Theatre Vocabulary - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Theatre VocabularySlide2

Bell Work

Copy the agenda from the board.

If you have any questions from Friday’s lesson, please write them on the other board. We will discuss them as

a class. Slide3

Week 1

Articulation

: The clear and precise pronunciation of words

Articulators:

The parts of the body that create consonant sounds

Gesture:

an expressive movement of the body or limbs

Improvise:

to speak or act without a script

Inflections:

variety in speech

Pantomime:

to act without words through facial expression and gesture

Project:

to make your voice fill the performance space

Resonance:

a quality caused by vibration that enriches vocal tone

Resonators:

the parts of the body that create vowel sounds

Method acting:

An approach that calls on the actor to use personal experience and sense memory to develop a character.

Sense Memory:

a remembering of the five senses; the first step of Stanislavsky’s methodSlide4

Week 2

Apron:

the acting area of the stage that extends beyond the proscenium

Arena stage:

a performance space in which the audience sits all around the stage; sometimes called

in-the-round

Downstage:

the stage area toward the audience

House:

the auditorium, or the area where the audience sits

Production concept:

how the play should look and feel

Proscenium stage:

a performance space in which the audience views the actions as if though a picture frame

Scenery:

onstage decoration to help establish the time and place of a play

Stage manager:

the director’s technical liaison backstage during rehearsals and performance

Thrust stage:

a combination of the proscenium and the arena stages, with the audience sitting on two or three sides of the acting area

Upstage:

the stage area away from the audienceSlide5

Make sure you cite!

Card, Orson Scott., and John Harris. 

Ender's Game

. New York: Tor, 1991. Print.Slide6

Week 3

Director:

oversees the entire process of staging a production

Staging:

coordinating everything that actually happens onstage

Producer:

handles the business end of a production; secures rights to the play, raises money, hires actors and staff, arranges for the rental of the theatre, and supervises publicity and ticket sales

Assistant director:

helps keeps the rehearsal process organized and running smoothly, taking on duties that range from coordinating rehearsal schedules and rehearsing movement with actors

Prompter:

feeds lines to actors when they forget them

Business manager:

responsible for fundraising, publicity, programs, ticket sales, and paying bills

Artistic director:

hires the director, cast, and designers

Box office:

where playgoers can buy tickets

House:

the auditorium; the area where the audience sits.

Orchestra pit:

the area for musicians

Emotional memory:

the technique of calling upon memories of your own emotions to understand the emotions of a character

Slide7

Week 4

Mezzanine:

a lower balcony

Light booth:

houses the technicians who control the lights

Sound booth:

houses the technicians who control the music and special sound effects

Stage house:

area including the stage where the actors perform

Fly space:

the area above the stage where the lights and scenery may be flown or suspended on ropes

Proscenium arch:

the picture frame through which the scenery and action are viewed

Scenery:

onstage decoration to help establish the time and place

Fire curtain:

consists of a metal or fireproof fabric to prevent fire from spreading

Act curtain:

made of a lighter fabric and used between scenes

Grand drape:

the front curtainSlide8

Week 5

Apron:

an acting area that extends forward beyond the arch

Backstage:

all areas other than the acting space

Prop table:

where all items carried onstage by the actors are placed

Call board:

a bulletin board on which are posted rehearsal times, performance changes, and special notices

Dressing rooms:

where actors prepare

Green room:

a lounge area in which actors may wait while not onstage or greet audience members after the performance

Scene shop:

where scenery is built

Costume shop:

where costumes are made and stored

Stage right:

refers to your right as you face the audience

Stage left:

refers to your left as you face the audience

Upstage:

away from the audience

Downstage:

toward the audience

Centerstage

:

the center of the acting areaSlide9

Week 6

Batten:

a wood or metal pipe from which stage lights, drops, and scenery are hung

Cue:

a signal for something to happen

Backdrop:

a large canvas or muslin curtain that hangs at the back of the stage setting

Flat:

a set piece consisting of a light-weight frame covered with canvas, muslin, or wood

Platform:

a set piece with a solid top and braced legs, made to support the weight of actors, furniture, and props

Prop:

anything that an actor handles onstage as well as furniture and other items used to enhance the set

Set:

the onstage physical space and its structures in which the actors perform

Stage crew:

the group of people working on set construction, props, lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup

Throw:

the distance light can be cast from a lighting instrumentSlide10

Week 7

Beat:

small section of a scene, divided where a shift in emotion or topic occurs

Cold reading:

auditioning with a script that you have not had the opportunity to read before the audition

Cross:

to move from one place onstage to another

Focus:

the intended point of interest onstage

Master gesture:

a characteristic gesture

Open:

to keep your face and the front of your body visible to the audience as much as possible

Shared position:

a position onstage in which one actor mirrors another actor’s body position

Subtext:

information that is implied but not stated by a character; thoughts or actions of a character that may not express the same meaning as the spoken words

Upstage:

to stand upstage of another actor on a proscenium stage, forcing the downstage actor to turn away from the audience to communicate with the upstage actor; stealing the focus of a sceneSlide11

Week 8

Illusion of the First Time:

The actor’s ability to perform in a show over and over while making it appear that the dialogue and situations are happening for the first time.

Fourth wall:

the imaginary wall through which the audience views the play

Monologue:

A long speech spoken by one actor.

Motivation:

A specific reason for saying or doing something.

Off book:

Having a part memorized so that a script is no longer needed.

Raked stage:

A slanted stage, where upstage is slightly higher than downstage

Reader’s theatre:

A form of theatre in which actors are seated and read aloud from a script.

Run-through:

A rehearsal without interruption.

Sightlines:

Imaginary lines indicating visibility of stage areas from different points in the house.

Prompt book:

A book (usually in a 3-ring binder) that contains the script with the director’s ideas and blocking notations.Slide12

Week 9

Motivation:

a character’s reason for doing anything; motivation determines the character’s objectives

Objective:

a character’s goals

Obstacle:

anything that prevents a character from reaching his or her goals

Outcome:

the result of a character’s actions

Stakes:

the consequences of the outcome

Status quo:

present circumstances of a character

Master gesture:

a characteristic gesture

Leading center:

the part of a character’s body that leads in movements and reflects the nature of the character.

Shared position:

a position commonly used for brief scenes between two actors onstage in which one actor mirrors another actor’s body position, usually a one-quarter position

Focus:

the intended point of interest onstage