Theatre CST

Stanislavski is the

"Father of Modern Acting Technique"

Paradis

"Heavens": in French neoclassical theatre, the third tier of galleries along the side walls.

Action Summary

"This is the story of ..." brief summary

Orchestra

"dancing space"

PHATIC UTTERANCES

'half words' which express meaning without using formal lexemes

Kan'ami

(14th century) A writer and innovator of the Noh form who combined earlier forms of theatre with Buddhist ideals; father of Zeami

Initial Incident

(Insighting action), the first sign of a problem, beginning of a conflict

Upstage

(noun) In a proscenium theatre, that part of the stage farthest from the audience; the rear of the stage, so called because it was in fact raised ('up') in the days of the raked stage. (verb) To stand upstage of another actor. Upstaging is often considered rude, inasmuch as it forces the downstage actor to face upstage (and away from the audience) in order to look at the actor to whom she or he is supposed to be speaking.

Aristophanes

- "old comedy". Lewd humor, attacks on government - an ancient Greek dramatist remembered for his comedies (448-380 BC)Lysistrata - only Greek comedy writer

Good Costume Design

- A perception of authenticity - To the period - To the story - To the setting

Arena Stage

- AKA "arena stage", "arena theater", "theatre in-the-round" - An actor/audience configuration in which the audience completely surrounds all sides of the performance area. The actors enter and exit from the aisles or sometimes from tunnels under the audience.

Costume Design

- An essential design element - Suggests specific character traits - Furthers the theme - Reveals class, self-image, psycho state. - Contributes to the setting - Sets mood, tone, time period

Costume Designer

- Analyzes script and character. - Interprets Directors vision of story and c characters. - Collaborates with Production Designer on overall color palette and design. - unified vision.

Designed to Fit

- Costume design for actor's particular body. - Used to highlight famous body parts. - Costume design for changing actor's body type to character's body type

Elements of Costume Design

- Fits - Textures - Styles - Color Palette - Patterns & Graphs

Costume Designer Training

- Historical periods of costumes - Fashion design (past & present) - Fine Arts training (painting, sculpture) - Overall knowledge of filmmaking process - Knowledge of fabrics - Clothing manufacture techniques

Romantic Theory

- created by Augest von Schegel, the replacement of neoclassical structure: form should be directed by subject matter, not classical precedent. Romantics were fascinated with natural forces, the unexplainable, gothic, and mystical. Romantics dramatized emotions triumph over reason and found beauty in disorder.

Aeschylus

- earliest recorded Greek playwright - considered the "Father of Tragedy" - wrote the Orestia which is the only surviving trilogy

Pageants

- in the middle ages, wagons with scenery used in processional staging

Musical Theatre

- the most popular form of performance in the 20th century

2 ways that Style can be set apart from other scripts

-What is there -Choices in production that get made

Why is the LEKO a favorite of designers?

-allows you to rotate housing so shutter cuts can be more specific and gives more control over the pattern used in the lighting unit -can switch out lens to change size of light thrown from fixture ETC source 4 LEKO -changeability of lenses and ability to rotate barrel -keeps filament, reflector, and lens separate - change lens more easily

describe how the visual effect of a down light differs from a front light.

-down light partially reveals form and with its dramatic shadowing effect can create a sense of mystery -fron light reveals much more and creates few shadows (shadows usually define form)

film noir

...

Masking

1. 1. Curtains, drapes, or set walls that are used to block the audiences sight from the backstage. 2. Used in stage combat to block the audiences sight from certain moves.

Major Role

1. A character part that is dominant in the plot of a play, having many scripted lines.

Hold

1. A command called out by a director wherein the actors must hold their stage positions or take a pause in the action of the scene.

Follow Spot

1. A concentrated source of light that illuminates a performer on stage, and stays with them as they move; most often coming from a spotlight instrument.

Flat

1. A constructed piece of scenery, usually made of wood and/or canvas, used to create a set wall or backdrop for a stage setting.

Floor Plan

1. A drawn picture of a set, as seen from a bird's eye view (from above), using geometric shapes to represent set pieces and levels.

Cue

1. A signal or line that prompts the next action or stage business during a performance.

Stage Combat

1. A style of acted movement that is planned out, or choreographed, to look like real fighting between characters within a performance.

Melodrama

1. A style of overacting that focuses on contrived action rather than realistic characterization or situations; dramatized for effect.

Presentational

1. A style of performance where the characters or performers make aware of the audience's presence, often breaking the fourth wall.

Minor Role

1. A supporting character to a story, having less stage time and lines than a Major.

Fly System

1. A system of rigging and ropes that is used to raise and lower scenery within on stage, operated by hand or mechanically from backstage.

Traveler

1. A type of curtain or masking (black) that hides the audience's view of the backstage.

Thrust

1. A type of performance space where the audience surrounds three sides, and raises high above a very open stage; usually there is no main act curtain.

Raked

1. A type of stage that slopes downward towards the audience, built at gradual angle.

Apron

1. Front part or area of the stage extending past the main act curtain, also called lip. 2. an acting area that extends forward beyond the arch 3. the acting area of the stage that extends beyond the proscenium

Dramatic irony

1. Happens when the audience knows more information about the plot and situations in a play than certain characters do.

Spectacle

1. Large scenery or set pieces used for awe and illusion in a performance.

Antagonist

1. Main character who opposes the protagonist. 2. who or what opposes the central character 3. The characters who's opposition against which the protagonist must contend 4. A person, a situation, or the protagonists own inner conflict to his or her's goals

Technician

1. One who works on a crew for a production, lights, set, sound, costumes, props, etc.

Dumb Show

1. Performed at the beginning of a performance, showing the audience through actions, and no words, a parody of what they are about to see.

Aesthetic Distance

1. Psychological separation, or a sense of detachment; the recognition that what happens on stage is not reality; literally, "the distance of art" 2. The audience's awareness that act and reality are not the same. Closely tied to "willing suspension of disbelief"

Sides

1. Selections taken from a script used for an actor to read a scene aloud (usually used at an audition for a cold reading).

Stage Right/Left

1. Sides of the stage that is determined according to the actors point of view facing the audience. Symbolized in blocking notation as SL and SR.

Pit

1. The area, usually below the front part of the stage, where the orchestra is set up to play the music for a live performance.

Sight Lines

1. The audience's view of a performance space, being blocked from the backstage.

Exposition

1. The background information of a story, usually told at the beginning of a play through narration or dialogue.

Dress Rehearsal

1. The final rehearsal(s) of a play before it opens to the public; utilizing all costumes, props, lighting, sound, and set changes.

Stage Manager

1. The head technician for a production; responsible for all backstage duties and jobs. Calls a show for cues and transitions, and keeps consistency accurate from show to show. Works very closely with actors, technicians, and the director.

Fourth Wall

1. The imaginary divide that separates the audience from the performance space.

Grand

1. The main act curtain or drape that hangs at the front of the stage, always found in a Proscenium theatre, and usually is of a royal color.

Beat Change

1. The moment a new action begins. 2. The point during a scene where a new action begins. It occurs when a new piece of information is introduced or an event takes place over which the character has no control and which by its very nature must change what the actor is doing. 3. When one of the characters changes his or her strategy or objective, moving the scene in a new direction. A beat change results from either an automatic action or a deliberate choice made by one of the characters.

Subtext

1. The true meaning behind a spoken or scripted line, as interpreted by an actor.

Spike

1. To mark the stage floor, usually with colored tape, where set pieces will rest.

Cross

1. To move from one point of the stage to another. Symbolized by an X in blocking notation.

Strike

1. To take down a set or remove scenery or props from the stage; happens immediately at the end of a production run before the next show is brought in.

Properties

1. Used to enhance a scene or characterization, abbreviated-props. 1. Stage: large, stay on the set. 2. Hand: small, used by many actors. 3. Personal: used only by one actor, and stays with them.

four aspects of light behavior

1. absorption - the removal of energy or particles from a beam by the medium through which the beam propagates 2. reflection - the return of light after striking a mirrored surface - used in ellipsoidal reflector of ERS and spherical reflector of Fresnel 3. refraction - the deflection from a straight path undergone by a light ray in passing obliquely from one medium (air) into another (glass/water) in which the velocity is different - used in plano convex lens of ERS 4. diffusion - a reflection or refraction of light from an irregular surface or an erratic dispersion through a surface - Fresnels use diffusion

Front Light

1. alone can make actor look like a cardboard cut out 2. placed on antoproscenium UNLESS actor is more upstage

4 categories of design decisions

1. choice of instrument 2. choice of angle or direction 3. choice of color 4. choice of control

Distribution

1. direction from which the light approaches an area, object, or actor 2. the shape and size of the area that the light is covering 3. the quality of the light; sharp (bright) or diffused (cloudy)

4 aspects of color

1. hue - basic color designation 2. saturation - degree to which black, white, or grey is present (shade - addition of black; tint - addition of white) 3. chroma - degree to which another color is present 4. connotative value - psychological interpretations of the color

4 motivations that influence designer's choice of color

1. particular source and colored light helps convey the motivation 2. mood of the scene is reinforced by the light; color heightens effect 3. visual contrast between light sources is desireable; color enhances contrast 4. change/dramatic effect for its own sake is desired

Zeami

1363 to 1444. Son of Kan'ami. Perfected the Noh form. Wrote more than 100 Noh plays. Developed Noh theories. Buddhist belief: union with all being, earthly life is unimportant, discard individual desire.

