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Theatre Terms and Concepts, Part 2
Here are some more of the key terms and concepts from our university-level course.
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Film, Theatre & Television
Undergraduate 1
09/09/2013

Additional Film, Theatre & Television Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Kabuki
Definition
One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600’s and combining stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment.
Term
Level
Definition
The height of an actor’s head actor as determined by his or her body position (e.g., sitting, lying, standing, or elevated by an artificial means).
Term
Make-up
Definition
Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to emphasize facial features, historical periods, characterizations, and so forth.
Term
Masks
Definition
Coverings worn over the face or part of the face of an actor to emphasize or neutralize facial characteristics.
Term
Melodrama
Definition
A dramatic form popular in the 1800s and characterized by an emphasis on plot and physical action (versus characterization), cliff-hanging events, etc.
Term
Mime
Definition
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.
Term
Monologue
Definition
A long speech by a single character.
Term
Motivation
Definition
A character’s reason for doing or saying things in a play.
Term
Musical theatre
Definition
A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance.
Term
Objective
Definition
A character’s goal or intention
Term
Pacing
Definition
The tempo of an entire theatrical performance.
Term
Pantomime Acting
Definition
without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement.
Term
Pitch
Definition
The highness or lowness of voice
Term
Play
Definition
The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition.
Term
Position
Definition
The orientation of the actor to the audience (e.g., full front, right profile, left profile).
Term
Projection
Definition
The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience.
Term
Props (properties)
Definition
Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.
Term
Proscenium
Definition
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.
Term
Protagonist
Definition
The main character of a play and the character with whom the audience identifies most strongly.
Term
Puppetry
Definition
Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types of puppets include rod, hand, and marionette.
Term
Rehearsal Practice
Definition
Sessions where the actors and technicians prepare for public performance through repetition. .
Term
Run-through
Definition
A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or notes.
Term
Script
Definition
The written text of a play.
Term
Sense memory
Definition
Memories of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. It is used to help define a character in a certain situation.
Term
Stage
Definition
The area where actors perform.
Term
Stage direction
Definition
(See center stage, downstage, stage left, stage right, and upstage.)
Term
Stage manager
Definition
The director’s liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance.
Term
Stage left
Definition
The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.
Term
Stage right
Definition
The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.
Term
Stock characters
Definition
Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky villains, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience.
Term
Style
Definition
The distinctive and unique manner in which a writer arranges words to achieve particular effects. Style essentially combines the idea to be expressed with the individuality of the author. These arrangements include individual word choices as well as such matters as the length and structure of sentences, tone, and use of irony.
Term
Subtext
Definition
Information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialogue, including actions and thoughts.
Term
Tableau
Definition
A silent and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a picture (plural tableaux).
Term
Text
Definition
Printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script.
Term
Theatre
Definition
To imitate or represent life in performance for other people; the performance of dramatic literature; drama, the milieu of actors, technicians, and playwrights; the place where dramatic performances take place.
Term
Theatre of the absurd
Definition
Theatrical movement beginning in the 1950s in which playwrights created works representing the universe as unknowable and humankind’s existence as meaningless.
Term
Theatrical conventions
Definition
The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical productions.
Term
Theatrical experiences
Definition
Events, activities, and productions associated with theatre, film/video, and electronic media.
Term
Theatre games
Definition
Noncompetitive games designed to develop acting skills and popularized by Viola Spolin.
Term
Vocal quality
Definition
The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so forth.
Term
Source:
Definition
KQED Television, Theater Vocabulary.
Term
Actor/Actress
Definition
A male or female person who performs a role in a play, skit, or movie.
Term
Antagonist
Definition
A person or a situation that opposes another character’s goals or desires.
Term
Blocking
Definition
The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.
Term
Concentration
Definition
The ability of the actor/actress to be in character- in dialog, attitude, carriage, etc.
Term
Center stage
Definition
The center of the area defined as the stage.
Term
Character
Definition
A personality or role an actor/actress re-creates.
Term
Climax
Definition
The point of greatest dramatic tension or transition in a theatrical work.
Term
Cold reading
Definition
A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.
Term
Collaboration
Definition
Two or more people working together in a creative effort.
Term
Comedy
Definition
A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous.
Term
Conflict
Definition
Opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action.
Term
Context
Definition
The various conditions and circumstances in which a play exists or occurs.
Term
Costume
Definition
Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.
Term
Critique
Definition
Opinions and comments based on factors that may be used for self- evaluation or the evaluation of the actors or the production itself.
Term
Cue
Definition
A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen.
Term
Design
Definition
The creative process of developing and executing aesthetic or functional designs in a production, such as costumes, lighting, sets, and makeup.
Term
Dialogue
Definition
The conversation between actors on stage.
Term
Directing
Definition
The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make a play.
Term
Dramatic structure
Definition
The literary structure and style in which plays are written.
Term
Dress rehearsals
Definition
The final few rehearsals just prior to opening night in which the show is run with full technical elements. Full costumes and makeup are worn.
Term
Emotional memory
Definition
The technique of calling upon your own memories to understand a character’s emotions.
Term
Ensemble
Definition
A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production.
Term
Exposition
Definition
Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot.
Term
Farce
Definition
A comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual humor, and, often, an improbable plot.
Term
Gesture
Definition
An expressive movement of the body or limbs.
Term
Greek theatre
Definition
Theatrical events that were often in honor of the god Dionysus in Ancient Greece and included play competitions, athletic competitions and masked actors.
Term
Improvisation
Definition
A spontaneous style of theatre through which scenes are created without advance rehearsal or a script.
Term
Informal theatre
Definition
A theatrical performance that focuses on small presentations, such as one taking place in a classroom setting. Usually, it is not intended for public view.
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