
My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom
I apologize.
It never occurred to me that teachers needed a list of vocabulary for their theatre classes.
Theatre is such a major part of my life, I’d forgotten not everyone comes into teaching theatre classes as I did. However, as I think about it, I remember what it’s like getting started teaching a theatre class.
It’s tough to get started. Although there are colleagues who will advise you, sometimes you need someone sort of “at your finger tips” to help you. That’s me!
Here are a few vocabulary words your students should be familiar with in order to understand the subject more fully.
Actor to Choreography:
Actor A male person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie
Actress A female person who performers in a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie.
Apron The section of the stage floor which projects towards or into the auditorium. In proscenium theatres, it’s the part of the stage in front of the house tabs, or in front of the proscenium arch, above the orchestra pit
Articulate The clear and precise pronunciation of words.
Aside Actor’s lines spoken to audience, not to other actors
Audience The assembled spectators or listeners at a public event, such as a play, movie
Audition Brief trial performance held to appraise an actor’s musician’s talent or suitability
Balance the Stage The arranging of the actors and set in a strategic way to produce a desired effect. A director can create a feeling of order
Cast A set of actors in a play
Catharsis A moment of high tragedy at the emotional climax of a play is followed by an emotional cleansing for the characters and the audience
Chanting A word or phrase repeated for an effect
Character A person in a novel, play, or movie
Choreography The art and craft of designing the moves, pace, flow, structure and execution of a piece of dance, or any other piece of rehearsed movement.
Chorus to Ellipsoidal:
Chorus A group of singers
Center Stage The center of the area defined as the stage
Comedy A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous.
Cue A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen
Down Stage The stage area toward the audience.
Ellipsoidal A type of stage light with a strong, well defined beam, and is very versatile.
My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom
Entrance When the actor comes on the stage
Enunciation The manner in which an actor utters or pronounces words or sentences.
Pick up my Drama Word Wall. Everything is provided for you. Check it out at: Word Wall
Exit to Musical:
Exit To leave the stage
Finale The last scene or musical number of a performance
Flat A lightweight timber frame covered with scenic canvas, or plywood.
Fourth Wall The imaginary wall of a box set through which the audience see the stage
Gesture An expressive movement of the body or limbs.
Grand Curtain This is the closed curtain seen by the audience before the show begins, again at intermission, and after the show ends. It makes a barrier between the stage and the audience.
Pick up my Drama Word Wall. Everything is provided for you. Check it out at: Word Wall
Green Room A room close to the stage for the actors to meet and relax before or after going on stage
Metaphor Used in theater to draw a comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things
Monologue A long speech by a single character.
Musical Similar to a play, only it employs music to aid in the storytelling.
My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom
Myth to Strike:
Myth A traditional story, which may define how a particular civilization came into being, or a tale with a clearly defined moral code designed for social education.
Narrator The narrator of a piece of theatre is a performer who speaks directly to the audience to tell them part of the story, to give additional information, or to comment on the scene or the behavior of characters
Off Stage Not taking place on the stage and so not visible to the audience
Pantomime A form of performance with no spoken word
Proscenium The most traditional stage set-up. The stage is removed from the audience and framed by an arch that separates it from the audience.
Rehearsal Practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare for public performance through repetition.
Script The written text of a play
Sight Lines Any of the lines of sight between the spectators and the stage or playing area in a theater
Soliloquy Monologue expressing a character’s inner thoughts addressed to the audience
Everything is provided for you. Check it out at: Word Wall
Spectacle A visually striking performance or display
Spike To mark the stage floor with tape or paint where the set pieces should be located
Stage Left On the left side of a stage from the point of view of a performer facing the audience
Stage Properties An object ( movable or portable) used on stage by actors during a performance or screen production
Strike To remove a piece of scenery from the stage or to take down the production elements, such as the set pieces, stage properties and costumes.
Swing to Wings:
Swing Usually off-stage, the swing is a multi-talented performer who’s responsible for learning many ensemble tracks so that s/he can “swing on” when someone is ill, injured, or missing the performance for any reason
My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom
Tableau A silent and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a picture
Technique A particular acting method to create a character.
Tempo The pace in which the scene, play or music is taking–its speed or lack thereof.
Theater in the Round A space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the stage.
Thrust Stage A stage that protrudes directly into the audience, shattering the fourth wall and allowing seating on three sides of the stage.
Wings Wings are off-stage sides of the playing space, hidden from the audience view.
*There are two ways to spell theater. Either way is acceptable. The “er” spelling is an American spelling
Instead of copying all of these words and making printables for your students, there are 64 in this product! Check out this WORD WALL:
Pick up my Drama Word Wall. Everything is provided for you. Check it out at: Word Wall
or you can pick up posters (some are FREE) for your classroom, too! Growth Mindset Posters and Vocabulary
I hope this helps you. Please feel free to contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net
Want some more help in the classroom? Check out my FREE Guide and ten page lesson Here
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