Mind, Will, Emotion

3 parts of an actor Stanislavski considered the pillars of his "inner landscape"; if the actor's mind, his will, and his feelings are all engaged, he will come alive.

time, place, action

3 unities

Inciting incident, progressive complication, the crisis, the story climax, and the resolution

5 Parts Of The Classical Archplot

Believed acting was

99% perspiration and 1% inspiration

Casting Director

: a specialist in finding actors for specific roles who assists the director in some professional productions

Tableau or "Stage Picture"

A "frozen moment" onstage, with the actors immobile.

Set Piece

A 3D scenery piece that stands by itself, such as a rock or a tree

Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun, Les Blancs

See Through Ruler

A See Through Ruler

Fresnel light

A blank light has a lamp that can move closer and farther away from its lens giving it the ability to spot or flood the light.

Hashigakari

A bridge from backstage to the stage in Noh theatre. Technically on stage.

Hashigakari

A bridge like narrow runway that connects the dressing room to the stage

Drops

A canvas curtain that forms part of the scenery

Objective

A character's goal or intention

Motivation

A character's reason for saying or doing things in a play

Status

A character's sense of self-worth. Many scenes are built around status transfers, in which one character's status drops while another's rises.

Action

A characters main intent in a scene

Thrust Stage

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

Farce

A comedy with exaggerated charcterization with abundant physical humor, visual humor, and often an important plot

Cyclorama

A curtain or wall at the back and sides of the stage

Dramatic Criticism

A discriminating, often scholarly interpretation and analysis of a play, an artist's body of work, or a type or period of theatre.

Mellow Drama

A dramatic form popular in the 1800s chacterized by emphasis on plot, physical action, and plot hanging appeals

Elevation Sketch

A drawing that shows how the stage will look from the perspective of the audience

Hero

A film term indicating that a prop will be in a close up. Usually in triplicate. We occasionally use this term in theatre to denote a key prop that affects dialogue or action.

Scoop

A floodlight with and ellipsoidal reflector, can be hung from battens.

dramatic play

A form of play in child a child imitates others.

Processional staging

A form of staging popular in England and Spain.

Chorus

A group of performers that make up the community of characters within a play, having few lines individually, and seen on stage as one entity.

Ensembe

A group of theatrical artists working together to create a theatrical production

soft light

A large source of light which appears to "wrap around" the subject to some degree. Produces less shadows or softer shadows.

backlight

A light which is positioned behind the subject. It's primary purpose is to make the subject stand out from the background by highlighting the subject's outline.

Plot

A lighting event may trigger or advance the action onstage.

cross key lighting

A lighting technique that combines aspects of both three and four point lighting with the added ability to cover more than one person or object in the lighting spread.

Scrim

A loose weave curtain on the batten used for visions. Flashbacks, and so on, is lighted from the front

Classical

A main character pursues a goal or outcome (Form)

Kabuki

A major form of Japanese drama born in the 17th century that combines singing, dancing and acting; features a chorus of singer, an orchestra of samisen players and elaborate makeup

Noh

A major form of Japanese drama, rooted in legends and folktales presented by two actors (one masked) and a chorus of singers; features rhythmic sounds and stylized movement; focuses on soliloquy and remembrance

Hireling

A member of an Elizabethan acting company who was paid a set salary and was not a shareholder.

Stasis

A moment of stability before or after a play starts

Gibberish

A nonsense language.

Walk On

A part where the actor walks on and off the stage without having any line to say.

Plot

A patterned arrangement of events and characters for a drama.

reader's theatre

A performance created by actors reading script rather working from memory

Understudy

A performer who studies the part of another role, so that they might perform it in the absence of the actor who was originally cast.

Actor

A person male or female who performs in a play or in entertainment

Drama turg

A person who provides specific in depth knowledge and literary resources to a director

Musical theatre

A play with music, songs, and dance

Play

A playscript meant to be performed by actors.

Dry Tech

A rehearsal that is run without the actors, bringing together all the technical aspects of a show, following the cues in the order that they are executed.

Cue-to-Cue

A rehearsal where actors run from one technical cue to the next, skipping dialouge in-between. This is done primarily for the technical crew.

Two Person Scene

A scene in a play that consists of two characters only.

...a blueprint for an audio visual experience that take place in time

A script is...

Callback

A second, more specific audition where a director looks closer at given actors.

modeling light

A secondary light used to provide a preview of the lighting effect of an electronic flash unit. A modeling light can be an incandescent or fluorescent bulb, or may be simulated by a series of low-power bursts lasting a few seconds.

Play

A series of actions

Unit Set

A set made of several piees that can be rearranged to produce more than one scene

Minimal Set

A set made of two or three fold flats

Box Set

A set representing the walls of a room

Permanent Set

A set that remains in place throughout production

Curtain Set

A set that uses a cyclorama at the back of the stage to act as a wall or drapery

Vignette

A short scene or sketch based around a character.

Queue

A signal that indicates that something else is about to happen, it can be a dialouge or when someone enters

Sides

A single actor's own lines and cues.

Cyclorama

A sky drop that surrounds the back and side of the stage.

Raked Stage

A slopped stage, angled so that the rear (upstage) area is higher than the forward (downstage) area.

Countercross

A small movement in the opposite direction to the cross made by another actor.

Monologue

A speech performed by one performer, giving depth and insight into a characters thoughts or feelings; also called a soliloquy.

Thrust Stage

A stage configuration in which the stage juts out and the audience sits on three sides.

Thrust Stage

A stage that juts into the audience area, with the audience usually sitting aroung its three sides

Proscenium

A stage with permanent framed opening through which the audience sees the play

Pathos

A state which evokes a feeling of pity or sadness in the audience.

Representatioinal Theatre

A style of theatre in which the actors attempt to create the illusion of reality and go about their business as if there were no audience present.

Impulse

A sudden urge or idea.

National theatre

A theatre dedicated to the drama of a specific country.

Flashback

A time-shifting technique that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached.

role-playing

A type of play allowing children to mimic the actions of others, such as wife, husband, mommy, daddy, doctor or police officer.

projection

A type of play allowing children to place feelings and emotions they feel onto another person or an object, such as a puppet. Through this play, a child may share his or her inner world.

parallel play

A type of play in which children play by themselves but stay close by other children. All the children may be involved in similar activities, but play between and among the children does not exist.

Box Set

A type of setting that is built on the stage to look like the interior of a house or room, having three walls and no ceiling.

Beat

A unit of action with its own specific conflict and crisis. In each beat, your character will have a single objective. Beats are formed of moments and flow to create the underlying structure of a scene.

Scene

A unit of conflict that has a beginning, middle, and end

Yugen

A way of being and a way of performing Noh theatre. Gentle gracefulness, fragility of life. Beauty lies in suggestion, simplicity, subtlety, restraint.

Yes, And Principle

Accepting an offer and building onto that offer with something CONNECTED to the original offer.

Wimping

Accepting an offer but failing to act on it.

Lyrical

Achieved by the use of verse, heightened language, song or movement; including the use of poetic imagery.

Pantomime

Acting without words through facial expressions and body movement/gestures

Moves (G&C)

Actions performed by an actor

Greenroom

Actor's lounge backstage.

quality of light

Aesthetics of lighting. Sufficient to determine different colors for identification without excessive glare.Ratings: CRI, Temperature

Breakdown

Aging or wear applied to a prop to make it look used or to reduce distracting reflections

Resolution

All events following the min conflict; new status quo is found

Thread

All purpose/ High Mark/ Silimite

Blackout

All stage lights go out simultaneously

Theatrical

All things that elicit strong audience response

Pinking Shears

Alligator Teeth

Mystery plays

Also called cycle plays. Short medieval dramas.

Revelation of Form

Altering the perception of shapes onstage, particularly three-dimensional stage elements.

Opposites! Blue?

Amber

Sense Memory (Recall)

An actor's ability to recreate physical sensations on stage in front of a live audience.

Diction

An actor's articulate speech and clear pronunciation.

Cross

An actor's move from one part of the stage to another.

Director's Note

An article in a play's program by the director explaining what he or she intended to accomplish; also called a playwright's note.

Playwright's Note

An article in a play's program by the playwright explaining what he or she intended to accomplish; also called a director's note.

Licensing Act of 1737

An english law that gave the Lord Chamberlain the authority to censor plays. The term "legitimate theatre" comes from the time of Licensing Act.

Caricature

An exaggeration of a character that is often ludicrous or grotesque.

Fourth Wall

An imaginary wall separating the actors from audience; an innovation of Realism in the theatre in the mid-1800s.

Fatal Flaw

An imperfection, shortcoming or weakness in a character which leads to certain choices.

Theatrical Contract

An informal understanding created between a production and its audience

Transformation of object

An object(s) is endowed with a variety of meanings by the actor.

Complementary offer

An offer that meshes well with what's already gone before (and usually enhances it in some way).

Stage convention

An understanding that certain devices will be accepted or assigned specific meaning arbitrarily.

