My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

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