium

Answer 3

the area that the audience sits in, usually has at least one aisle

Question 4

backstage

Answer 4

all areas of the stage that ideally can’t be seen by the audience

Question 5

batten

Answer 5

horizontal scaffolding poles [that are used to mount lights?]

Question 6

boom

Answer 6

vertical scaffolding poles that are moveable. used in the wings to mount lights

Question 7

border curtain

Answer 7

the curtains at the top of the stage used to define the limit of the top of a stage. usually used to hide the lights

Question 8

box office

Answer 8

a small room in the foyer where people buy/sell tickets

Question 9

callboard

Answer 9

bulletin board generally located backstage that is where information is posted

Question 10

center line

Answer 10

an imaginary line that runs down the direct center of the stage

Question 11

costume shop

Answer 11

where the costumes are made and stored

Question 12

control booth

Answer 12

where the sound and lights are placed and controlled

Question 13

counterweight rigging

Answer 13

a system for flying stage scenery by a means of adjustable weights

Question 14

cyclorama

Answer 14

special woven fabric so when light hits it it disperses

white curtain, can also be called a scrim

a cloth stretched tight at the back of the stage, often used to create sky

Question 15

deus ex machina

Answer 15

(god of the machine) plot device writers use to fix the ending when it doesn’t work out. cheap way of ending a story. used to be device to lower the god actor who solved all the problems on stage

Question 16

dressing rooms

Answer 16

where actors get dressed

Question 17

electric

Answer 17

batons with electricity and circuitry that run through them so lights can be plugged in and stufff

Question 18

flat

Answer 18

lightweight frame covered with plywood or canvas. used to make walls

Question 19

flat dock

Answer 19

where the flats are stored in the wings. sometimes they can put platforms up there too

Question 20

fly rail

Answer 20

the metal bar that all the flies are attached to that let you brake and lower and raise the ropes

Question 21

foyer

Answer 21

fancy name for the lobby

Question 22

front of house (foh)

Answer 22

the part of the performance venue that’s open to the audience

Question 23

grand curtain

Answer 23

the fancy curtain that hangs in front of the theater

Question 24

green room

Answer 24

the room that actors hang out in when they’re not performing

Question 25

grid (gridiron)

Answer 25

Gridiron deck, in performance theatres, a loft floor made from girders etc. with gaps for the ropes used to lift backdrops and scenery

Question 26

house

Answer 26

another name for auditorium, where the audience sits

Question 27

legs

Answer 27

the black curtain, vertical drape set as a masking piece on the side of the stage

Question 28

masking

Answer 28

anything used to hide areas of the stage you don't want people to see. defines the acting area

Question 29

mezzanine

Answer 29

first balcony above the orchestra seating, balcony closest to the main floor

Question 30

orchestra

Answer 30

the seats in the auditorium nearest to the stage

Question 31

pit

Answer 31

where the instrument folk go

Question 32

plaster line

Answer 32

an imaginary line that runs from one side of the stage to another, directly behind the proscenium arch

Question 33

props cabinet

Answer 33

the cabinet where props are stored in the wing

Question 34

props table

Answer 34

a place where all the props carried on stage by actors are stored

Question 35

proscenium arch

Answer 35

the opening/frame of the stage. can be referred to as the fourth wall

Question 36

rigging

Answer 36

the system that suspends lights and scenic elements above the stage

Question 37

scene shop

Answer 37

the place where the set pieces are made

Question 38

scrim

Answer 38

when the light is on the front it doesn't shine through, when shone through from the back then you can see through it

Question 39

sight lines

Answer 39

imaginary lines indicating the visibility onstage

Question 40

stage

Answer 40

the main acting area

Question 41

stage door

Answer 41

the door that the actors used to enter the stage

Question 42

teaser

Answer 42

The teaser is a horizontal masking border that is lowered to reduce the height of the opening. It is attached to a batten and suspended just upstage of the proscenium, directly behind the grand drape or act curtain. The teaser can be lowered into position to set the stage height as required by the current scene.

Question 43

tormentor

Answer 43

a fixed curtain or flat on each side of a theater stage that prevents the audience from seeing into the wings

Question 44

traveller

Answer 44

black masking curtains that move across the stage on horizontal tracks

Question 45

wings

Answer 45

the area stage left and right that's out of the audience's view (generally 16-20 feet)

Question 46

amphitheatre

Answer 46

(pnc arts center) a stage with a semi circle of seats sloping down towards it [ like a hill in ancient greece]

Question 47

arena stage

Answer 47

a circle and the audience is seated all around it

Question 48

black box

Answer 48

a simple performance base, usually a small square room painted black with a flat floor

Question 49

box set

Answer 49

a feature of realistic theater that has 2 or 3 walls and looks kind of like a box, which forms a room

Question 50

jackknife set

Answer 50

a set that's on wheels that rolls out onstage from the wings for 1 scene or 1 change of location

Question 51

in the round

Answer 51

???? like arena stage but there are a distinctive four sides????

Question 52

raked stage

Answer 52

stage floor that's slanted upwards towards the back

Question 53

thrust stage

Answer 53

a stage where the audience is on 3 sides because the stage is thrust into the audience