Dionysus

Ancient Greek god of wine and fertility. Worshipped through theater

Hamartia

Ancient Greek term usually translated as "tragic flaw".

Prop

Any hand held object used by an actor (a cigarette, a cane, a glass of water, etc...).

Physical Offer

Any kind of movement, space work (establishing setting) or mime/gesture offered.

Endowment Offer

Any kind of offer that gives information about the other performer's character.

Blind Offer

Any kind of offer that is presented, but is left undefined. The other performer is supposed to define it specifically.

Verbal Offer

Any kind of offer using dialogue/speech or words.

Character Offer

Any kind of offer where an actor will assign a specific person for the other actors in the scene to play.

Sound Offer

Any kind of sound effect or noise that is added to a scene to help provide more information about the scene.

Given Circumstance

Any piece of information or activity written into the script or demanded by the director (time, place, what just happened prior to the scene, etc).

Liturgical Drama

Any religious drama, usually sung or chanted, that relates to the bible and is presented in Latin inside a church sanctuary.

Obstacle

Any resistance to my having what I want

Motifs

Anything that is repeated but NOT part of the story

Faulty Generalization (Fallacy)

Applying something thats inconsistent with the whole script. Usually take one instance and blow it out/apply it to everything

Style: Time

Are there flashbacks? Are details about time mentioned

Flies

Area above the stage where scenery is hung or stored by lines from the grid.

Pit

Area between the stage and first row of seats.

George Bernard Shaw

Arms and the Man, St. Joan, Pygmalion

Balance

Arrangement of the elements so that one side of the work is not heavier or does not overpower the other

...communication

Art is...

Endowing

Assigning attributes to another performer's character.

...genius

Assume...

Archon

Athenian government official appointed to oversee the staging of drama at the City Dionysia festival

Emphasis

Attention to certain areas or elements in a work of art.

Empathy

Audience members' identification with dramatic characters and their consequent shared feelings with the plights and fortunes of those characters. Empathy is one of the principle effects of good drama.

Good Costume Design (modern film)

Audience reads costumes more closely (we have seen what people really wear)

Cold Reading

Auditioning with a script that you have not had the chance to read before the audition.

Tryouts

Auditions for parts in a play.

House Lights

Auditorium lights used before and after the play and during intermission.

Fly Rail

Bar to which rigging ropes are tied.

Sloper

Basic pattern shape in a variety of sizes

Impulses/Spontaneity

Be able to play each scene naturally, do what feels right, doesn't have to be exactly the same

Some of his

Beliefs

Alienation Effect

Bertolt Brecht; wanted audience to think about what they were seeing rather than blindly feel. Accomplished by interrupting dramatic moments.

August Wilson

Black playwright who wrote realistic plays in 10 cycle plays. Best known for Fences

Opposites! Amber?

Blue

prop box

Box containing materials and equipment needed for certain roles in socio-dramatic play.

Pause (F,G&C)

Break in speaking, period of silence

Presentational/Representational contracts

Breaking the fourth wall/Keeping the fourth wall

Business

Busy work for the actor while playing on the stage to establish character, setting, and situation.

Closures

Buttons/ Shank buttons/ Snaps/ Skirt Hook/ Hook and Eye/ Hook and Bar

Shopper

Buys fabric and trim; sometimes provides swatches for the designer

Parallelism

Calls attention to idea; when characters or events in a play have matching counterparts in other characters or events in the same play

Marlowe

Came up with Iambic Pantameter. Wrote Jew Of Malata. paved way for Shakespeare

"Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art"

Care more about the craft and how you can contribute to it...mot what fame and fortune it might bring you

Color-Blind Casting

Casting without regard to race or ethnicity of the characters or actors.

Tennessee Williams

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Night of the Iguana, A Streetcar Named Desire

Comedy

Category of drama that is generally light in tone, is concerned with issues that are not serious, has a happy ending, and is designed to amuse and provoke laughter.

Linear Plot

Causal play structure. A B C

Linearity

Cause and effect

Trigger

Cause of heap

Focus

Center attention on. OR. Center light beam on.

Center Stage

Center of acting area

Acting areas

Center stage, down stage, stage left, stage right, up stage

Recognition

Change from ignorance to knowledge usually by the main character; deeper than just facts

Shift

Change scenery.

Melodrama

Characters less three dimensional, clearly defined villains and heroes, situations arouse pity and fear (Genre)

Raisonneur Characters

Characters that speak common sense wisdom

Foil Characters

Characters who contrast each other

Reflector Characters

Characters who give prospective or opinion

Analogues Characters

Characters with similar situations or relationships

Old Comedy

Classical Greek comedy that pokes fun at social, political, or cultural conditions and at individuals.

Confidant

Close friend with whom the main character shares secrets or discusses personal problems. They have little direct influence on the action and are more well-adjusted and help the main character adjust as well

Costume

Clothing that actors wear during a performance or play

Cycles

Collection of mystery plays

CTO

Color temperature Orange

Craft Scissors

Colored

Il capitano

Commedia dell'arte braggart soldier

Pantalone

Commedia dell'arte father

Inamorata/Inamorato

Commedia dell'arte hero/heroine

fontesca

Commedia dell'arte maidservant

Types of professional theater

Commercial (meant to make profit). Non-profit (profits go to production of future plays. May be professional or amateur.)

Juxtaposition

Compare any two things that follow each other

Denouement

Comprises events between the falling action and the actual end of the drama or narrative and thus serves the as the conclusion.

Action Analysis

Concentrates heavily on plot and pays less attention to the other elements of a play

What is the basis of drama?

Conflict

Intellectual Conflict

Conflicts that generate ideas, producing intellectual tensions. Usually between societal systems or btwn characters and the world of the play

Prompt Book

Contains script, blocking notations, warnings, crew charts, and other information necessary for producing the play.

Dialouge

Conversation between actors on stage

Dialogue

Conversation between two or more characters on stage.

Masks

Costumes that cover a face

Kata

Coventional but unfixed movements. Abstract and meant to convey emotions of poetry. Some have specific meanings but most do not, so emotions cannot be described with specific kata for specific feelings.

Christopher Marlowe

Credited with the introduction of blank verse: Tamburlaine the Great, The Jew of Malta, Edward the Second, The Tragical History of Doctor Fastus

Beth Henley

Crimes of the Heart, The Miss Firecracker Contest

Shaw

Criticized well made play,but used form anyway; British and wrote Arms and the Man(Realism)

Non Linear

Cronology is jumbled (Form)

Suzuki

Cross Culture theater wrote Trojan Women

First Hand

Cuts the fabric for the garment

Opposites! Red?

Cyan

Euripides

Cyclops is only surviving manuscript

Top Hat

Cylindrical lighting accessory which helps to control stray light and can reduce the amount that an audience is seeing into the light; mounts in a color frame holder

Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, All My Sons

Super Objective

Deduced from action

Cut

Delete. OR. A command to stop action and dialogue.

Business

Detailed bits of action such as knitting, setting the table, etc., as disstinguished from broad stage movement.

Exposition

Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot

Offer from space

Dialog or action that is bizarre and that appears to come from nowhere.

Soliloquies

Dialogue in which a character who is alone on stage addresses the audience directly

Wanted actors to avoid routine and always seek to break traditions of acting techniques.

Did not believe his way was the only way

Focus

Directing the audience's attention to an area of the stage or distracting them from another.

Exit

Direction for an actor to leave the stage. Opposite of "enter".

Expressionism

Distortion to show subjective feelings

Controllable Qualities of Stage Lighting

Distribution, Intensity, Movement, Color

Finisher

Does all the hand sewing on the costume

Dyer

Does custom coloring or painting of fabric

Episodic drama

Dramatic structure -- extremely popular in the English Renaissance and the Spanish golden age -- in which the dramatic action begins early in the story.

Disjointed time sequences

Dramatic structure that does not unfold chronologically.

The World Of The Play

Each play has its own reality

Multiple Plots

Each plot has its own action and turning points

Noh

Earliest form of Japanese theatre. Aristocratic play with roots deep in religious ritual. Takes its subjects from myths and legend. Essentially a drama of soliloquy and reminiscence - not of conflict. Only two actors with a chorus of singers. The chief actor is masked and sumptuously costumed Highly stylized movements accompanied with actor's stamping feet, a flute, and the beat of three drums. Stage supported by four pillars, which the actor uses to orient himself.

Sebastiano Serlio

Early lighting technician who used tinsel backstage to direct light away from the "wings"

Accepting

Embracing the offers made by other performers in order to advance the scene.

Stage Presence

Energy and aliveness that the actor brings to her/his performance.

Restoration drama

English drama after the restoration of the monarchy, from 1660 to 1700.

Linear

Episodes are chronological and connected (Form)

Episodic

Episodes are cronological but NOT connected (Form)

Location and Time of Day

Establishing or altering position in time and space. Blues can suggest nighttime while orange and red can suggest a sunrise or sunset. Use of gobos to project sky scene, moon, etc.

Critique

Evaluations and suggestions.

Inciting incident

Event that causes the main characters super objective; where the story begins (Classical Archplot)

Antecedent Action (preliminary situation)

Events that have occured before the play begins

Turning Points

Events that make the objectives change

Progressive Complication

Events that prevent the main character from achieving his goal (Classical Archplot)

...advance the plot, reveal characters, and / or express

Everthing in a play is there to...

