General Theatre Vocabulary

Teasers/ Borders

A curtain or a flat hung horizontally upstage of the act curtain, used to adjust the height of the stage opening; borders are used to hide instruments in the fly loft

Battens/ Pipes

A long piece of wood or pipe from which scenery, lights, and curtains are suspended; also used at the top and bottom of a drop

Orchestra Pit

A lowered area downstage of, sometimes under, the apron for the orchestra to set up.

Cat Walk

A narrow bridge in the flies near the ceiling that provides access to stage scenery and lighting instruments

Clouds

A reflective panel hung in the auditorium, generally above the audience, that is used to direct sound into desired zones. Often decorative in nature

Grid Iron/ Grid

A series of heavy beams or a metal framework just under the roof of the stage to which are attached the pulleys or blocks through which lines pass to raise or lower scenery

Traveler

A stage curtain upstage of the act curtain that opens to the right and left rather than moving up and down

Vom/ Vomitorium

An entryway from the lobby or similar space into the audience seating area; sometimes used for performer entrances and exits which need to go through the audience.

Plaster Line

An imaginary line that runs stage right to stage left just behind the proscenium arch. It helps technical crews with placement of set pieces

Proscenium Arch

Found in both thrust theatres and proscenium theatres; the proscenium arch is the "picture frame" through which the audience watches the performance

Stage Left [SL]

From the actor's perspective looking in to the house; the side of the stage to the actor's left *The man with the headphones is stage left of the tape player .

Stage Right [SR]

From the actor's perspective looking in to the house; the side of the stage to the actor's right *the gentleman is SR of the ladies.

Tormentors/ Legs

Side pieces, such as flats or drapes, placed just upstage of the proscenium to narrow the opening; legs are further back and help with masking

Rake

Slant or set at an angle from the vertical or from the horizontal: inclined from closest to the audience to the back wall. Stages were typically raked from the Middle Ages to early Modern, now the audience is typically raked

Fly Loft

The area above the stage where scenery is hung when not in use

Down Stage [DS]

The area of the acting space closest to the audience. *the couple are down stage of the dancers

Upstage (noun) [US]

The area of the stage away from the audience toward the rear of the stage; furthest acting area from the audience *the portrait is upstage of the actor.

Fourth Wall

The imaginary wall through which the audience watches the action of the play; when an actor acknowledges the audience they are "breaking the fourth wall"

Apron

The section of the stage in front of the curtain/ proscenium arch

Electrics

a batten on which dimmers are permanently attached in order to plug in lighting or other electrical instruments

Fire Curtain

a fire safety precaution used in large proscenium theatres; usually a heavy fiberglass or iron curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch and in front of the main curtain

Slip Stages / Wagon

a smaller stage on wheels that can be kept in the wings or upstage and rolled into position when needed

Scrim

a theater drop that appears opaque when a scene in front is lighted and transparent or translucent when a scene in back is lighted

Revolves

a type of stage that can be turned like a turntable; either mechanically or manually.

Traps

a way to enter or exit in the floor of the stage

Cyc/ Cyclorama

background material used with special lighting to create illusions of sky, open space, or great distance at the rear of the stage; sometimes hung around three sides of the stage

Masking

curtains or flats which are used to hide or "mask" the backstage areas from the audience's sight

Grand Drape/ Main Curtain/ Act Curtain

hangs just upstage of the proscenium arch and is used to close the acting area from the audience's view when the acting area is not supposed to be seen; opens and closes at each act or scene

Blacks/ Soft Scenery

refers to 2D scenery without a rigid frame, mainly curtains and drops. Most curtains used for masking in the theatre are black and are referred to as "Blacks"

Wings

the part of the stage, offstage, to the right and left of the performance space; upstage of the proscenium arch

House/Auditorium

the place where the audience sits to watch the performance.

Stage/Boards/Deck

the primary playing space surrounded by the apron and wings; the floor

Upstage (verb)

to overshadow (another performer) by moving upstage and forcing the performer to turn away from the audience; improperly taking attention from an actor who should be the focus of interest *the actress has to look upstage to make eye contact with other actors