Vocab

Question 1

What is an actor?

Answer 1

The performer or ‘real person’ playing a character on stage.

Question 2

What is an audition?

Answer 2

A tryout for a position or part in a play.

Question 3

What is backstage?

Answer 3

The area behind the set or acting area of the stage.

Question 4

What is blocking?

Answer 4

The movement, action or groupings of the actors on stage.

Question 5

What are callbacks?

Answer 5

The cast selection process by which actors return for a second or third audition.

Question 6

What is a character?

Answer 6

The imaginary person or thing the actor pretends to be on stage.

Question 7

What is characterization?

Answer 7

Putting together all the learned aspects of building a character to make that character a living, convincing human being on stage.

Question 8

What does it mean to cheat out?

Answer 8

A stage movement technique where an actor turns the body in profile but faces toward the audience.

Question 9

What is a cold reading?

Answer 9

An audition when the actor reads from material never seen before.

Question 10

What does it mean to cross?

Answer 10

To move from one position on stage to another.

Question 11

What is a cue?

Answer 11

Spoken dialogue, a sound or an action that signals the actor to enter or begin.

Question 12

What is dialogue?

Answer 12

The lines of a play spoken by the characters on stage.

Question 13

What is diction?

Answer 13

The way in which the words or speeches are pronounced.

Question 14

Who is the director?

Answer 14

The person in charge of molding all aspects of a production - the acting, scenery, costumes, makeup, lighting, etc into a unified whole.

Question 15

What does downstage refer to?

Answer 15

A movement or area toward the audience.

Question 16

What is drama?

Answer 16

A literary composition performed on stage.

Question 17

What is a duet scene?

Answer 17

A scene for two people.

Question 18

What is emotional memory?

Answer 18

Recalling specific emotions, such as fear, joy or anger.

Question 19

What is a gesture?

Answer 19

A movement or facial expression that helps to express an idea or feeling.

Question 20

What is improvisation?

Answer 20

A scene performed without any rehearsal or preparation.

Question 21

What is an ingenue?

Answer 21

A young romantic female lead between the ages of 16 and 30.

Question 22

What is a juvenile?

Answer 22

A young romantic male lead between the ages of 16 and 30.

Question 23

What is a leading center?

Answer 23

A slight or exaggerated movement of a part of the body that shows a character’s personality, such as a brave character leading with the chest.

Question 24

What does memorizing mean?

Answer 24

Committing the lines of a play to memory.

Question 25

What is a monologue?

Answer 25

A scene for one actor who speaks to an imaginary character or directly to the audience.

Question 26

What is monotone?

Answer 26

Speaking continuously on one level or pitch; giving each sentence exactly the same inflection.

Question 27

What is motivation in acting?

Answer 27

The reason behind a character's behavior, or why we do what we do.

Question 28

What is observation in acting?

Answer 28

To take note of people's emotions, physical characteristics and vocal patterns in order to use them in development of a character.

Question 29

What is pantomime?

Answer 29

A performance that communicates an idea without using dialogue.

Question 30

What is paraphrasing?

Answer 30

Restating lines in your own words.

Question 31

What does picking up cues mean?

Answer 31

Speaking immediately on the last word of the previous speaker for rapid line delivery.

Question 32

What is a prepared audition?

Answer 32

An audition when the actor uses material that has been memorized.

Question 33

What is projection?

Answer 33

Controlling the voice's volume and quality so that it can be heard.

Question 34

What is a read-thru?

Answer 34

A rehearsal at which the play is read by the members of the cast.

Question 35

What does representational mean in theater?

Answer 35

A play performed as if the audience is watching the action through an imaginary fourth wall. The majority of plays are written for this format.

Question 36

What is a resume in acting?

Answer 36

A short list of a person's career and training prepared by the actor for auditions and attached to the back of an 8'X10" headshot photograph of the actor.

Question 37

What is a run-thru?

Answer 37

A rehearsal that involves working the play from beginning to end.

Question 38

What is scene-stealing?

Answer 38

Calling attention to your presence on stage and diverting attention away from the main actors. Also called upstaging.

Question 39

Who is the scenic director?

Answer 39

The person who designs the stage settings and sometimes the lighting, costumes, and makeup.

Question 40

What is a script?

Answer 40

The written text or book of a play.

Question 41

What is a set in theater?

Answer 41

The actual pieces of furniture, platform walls, backdrops, or other items on the stage.

Question 42

What is the setting in a play?

Answer 42

The imaginary place and time the set and stage area represents in the play.

Question 43

What does spontaneity mean in acting?

Answer 43

Naturalness, reacting without overthinking, using the primary response.

Question 44

What are stage areas?

Answer 44

The working area of the stage is divided into areas for the actors.

Question 45

What does 'U' stand for in stage abbreviations?

Answer 45

'U' stands for upstage.

Question 46

What does 'D' stand for in stage abbreviations?

Answer 46

'D' stands for downstage.

Question 47

What does 'C' stand for in stage abbreviations?

Answer 47

'C' stands for center.

Question 48

What does 'R' stand for in stage abbreviations?

Answer 48

'R' stands for right.

Question 49

What does 'L' stand for in stage abbreviations?

Answer 49

'L' stands for left.

Question 50

What is stage fright?

Answer 50

The nervous anticipation of going on stage to perform.

Question 51

What does stage left refer to?

Answer 51

A movement or area on the actor's left as he faces the audience.

Question 52

Who is the stage manager?

Answer 52

The person who is in charge backstage during the performance.

Question 53

What is a stage prop?

Answer 53

Any item used on stage by the actor.

Question 54

What does stage right refer to?

Answer 54

A movement or area on the actor's right as he faces the audience.

Question 55

What is subtext?

Answer 55

The thought behind the lines.

Question 56

What are supporting roles?

Answer 56

The characters who act as contrasts to the leading roles.

Question 57

What is the role of the technical director?

Answer 57

The person who builds the set and works the show with the help of the stage crew.

Question 58

What is uniqueness in acting?

Answer 58

The actor's ability to bring his own personality to the character, to shape a personality and not make it a copy of someone else's portrayal.

Question 59

What does upstage mean?

Answer 59

A movement or area away from the audience.

Question 60

What is upstaging?

Answer 60

To turn your body or face away from the audience so that it is impossible to be seen by the audience; can also mean scene stealing, or diverting attention away from the main actors.

Question 61

What does ZZZZZZ stand for?

Answer 61

Sleep - what you get very little of the week before a show opens!