Gesture

Expressive movement of the body or limbs

Set Speeches

Extended speech where important ideas are discussed/summarized

Hanamichi

Extra stage section used in kabuki theater; a bridge running from behind the audience to the stage; translated means "flower way"

Clearance

FOH communication that house is ready

Fabric Weights

Fabric Weights

Bertolt Brecht

Father of Epic theater, wanted people to think about what they were seeing, alienation effect.

Ibsen

Father of realism, transformed well made play structure wrote Doll House

Projection

Filling the performing space with your breath and voice. The volume of the actor's voice on stage.

The Story Climax

Final decisive confrontation (Classical Archplot)

Hansberry

First black playwright to be produced on broadway

Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

First modern director

manipulative stage of play

First stage of material use; stage at which children will begin to handle props.

Mary Frith

First woman actress, played the role of a man in "The Roaring Girl"

Kicker Light

Flank actors. Enhance 3-D look

Pit

Floor of the house in traditional proscenium-arch theatre.

Catharsis

For an audience to have an emotional reaction while watching a performance where they purge themselves of their pity and fears.

Atellan farce

Form of Roman theatre: improvised comedic pieces dealing with exaggerated family situations or satirizing historical or mythological figures.

Comedy of Humours

Form of comedy developed by Ben Jonson in the early seventeenth century. It is based on Roman comedy and stresses ridicule directed at characters who are dominated by a single trait (or "humour") to the point of obsession.

Comedy of Manners

Form of comic drama that became popular in the latter half of the seventeenth century in France and among English playwrights during the Restoration. It emphasizes a cultivated or sophisticated atmosphere, witty dialogue, and characters whose concern with social bolish is charming, ridiculous, or both.

Commedia Dell'Arte

Form of comic theatre, originating in Italy in the sixteenth century, in which dialogue was improvised around a loose scenario involving a set of stock characters, masked performers, and physical comedy (lazzi)

Base

Foundation color used for stage make-up

dance lighting system examples

Front lights Back lights Side lights (shin, mids, head high, high side, pipe ends) Down pool lights Front Diag lights Back Diag lights

Visibility, mood, setting, time, draw focus

Functions of stage lighting?

Burnout

Gel that's melted or lost its color

Brecht

German poet. Communist created epic theater. Used the alienation effect.

Pole-and-chariot system

Giacomo Torelli's mechanized means of changing sets made up of flat wings.

personification

Giving human traits to nonliving objects, such as dolls or puppets.

Endowing

Giving or assigning characteristics to another performer.

Endowment

Giving qualities to an object that the object does not have

...raise questions

Great plays...

Thespis

Grecian attributed to writing the first tragedies then acting in them.

Katharsis

Greek word, usually translated as "purgation".

Sophocles

Greek writer of tragedies; author of Oedipus Rex

Opposites! Violet?

Green

Needles

Hand Sewing/ Curved Craft/ Leather/ Machine

Doubling

Having an actor play more than one role in a play.

New Comedy

Hellenistic Greek and Roman comedies that deal with romantic and domestic situations.

Sanskrit

Hindu plays were composed in the language that was understood only by the wealthy aristocratic elite

Pensionnaire

Hireling in a French acting troupe.

Batten

Horizontal iron pipe suspended over the stage, from which scenery, lights and curtains are hung.

Stock, Rent, Shop, Make

How do you get costumes?

Style: Background Story

How important is it to the character? How much are we given? How is it given?

Less front light, more side light to define body curves

How is a stage lit for a dance performance?

What are three types of hair used in wigs?

Human, Yak, synthetic

Kabuki

Hybrid form of theatre (ka = singing, bu = dancing, ki = acting). Takes its subjects from Japanese history or from daily life in ancient times. More actors than in Noh and they are not masked. Includes a chorus of singers as accompaniment and an orchestra of samisen players. More popular and lvely than Noh.

Mechane

IN ancient Greek theatre, a crane used for flying characters into the playing area.

Gallery

IN traditional proscenium-arch theatres, the undivided seating area cut into the walls of the building.

Pastoral

Idealized dramatization of rural life, often including mythological creatures, popular during the Italian Renaissance.

Perspective

Illusion of depth in painting.

Forth Wall

Imaginary wall between stage and audience.

Mime

In Ancient Greece, and Rome, a form of theatrical entertainment that consisted of short dramatic sketches characterized by jesting and buffoonery.

Householders

In Elizabethan England, star members of an acting company who were given part-ownership of its playhouse.

Shareholders

In Elizabethan acting troupes, members who received part of the profits as payment.

Groundlings

In Elizabethan theatre, audience members who stood in the yard.

Tiring house

In English Renaissance theatre, a three-story stage house behind the raised platform stage.

Loges

In French neoclassical theatre, boxes.

Parterre

In French neoclassical theatre, the pit where audience members stood.

Parabasis

In Greek Old Comedy, a scene in which the chorus directly addressed the audience members and made fun of them.

Agon

In Greek Old Comedy, a scene with a debate between the two opposing forces in the play, each representing one side of a social or political issue.

Parasite

In Roman New Comedy, a stock character who is motivated purely by sensual needs, e.g. gluttony.

Pulpitum

In Roman theare, a raised platform stage.

Scaena frons

In Roman theatre, the ornate three-dimensional facade of the stage house.

Cavea

In Roman theatre, the seating area.

Scaena

In Roman theatre, the stage house.

Dithyramb

In ancient Greece, a choral song describing the adventures of a god or heroic figure.

Choregus

In ancient Greece, a wealthy person who underwrote most of the expenses for the production of an individual playwright's works at a dramatic festival.

Periaktoi

In ancient Greek Theatre, a three-sided scenic piece which could be revolved.

Chorus

In ancient Greek drama, a group of performers who sang and danced, sometimes participating in the action but usually simply commenting on it.

Ekkyklema

In ancient Greek theatre, a wagon used to bring characters onstage -- often to reveal the sesults of offstage violence.

Orchestra

In ancient Greek theatre, the circular playing area.

Skene

In ancient Greek theatre, the scene house behind the orchestra.

Naumachia

In ancient Rome, sea battles staged in a flooded amphitheater or on a lake.

Parados

In classical Greek drama, the entranceway for the chorus.

Zanni

In commedia dell'arte, comic male servants.

Lazzi

In commedia dell'arte, comic pieces of business repeatedly used by characters.

Innamorato

In commedia dell'arte, the stock lovers.

Alojero

In corrales, the theatres of the Spanish golden age, a stand from which refreshments were sold.

Interludes

In medieval England, short dramatic pieces, usually presented between courses of a banquet.

Platea

In medieval theatre, and unlocalized playing area.

Secrets

In medieval theatre, special effects.

Drolls

In seventeenth-century England, short dramas that were either excerpts from or condensations of longer plays.

Doyen

In the Comedie Francaise, the head of the company and the actor wit the longest service.

School drama

In the English Renaissance, plays written at the universities and presented at schools rather than to the general public.

University Wits

In the English Renaissance, university graduates and professional dramatists who wrote plays based on Roman models but incorporating some medieval elements.

Stationary staging

In the Middle Ages, a form of staging popular on the European continent. A series of small scenic mansions were set up side by side, usually in conjunction with a large platform stage, so that all the plays of a cycle could be presented in one location.

Pageant master

In the Middle Ages, a professional stage manager who oversaw the production of a cycle of mystery plays.

Sottie

In the Middle Ages, a short, satirical French farce.

Zarzuela

In the Spanish golden age, a court entertainment; usually a short, stylized musical drama based on mythology.

Corral

In the Spanish golden age, a theatre usually located in the courtyard of a series of adjoining buildings.

Comedia

In the Spanish golden age, a three-act full-length nonreligious play.

Companias de partes

In the Spanish golden age, acting troupes organized according to the sharing system.

Gradas

In the Spanish golden age, benches placed along the side walls of the patio or pit area in a corral.

Entremesses

In the Spanish golden age, interludes during the intermissions of comedias; these could be comic sketches, songs, or dances.

Carros

In the Spanish golden age, pageant wagons on which autos sacramentales were staged.

Autos Sacramentales

In the Spanish golden age, religious dramas combining characteristics of mystery and morality plays

Cazuela

In the Spanish golden age, the gallery located about the tavern in the back wall of a theatre; the area in which women were segregated.

Tropes

In the early Middle Ages, lyrics added to musical passages in religious services.

Intermezzi

In the italian Renaissance, entertainments performed between the acts of operas and full-length plays.

Semiotics

In theatre history, an approach based on the argument that historians need to focus on audiences' responses to elements of a production in which function and signs have a specific meaning for viewers.

Exaggerated movement

Includes action that is overstated, drawn larger than life.

Project

Increase voice or actions so they will carry to the audience

solitary play

Independent play.

Stage Directions

Indications to the director and actors about various aspects of the play, including information on characters, how a play should proceed, how a play should look, and the mood or effects of the play.

Private theatres

Indoor theatres in English Renaissance.

Marx

Influenced Realism Because of him plays started writing realistic stories about human oppression. More playwrights began to believe that their purpose was to improve society.

