Analysis

Basic Theater Vocabulary

Ad-lib: to create dialogue or movement off the top of your head, without a script.

Alleyway (Tennis Court, Traverse) Stage: staging where the audience sits on two sides

facing each other and the action of the play happens in the middle.

Antagonist: the main character who opposes the protagonist.

Apron: the stage floor between the footlights and the curtain.

Articulation: the clear and precise pronunciation of words.

Aside: words spoken by a character to the audience. The other characters supposedly do

not hear the speech.

Backdrop: painted curtain without folds, hung from battens.

Backstage: area behind scenery not visible to the audience.

Batten: horizontal pipe suspended over the stage, from which scenery, lights and curtains are hung.

Blackout: all stage lights go off simultaneously.

Blocking: director’s planned movement for the characters.

Break character: when the actor loses concentration while performing and is not in character.

Business: detailed bits of action such as knitting, setting the table, etc., as distinguished from broad stage movement.

Callback: an invitation to an actor to return for a second audition.

Cheat: to play toward the audience while seemingly conversing with the others on stage

Color-blind casting: casting without regard to race or ethnicity of the characters or

actors.

Cold reading: auditioning with a script that you have not had the opportunity to read

before the audition.

Counter-cross: a small movement in the opposite direction to the cross made by another actor.

Cover: to hide an unplanned instance on stage from the audience.

Critique: an evaluation of a performance.

Cross: an actor’s move from one part of the stage to another.

Cue: 1) last words or action of one actor that immediately precede another actor’s speech.

2 ) a signal for light changes, curtains, etc.

Cut: 1) delete.

2) a command to stop action and dialogue, more widely used in film...