Given Circumstances

Info in the script that tells about my character and his world

Given Circumstances

Information regarding the play's background and environment; events and relationships that precede the play

Kan'ami

Innovater of Noh form. 1333 to 1384. Favorite of the Ashikaga shogun (therefore had power). Combined earlier forms of theatre with Buddhist ideals.

Acting is made of

Inspiration (talent) + Perspiration (hard work)

Controllable Properties or Qualities of Light

Intensity, color, direction, distribution, texture, and movement.

Prologue

Introductory speech delivered to the audience by one of the actors before a play begins.

Tragedy

Involves serious action of universal significance. Traditionally about the lives of people of stature.

CSI

Iodine light used in followspots.

Dramatic Irony

Irony resulting from the audience knowing more than the character

Style: Place

Is the location stylistically important to the play, is it symbolic

props (properties)

Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors

Set Dressing

Items not handled but which add detail to a set Eg. The rest of the diner service is on display in the dresser but never handled. In film, set dressing is the responsibility of the set dec dept.

Kabuki

Japanese drama of the common man. It incorporates song and dance, and is more melodramatic the Noh.

Montage

Juxtaposition of dramatic images and/or vignettes, often presented in rapid succession.

Dress the Stage

Keep the stage picture balanced. OR. Decorations used to provide authenticity to the set and fill space.

Stage Business

Keeping "busy" onstage. Something the character does while performing (folding laundry, eating, putting on makeup, washing dishes, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc).

Set Props

Larger items which are built by props and may be moved by actors or stage hands Eg. a crucifix with Jesus handing over the altar, sculpted by props

Cue

Last words or action of one actor that immediately precede another actor's speech. OR. A signal for light changes, curtains, etc.

Masque

Lavish form of private theatrical entertainment which developed in Renaissance Italy and spread rapidly to the courts of France and England.

Run

Length of stage engagement for a performance.

Affective (Fallacy)

Let own values affect reading of script

Paper Props

Letters, documents, scrolls. These may need actual text

Additive

Light abides by what color wheel?

hard light

Light emitted from a relatively small source positioned close to the subject. It tends to be unflattering because it creates deep shadows and emphasizes surface imperfections.

Comedy

Light in tone, less serious, happy endings, intended to amuse (Genre)

Heat

Light that is absorbed into an object

Spotlight

Light with beams that can be focused and that are used for specific illumination.

Barndoor

Lighting accessory that consists of flaps to control the beam of a unit without internal shutters; mounts on the front of an instrument in a color frame holder

Color Frame

Lighting accessory that is specifically a metal holder for gel; mounts on the front an instrument

Template (GOBO)

Lighting accessory that is specifically a pattern cut from metal or etched in glass that mounts inside a leko to affect the shape of the beam

What if the director wants non-representational lighting?

Lighting designer would consider emotions/expression, etc

Striplights

Lighting instrument that contains many small lamps arranged in a linear fixture; has multiple circuits, allowing for different colors; used for lighting backdrops and for footlights

Fresnel

Lighting instrument that has a somewhat defined beam with a soft edge; its lens has concentric rings to spread the light; comes in variety of sizes and watts, lamp and reflector move to make beam larger (flood) or smaller (spot); barndoors and top hats can be applied

Par Can

Lighting instrument that has a somewhat defined, oval-shaped beam with a soft edge; comes in different beam sizes; sealed beam lamp (like a car headlight) inside a metal housing; barndoors can be applied

Leko

Lighting instrument that has a very defined beam; capable of a very hard edge; comes varied sizes; beam can be shaped using internal shutters or iris; can project patterns

Projection and Stage Elements

Lighting may be used to project scenery or to act as scenery onstage.

Composition

Lighting may be used to show only the areas of the stage which the director wants the audience to see, and to "paint a picture".

Floodlights

Lights without lenses; used for blending and toning.

Internal obstacles

Limits that characters apply to themselves in seeking their objectives

Genera

Literally means a kind or type of literary form

Capa y Espada

Literally, "cape and sword": full-length Spanish plays that revolved around intrigue and duels over honor.

Mosqueteros

Literally, "mosquitos": in Spanish golden age, the noisy groundlings in the corrales.

Deus ex machina

Litterally, "god from a machine".

Soliloquy

Long speech given by a character when they are alone on stage to chow their thoughts or to explain their thoughts or to explain the plot; used frequently by Shakespeare.

Tracing Wheel

Looks like a pizza cutter

Over Reliance on Stage Direction(Fallacy)

Looks robotic and you don't reconsider the way it could look from a production stand point

Scrim

Loose weave curtains on battens used for "visions", "flashbacks", etc. opaque when lit from the front and transparent when lit from the back.

Magnetic Pin Cushion

Magnetic Pin Cushion

Protagonist

Main character with whom the audience empathy lies.

Prologue/Epilogue

Main idea is introduced/summarizes the main idea by restating it at the end

Character History

Make up what is not given. Do research to get accurate story.

Milliner

Makes hats and headpieces

Breeches Roles

Male roles played by females, particularly popular in Restoration and eighteengh-century English theatre.

Theatron

Meaning "seeing place", in ancient Greek theatre, the seating area.

Simultaneous setting

Medieval convention of presenting more than one locale onstage at the same time.

Morality play

Medieval drama designed to teach a lesson.

Mansion

Medieval scenic unit, often presented as an individual house or locale.

Morality plays

Medieval taught the difference between right and wrong

Thimbles

Metal/Leather

Actor's 3 Tools

Mind, Body, Voice/Speech

Subtractive

Mixing color by blocking or filtering out the light rays from a single light source using filters exclusively

White Light

Mixture of all the colors in the visible spectrum from the sun

Royalty

Money paid to the author for permission to perform his/her play

Design Fee

Money the designer actually earns and deposits into the bank

Thesis Sentence

Moral of the story; gives lesson

Indirect Idea

Most impactful; seen through plots and characters

Shakespeare

Most popular Playwright, gave audiences what they wanted.Most frequently produced playwright in the world

Movement

Movement is any change in the intensity, color, direction, distribution, or texture the light. An example of a change is a light cue.

Gesture

Movement of separate parts of the body, such as waving an arm or shrugging a shoulder.

4 ways that Characters are used for Idea

Narrator/chorus, raisonneur, confidant, norm character

Decorum

Neoclassical rule, developed in the Italian renaissance, that dramatic characters must behave in set ways based on their social class and background.

Simple Plot

No recognition or reversal

Kyogen

Noh's satyr-play, a comic interlude, reminiscent of commedia.

Tape Measure

Not Measuring Tape

Believed in training the "whole" actor body and soul.

Not only understanding a role intellectually and physically (character traits/physicality) but also understanding yourself in order to find the character

Fridgity (Fallacy)

Not taking characters or events seriously; not having enough empathy

...arbitrary

Nothing is...

Marking Devices

Number 2 Pencil/ Taylors Chalk (Made of Wax)/ Marking Pencil/ Taylors Wheel

Drama Formula

Object + Obstical * lack of compromise = conflict/drama

Analyzing Tools

Objective - want Motivation - why i want it Obstacle - whats preventing me from getting it Action - how will i get it "to ____" Tactics - physical method of getting action

Sophocles

Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Electra, Antigone

Aesthetics

Of or pertaining to the criticism of taste and a sense of the beautiful. Use of design principles and elements such as form, line, unity, variety and emphasis to create a pleasing work of art.

Stanislavski

One of the greatest of all acting teachers, called father of modern acting co founder of Moscow Art Theater. Created Stanislavsky system(Method Acting)

Farce

One of the major genres of drama, sometimes regarded as a subclass of comedy. Physical activity and visual effects.

Kabuki

One of the original forms of Japanese theatre

Quick Study

One who can memorize a part rapidly.

Critique

Opinions and comments used for self evaluation or the evaluation of the actors or the production itself

Statments

Opinions and questions illistrated by the dramatization

Falling Action

Or called the resolution, which is the moment of reversal after the climax.

Shakespeare

Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, The Tempest

Thornton Wilder

Our Town, The Matchmaker

The Resolution

Outcome event resulting from the climax (Classical Archplot)

Public theatres

Outdoor theatres in English Renaissance.

Transmission Rate

Overall percentage of white light transmitted by a gel/ filter

Teaser

Overhead curtain to mask the first border of lights and to regulate them to the height of the proscenium opening,

Backdrop

Painted cloth or set wall built to serve as a background for the setting on stage.

3 ways idea is shown in Plot

Parallelism, Intellectual Conflict, Main climax (best place to look)

Focus

Paying attention to what's happening in an improv scene. Trying to give time for other performers to speak/act.

Claque

People in the audience who are hired to applaud; the tradition of the claque began in Roman theatre

Preview Performances

Performance of a play open to the public before the official opening night (and before the critics see it.)

Draper

Person who creates the vision of the color rendering/plate on a dress form

3 categories of Given Circumstances

Physical, Social/Economic, Psychological/Emotional

Flats

Pieces of canvas stretched over wooden frames that are painted

Subtractive

Pigment abides by what color wheel?

Positioning (C)

Placing of actors on stage

Muslin

Plain-woven cotton fabric used to create a pattern on a dress form by the draping method

sound and lighting designer

Plan, install and oversee light and sound

Levels

Platforms or body position of various heights.

Tragicomedy

Plays that have tragic themes and noble characters yet end happily.

Heightened use of language

Poetic and exaggerated use of language. It includes the deliberate choice of words

Emotional Offer

Portraying an emotion that gives information about who they are, where they might be, or what might be going on.

Arc Lamp

Powered by battery, so not practical until invention of generator.

Fourth-wall convention

Pretense that in a proscenium-arch theatre the audience is looking into a room through an invisible fourth wall.

Red, Blue, Green

Primary Colors of Light

Additive Mixing

Primary colors in separate light sources mix in the air and can theoretically create white light

Protagonist

Principal character in a play.

Souvenir Programs

Programs sold a large professional performances that have more pictures and information about the production and cast than the basic program.

Preset

Prop which must be set in a particular place on set or backstage for the top of the show or at intermission. On set presets must be set before the house comes in. Eg. a sweater preset in a suitcase. A gun hidden in a drawer in an onstage bureau

Handprops

Properties carried on stage by the actors during the play.

Personal Props

Props carried in actor's pockets or otherwise on their person Eg. Pocket watch, lighter

Hand Props

Props carried or moved by actors Eg. The actor pours tea into a cup. The teapot and cup are hand props.

Costume Props

Props generated by the costume designer which appear on the costume sketch Eg. Walking sticks, masks

Soft Props

Props made of fabric and other soft materials Eg. Drapes, cushions

Breakaways

Props which are broken intentionally on stage. There are two kinds: DISPOSABLE: one per show Eg. A china cup which breaks these become RUNNING PROPS RIGGED: put back together after each show Eg. A chair back which must fall off hen an actor leans on it

Running Props

Props which are consumed or destroyed in the course of a performance Eg. Food and drink, a letter that gets torn up

Reviews

Published or broadcast opinions of critics about whether a particular play is worth seeing. Compare to Dramatic criticism.

Bunraku

Puppet theatre. 3 operators per puppet, some hooded and cloaked. Stories about duty, family, and honor. Emphasis on suicides and double suicides (individuality in a regimented society). Story recited by "singer" with accompaniment on shamisen. The master of the puppet controls the right hand and head. The next most masterful controls the left hand. The puppeteer who controls the feet is the lowliest position. It takes ten years to master each position.

Intrusion

Pushing, thrusting, or forcing in

Substitution

Put in a similar situation if you cannot relate, allows you to understand emotions in unlikely situations

Dramatic Question

Questions in the mind of the audience about what will happen in the future

Heighten

Raising the stakes, making your improv scene more interesting by adding conflict or suspense.

Medieval Drama

Range of plays that make up the religious and folk drama developed during the Middle Ages.

...dont read into them

Read plays...

Sense Memory

Recalling the physical behavior that resulted in an experience Allows you to recreate reaction without stimulus

Opposites! Cyan?

Red

Ellipsoidal

Reflector - dichroic glass or metal-coated ellipsoidal reflector Lens - dual plano convex lens (fixed, interchangeable, zoom) Beam quality - concentrated sharp or soft beam Focus/shaping - shutters, iris, gobos to shape beam; barrel move fwd or back to soften or sharpen beam edges Uses - especially known for control and flexibility both as spotlight and for creating different shapes and textures

PAR

Reflector - parabolic reflector Lens - interchangeable lens can change beam size Beam quality - oval-shaped; bright, harsh but beam edge remains diffused Focus/shaping - only focus adjustment is to rotate lamp/lens within casing thus changing orientation of oval (beam shape/size cannot be altered) Uses - useful as backlights and for over stage

Fresnel

Reflector - spherical reflector Lens - fresnel lens (plano convex - convex side concentric circles; plano side dimpled or frosted to soften and disperse light beams) Beam quality - soft, smooth, even field Focus/shaping - variable beam capability for small spot or large flood by moving lamp and reflector away or toward lens; barn doors cut and shape beam Uses - "washing" walls and blending acting areas; exhibits good sense of direction so can be used to stimulate the soft quality of candlelight or overcast sky; excellent for short throw applications

Blocking (dead end)

Rejecting information or ideas offered by another player.

Biographical (Fallacy)

Relying on a playwright's life to decipher what/why things happen

Intentional (Fallacy)

Relying on playwright's intention instead of what the script suggests

Build

Rising intensity or climbing action that develops within a scene or entire play.

Ludi Romani

Roman festival in honor of Jupiter into which drama was first introduced.

Terence, Platus, Seneca

Roman playwrights

Chekhov

Russian Realistic playwright wrote plays about life: The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, etc

Constantin Stanislavski

Russian actor, director and teacher Promoted ensemble acting

street clothes vs. costumes

SC aren't as durable, costumes are more durable SC are fashion, costumes are for creating characters, no necessary trend SC are mass produced

Pins

Safety/ Headed/ Push

high key

Scene is flooded with light; creates bright and open-looking scene. Comedies, product commercials

Set

Scenery. OR. Establish definite movements and lines.

Flexible Theater

Seats can be arranged for proscenium, arena or thrust staging.

Off-off-Broadway

Seats less than 100; amateur.

funtional stage of play

Second stage of material use. During this stage, a child will use a prop as it was intended whild playing with other children.

Intention

See Objective

Breakdown

See Scenario

Through-line

See Spine

Plot

Sequence of events in a play. OR. Production plan of backstage items, such as a light plot or costume plot.

Tragedy

Serious, arouses pity and fear, downfall of protagonist is result of his own actions, triumph of a larger cosmic order (Genre)

Drama

Serious, arouses pity and fear, three dimensional characters, characters more important than plot (Genre)

Properties

Set furnishings, including furniture, pictures, ornaments, drapes, etc.

Canon

Set of literary works believed to be universally accepted as important and historically significant.

Mood

Setting the tone of a scene. Harsh red light has a totally different effect than soft lavender light.

Stitcher

Sew the garment together on the sewing machine

Societaire

Shareholder in a French acting troupe.

Oliver Goldsmith

She Stoops to Conquer

modeling

Showing the children the appropriate behavior to use during their socio-dramatic play.

Fabric Scissors

Silver and Black

Raked House

Slanted Floor, allowing each row of the audience to see over the heads of those in front.

Box

Small, private compartment for a group of spectators, built into the walls of a traditional proscenium-arch theatre.

socio-dramatic play

Social play in which several children play together as they imitate others.

Symbolism

Something that is both itself and something more - a thought sign

Voice (F,G&C)

Sound uttered from the mouth, created in the larynx

What should a lighting designer think when he/she hears a play is going to be REALISTIC?

Sources!

Timing

Speaking, moving or pausing at exactly the right moment

Tailor

Specializes in men's suit construction

Epilogue

Speech addressed to the audience after the conclusion of a play and spoken by one of the actors

Soliloquy

Speech in which a character who is alone onstage utters inner thoughts.

Pace (F,G&C)

Speed of speech, movement or storyline

Improvisation

Spontaneous style of theatre

Fresnel

Spot light with a fresnel lens that throws a an efficient and soft beam, hung from the teaser beam to lighten upstage areas.

Grip

Stage crew member who shifts scenery.

Blocking precise

Stage directions and movements given to an actor by the script or the director.

Scene

Stage setting.

Raked stage

Stage that slopes upward away from the audience toward the back of the stage.

El Tertro Campesino

Staged plays on the backs of flat bed pick up trucks besides the picket lines striking against Chicano and Filipino Migrant workers founded by Luis Valdez

Spine

Stanislavski spoke of each beat and scene in a role fitting together like the vertebrae in a spine. When the actor experiences this connectedness, the role begins to flow as if under its own power; also called the through-line of the role. Similar to the score of the role, in which the through-line is understood as a sequence of objectives.

Public solitude

Stanislavski's concept of how the actor, through focus on the objective, can "forget" that he is she is in public and thereby avoids self-consciousness and stage fright. The concept does not imply that the actor neglects the discipline of producing a publically effective performance.

Automatic action

Stanislavski's term for what is generally called a habit or reflex; something your character does without thinking

Offer

Statement or action suggested to other actors. Offers should be accepted.

Ironing Tools

Steam Iron, Board, Sleeve Ham, Pressing Ham

Stock characters

Stereotypical characters in commedia dell'arte.

Mie

Stylized position for dramatic emphasis in kabuki. Emphasized by wooden clappers. Audience reacts.

quantity of light

Sufficient amount to see and accomplish work tasks safely Units: Lumens & Footcandles

Offering

Suggesting an idea in an improvisation situation

Thespian

Synonym for "actor"; the term is derived from Thespis.

Groove System

System in which there were tracks on the stage floor and above the stage to allow for the smooth movement of flat wings on and of the stage.

Contract system

System under which perfomers are hired for a specific period of time and paid a set salary.

Seam Ripper

Takes Thread Out

Stealing the Scene

Taking audience attention away from the proper focal point.

Illicit Process (Fallacy, ex)

Taking complex idea and reducing it to one thing. Ex: Wrong to say BP is just about utopia, also about complex relationships, polygamy, etc

Literal Mindedness (Fallacy)

Taking everything literally and at face value; kills every metaphor

Driving

Taking over a scene and not letting other performers influence its direction. Makes you an unpopular improvisor.

coaching

Teaching skill that provides children with ideas for difficult situations.

Theatrical Convention

Techniques shared by a majority of plays in specific epochs of theatre history. Ex Greek Chorus

Conclusion

Tells outcome of the entire situation

Resolution

Tells which way the climax broke

Conflict

Tension between two or more characters, leading to a crisis or a climax.

Unities

Term referring to the rule that a play should occur within one day, in one place, and with no action irrelevant to the plot.

Active Verbs

Terms that help the actor focus on her/his objective.

Texture

Texture is the quality of light- its diffusion or clarity. Does it have a soft edge or is it hard-edged? Is the field of the light smooth, diffused, or is it heavily textured? Factors affecting texture: The type of light, the use of diffusion gel, and the use of a gobo.

Denouement

The "why" or explanation of the outcome

Hanamichi

The 'flower way'. Where the actors makes their entrances and exits. Goes through the audience. Used in kabuki theatre. Connects the actors to the audience.

Prism Set

The Greek word for a triangle of flats that can be revolved for scenery changes

Eugene O'Neill

The Iceman Cometh, Morning Becomes Electra, A Long Day's Journey Into the Night

Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest

Lillian Hellman

The Little Foxes, Watch on the Rhine, The Searching Wind

Gilbert and Sullivan

The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore

Neil Simon

The Odd Couple, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Barefoot in the Park, Star-Spangled Girl

Richard Brinsley Sheridan

The School for Scandal, The Rivals

William Saroyan

The Time of Your Life, After the Fall

Silence (F,G&C)

The absence of sound

Collaboration

The act of working together in a joint, intellectual effort

Dramatization

The action shown on stage

Transformation of place

The actor creates more than one place or setting during the performance without the use of scenery.

Transformation of character

The actor manipulates expressive skills to create multiple characters in performance.

Point of Concentration

The actor's focus in a scene

Censorship

The altering, restricting, or suppressing of information, images, or words circulated within a society.

Intensity

The amount of light reflected by the performer and the background. Factors affecting intensity: Type of instrument, wattage of the lamp, length of throw, size of the pool of light, amount of electricity reaching the lamp, and reflective quality of the makeup, costume, and setting.

Backstage

The area hidden from the audience that is used for actors preparing to make entrances.

House

The area of a theatre where the audience sits or watches from.

Directing

The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make a play

Drama

The art of the theatre; plays, playmaking, and the whole body of literature of and for the stage.

Willing Suspenion of Disbelief

The audience's acceptance of the quasi-reality of a work of art that enables the playwright, director, and actors to communicate perceptions about reality; the term was coined by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Closely tied to Aesthetic Distance.

Forward

The beginning of the play that reveals the given circumstances for the rest of the play

Exposition

The beginning of the story or play, can also be considered the who, what, where, when, or why

Context

The broader setting for the scene (political, social, etc).

Theme

The central, unifying idea within a play; a message or moral which the action and the characters of a play convey.

Character Arc

The change in prospective undergone by a character

Protagonist

The characters who's motives and actions drive the play

Articulation

The clear and precise pronunciation of words.

Color

The color of the light reflected by the performer and the background. Factors affecting color: Color of the gel, color temperature of the lamp, intensity of the lamp, and color of the makeup, costume, and setting.

Rising Action

The conflict becomes more complex

Dramatic Conflict

The conflict is between what someone wants and what hinders the want: the obstacle

Design

The creative process of developing and executing designs in a production

Realism

The cultural movement behind theatrical realism, it began around 1850 and popularized the idea that plays could be a force for social and political change.

Color Rendering/ Plate

The designer finishes the initial sketches by adding color and detail; done after the first meeting with the design team

Characterization

The development and protrayale of a character through action, dialouge, costuming, and makeup

Direction

The direction (or angle) of the light determines the length and location of the shadows cast by the performer and the three-dimensional props around him. Factors affecting direction: Where the instrument is placed.

Stage Manager

The director's techical liaison backstage during rehearsals and preformances.

Throw

The distance between a lighting source and what is being lit.

Distribution

The distribution of light determines which part (or parts) of the stage will be lit. Factors affecting distribution: Where the light is focused, the type of light, the focus (spot or flood) of the light, the use of "masking" devices (shutters, barn doors, and top hats), and the direction, or angle, of the light.

Dramatic Metaphor

The endowment of a word, object or feeling with an intensity of meaning other than the literal.

Kata

The ensemble of four musicians in Noh theatre

Happening

The event that causes the first dramatized objective

Resolution

The event that ends the last dramatized event

Falling Action

The events that lead to the conclusion

Group Dynamics

The functioning of people when they come together into groups.

Realism

The general principle that the stage should portray ordinary people in ordinary circumstances and that actors should behave, as much as possible, as real people do in life.

Climax

The high point of action or conflict within a scene or a play.

Climax

The highest point of tension, where the situation can get no worse: something must break

Pitch

The highness or lowness of a voice

Mie

The holding of a picturesque pose by a Kabuki actor to establish his character or a theme

Context

The interrelated conditions in which a play exists or occurs

fill light

The lighting instrument that is placed opposite the key light to provide illumination on the other side of the talent's face or object in the shot in order to balance the light and balance shadows

Onnagata

The males that play the "women-type" roles of the Kabuki theatre

Center Stage

The middle point of the performance space, symbolized by CS in blocking notes.

Denouement

The moments after the climax, when loose ends are tied up

City Dionysia

The most important Greek festival in honor of the god Dionysus; it was staged in Athens in the spring and was the first to include dramatic activities.

The Crisis

The most important decision on the play (Classical Archplot)

Climax

The most important moment in the conflict-resolution structure; The moment when the conflict is resolved

The Ending

The most important part of any script

Conflict

The opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action in a play

Sequence

The order in which information is revealed

Teaser

The overhead curtain that masks the 1st batten of lights and adjust the height of the proscenium opening

Scene

The period of stage time representing a single space over a continuous period of time, marked by either the rise and fall of a curtain or by the raising or lowering of lights.

stage manager

The person in charge backstage; he or she helps the director during rehearsals and then takes charge backstage when the play is performed

Director

The person who oversees the entire process staging a production

Character

The personality or part an actor recreates

Scenery

The physical setting for a scene or a play (trees, a couch, a podium etc. . . ) that help illustrate the environment of where the scene or play is taking place.

Moment of engagement

The point in the play after the introductory incident when the protagonist decides to commit to satisfying her goals

Climax

The point of highest dramatic tension or major turning point in the action

Diction

The prnunciation of words an choice of words

Swatching

The process of collecting samples of fabrics that may be used in costume construction

Advancing

The process of moving the scene forwards.

Catasahris

The purification or purgation of the emotions caused in a tradedy such as pity or fear

Ask-for

The question asked of the audience in order to start a scene.

Major Dramatic question

The question that is answered at the moment of climax

Ensemble

The rapport and shared sense of purpose that bind a group of actors into a unified artistic entity.

Proportion

The relationship of the size of one part to another or to the whole.

Patterns

The repetition of shapes, lines or colors over and over again.

Heap

The result of a trigger

Exposition

The revelation of necessary information

Formalist Analysis

The search for playable dramatic values that reveal a central unifying pattern which forms or shapes a play from the inside and coordinates all parts

Plot

The series of events that happen before the audience

Illumination

The simple ability to see what is occurring on stage. Any lighting design will be ineffective if the audience has to strain to see the characters; unless this is the explicit intent.

Improvisation

The spontaneous invention of actors used to explore text, character, or situation; a tool used by actors to freely create actions and language. Improvisation can be used in either rehearsal or performance.

Improvisation

The spontaneous portrayal of a scene or character without practice or preparation.

Narrative

The story told by a scene. Scenes should have a clear beginning, middle and end.

Pacing

The tempo of entire theatrical performance

Playwright

The theatre artist who authors the playscripts.

Actor

The theatre artist who plays characters.

Elizabethan theatre

The theatre of England during the reign of queen Elizabeth the first and often extends to the end of the 1640s

Objective

The thing that a character in a scene is trying to achieve.

imaginative stage of play

The third and final stage of material use. Children in this stage do not need real props; they are able to think of substitutes.

Call

The time one must be at the Theatre or ready to go onto to stage.

Climax

The turning point, which marks a change, for the better or the worse.

Satire

The use of wit and comedy to attack, denounce or deride a target.

Eye Contact (G&C)

The way a person does or doesn't look directly at another person

Platform

The who, what, and where of any improvisational scene

Moscow Art Theatre

Theater company founded in the late 19 century by a group of russian producers, actors, directors, and dramatists. Made famous by the plays of ANTON CHEKOV and acting techniques of Konstantin Stanislavsk

Artaud

Theater of cruelty; agitate the masses

Boal

Theater of the Oppressed, influenced by Paolo Friere's Pedagogy of the Oppressed ideas that prodding people into awareness or conscience-ization, everything is political, the idea that somethings are political and some are not is the best politiccal idea.

Realistic/Nonrealistic contracts

Theatrical contracts in which most elements of the play conform to everyday reality/One or more elements of a production are heightened in a fashion where they are heightened from reality

Greek Theatre

Theatrical events in honor of the god Dionysus that occured in ancient Greece

French Curve Ruler

Thicker

Hip Curve Ruler

Thinner

S-R-S

Thought process; A stimulus provokes a response which in turn provokes a stimulus

Inner Monologue

Thoughts going on in a characters head even when he doesn't have spoken dialog

Give

Throw focus on the important character in an scene.

Examples of Given Circumstances

Time, Season and weather, Location, relationships, important events, character background and personality

Daylight > Candles (in audience and onstage) > Footlight trough (candles at the foot of stage) > Gas light > Incandescant lamp

Timeline of stage lighting?

8 ways that Words are used for Idea

Title, discussions, aphorism, allusions, set speeches, imagery, symbols, and prologue/epilogue

Share

To assume a position of equal dramatic importance with another actor.

Take Stage

To capture audience attention legitimate, as opposed to "give" or "share".

Mask

To cover something from audience view.

Ad-lib

To create dialouge or movement off the top of your head, without a script.

Bowdlerize

To edit out any vulgar, obscene, or otherwise possibly objectionable material before publication. The origin of the word is Thomas and Harriet Bowdler's prudishly sanitized edition of Shakespeare's plays for Victorian-era family consumption.

Topping

To exceed the tempo and pitch of the previous speech.

Paper the House

To give away free tickets to the families and friends of cast members in order to make it appear as though the play is popular.

Motivate

To have a specific reason for saying something or doing something; to show character's desires through voice and movement.

Physical Contact (G&C)

To make contact with another actor using a part of your body ie, hand

Ad-Lib

To make up words or dialogue on the spot, to speak at liberty.

Open-up

To play toward the audience.

Cheat Out

To play towards the audience while seemingly conversing with others on the stage.

Pick up Cues

To quickly begin a speech without allowing a pause between the first words of the speech and the cue.

Contrast (C)

To show differences when compared

Tea Down

To take the edge off white or bright colours by dipping in a dye solution. Could be tea or coffe. In film the term is to TECH DOWN.

Genetic (Fallacy)

Too much emphasis on the time period/historical context in which it exists

Finley

Tours the country preforming one-woman plays about sexual abuse

Benefit

Tradition begun in the eighteenth-century theatre whereby the profits from an evening's performance were given to a performer of group of performers.

Gelatin

Transparent colered medium used in front of stage lights.

Gelatin

Transparent colored medium used in front of stage lights.

Squeaky Door Theory

Treat accidents as if they were supposed to happen

Tailors Wheel

Triangular

Luis Valdez

Truck theater plays to celebrate latino culture

Loop Turner

Turn Small Spaces

conflict

Two or more forces that oppose each other.

Slapstick

Type of comedy that relies on ridiculous -- often violent -- physical activity for its humor.

Scoop

Type of lighting instrument that has an undefined beam with an indiscernible edge and creates a broad, even light

Genre

Type of play based on desired audience reaction

cooperative play

Type of play in which two or more children interact with one another. At this stage socio-dramatic play begins.

Presentational Theatre

Type of theatre that makes no attempt to offer a realistic illusion on stage. The actors openly acknowledge the audience, often playing to them and sometimes even inviting members to participate.

Dimmer

Unit to control intensity of lights.

Neutral platform stage

Unlocalized stage which allows for easy shifts of locale through the use of properties, entrances, and exits.

Farce

Unserious, two dimensional characters, plot dominates characters, situations are ludicrous (Genre)

Movement (F,G&C)

Use of the body as means of communication

Half-Truth (Fallacy)

Use the same explanation for everything, with negative implications

Natural Density Filter

Used to decrease light's intensity without changing color

Artic / Articulated Lorry

Used to transport required items (props, costumes, technical equipment) in traveling productions

Imagery

Using sensory language to represent objects, actions, or ideas

Satyr play

Usually a ribald takeoff on Greek mythology and history and included a chorus of satyrs, mythological creatures who were half-man and half-goat.

Curtain

Usually the start of a show, but can also be the end of a show or an act, signaled by the raising or lowering of the curtain.

Flat

Usualy canvas covered wood frame used for scenery.

Opposites! Green?

Violet

Functions of Stage Lighting

Visibility, Mood, Selective Focus, Modeling

Ben Jonson

Volpone, The Alchemist, Every Man in His Humour

Holding for Laughs

Waiting for the audience laughter to diminish before continuing dialogue.

The Fourth Wall

Wall between actors and the audience. Keeps the actor from worrying about the crowd. Pretend you see what you would see.

Places

Warning for actors to assume their position on stage for the beginning of the scene.

...what might be subconscious for the audience, characters, or author

We need to make conscious for ourselves...

Style: Plot

What are the types of actions? Primarily serious or comic?

Audience applause

What can a blackout indicate?

Subtext

What characters are thinking but not saying

Actions or Objectives

What characters want or are trying to get

The Moment Before

What happens to the character just before he enters into a scene.

Obstacle

What is in the character's way (preventing her/him in getting what she/he wants).

Setting

What is the location of where the play takes place? What time is it? What is the weather like?...etc

Lamp, lens, reflector

What parts do all basic stage lights have?

Actor Tactics

What the character does in order to get what she/he wants.

Subtext

What the character is implying. What does this dialog really mean?

Objective

What the character wants.

Find Given Circumstances in 4 places

What the playwrights says about "me", What "I" say about "me", what other characters say about "me", and "my" behavior.

Magic IF

What would you do in this situation if you were the character? Find things in common in order to relate. Why do i do this?

Psychological/Emotional

Whats inside "my" mind? What hidden thoughts, fears, emotions do "I" have? Emotional state of mind.

Exposition

Whats revealed only in dialogue

Dramatic Conflict

When a character ants something but cant have it

Yes, But Principle

When performers present offers that do not lead the scene forward and usually leads to negative content (arguments, fights, complaining, etc.)

Yes, Or Principle

When performers suggest ideas (offers) back and forth with out moving the offers forward. (Similar to BRAINSTORMING)

Break Character

When the actor loses concentration while preforming and is not in character.

Introductory incident

When the subject of the conflict is introduced

Why is the moment before important?

Where a character comes from effects how he would enter the scene

Social/Economical Given Circumstances

Where do "I" fit into the world, what is my life style, social class, occupation?

Stage Directions

Where the actor places herself/himself on the stage (up-stage is US, down-stage is DS, stage-right is SR, stage-left is SL, etc...).

Work Lights

White lights used solely for rehearsal. In some theaters the strip lights are used in place of the work lights.

Restoration Theatre

William Wycherly, William Congreve, David Garrick, Peg Woffington

Places to look for Idea

Words, Characters, and Plot

The Orestia

Written by Aeschylus. Only surviving trilogy

Sondheim

Wrote Sweeny Todd.Too serious for light operahs

Marx

Wrote about negative aspects of capitalism and the industrial Revolution. He influenced playwright to begin writing realistic stories about human oppression.Made playwrights believe that their purpose was to improve society

Shaw

Wrote high comedies social reform

Calderón de la Barca

Wrote hundreds of auto sacramental (cloak and sword)plays about spanish values, love honor, revenge,and religious servitude.wrote Life Is A Dream

Euripides

Wrote many famous Greek tragedies. Plays such as The Trojan Women, show the misery that war brings

Yard Stick

Yard Stick

Callboard

a board with notices for communicating to actors and tech crew

Moment

a brief period of time when something of special value is happening. We speak of "making the moment"; can also refer to one transaction between characters. Several moments work together to make up a beat.

call board

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

white balance

a camcorder adjustment in which the videographer adjusts the color responses of the camera by showing the camcorder the color "white"under the current lighting conditions or selecting the icon on the display that best describes the lighting situation (indoor, outdoor, etc.)

main gesture

a charcteristic gesture

color wheel

a chart in which complementary colors (or their names) are arranged on opposite sides of a circle

Costume plot

a chart that records items of clothing worn by each actor in each scene of the play

Odes

a choral passage, alternating with the episodes of the plot of the drama.

Turntable/Revolve

a circular platform that can be turned to show different scenes

thrust stage

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

machina

a crane like device that hoisted actors into the air

patch bay

a cross connect or patch panel for sound

amplifier

a device used to boost the signal received from a transducer to a level that will drive the loud speaker.

Ground plan

a drafting of the plan of the set as seen from overhead. A ground plan shows where any scenic pieces or set props (such as furniture) are to be placed

Melodrama

a dramatic genre featuring a conflict between good and bad characters, fast paced action, a spectacular climax, and poetic justice

shadow puppet

a flat, two-dimensional puppet designed to form a silhouette on a white screen

Black box

a flexible performance space (usually small) in which the actor/audience configuration can be easily changed for each production

Chorus

a group of performers working together vocally and physically. A chorus of approximately 12-15 singer-dancers who interacted with and responded to the actors was an important element of ancient Greek theatre.

Loading Platform

a high platform, adjacent to the stagehouse wall, used by stagehands to adjust loads in the counterweight arbors (for dummies: where you go to put weight on the arbor in a flying system)

HMI

a huge bright type of light that is set up to expose the film the same way the sun would

Pinking Shears

a kind of scissors that cuts a zigzag edge, used to prevent fabrics from unraveling.

Head Block, 5 Grooves

a large sheave with corresponding (5) grooves for each lead line, and one groove for the hand line

cross-fade

a light on one side of the stage goes off at the same time another goes on

Balcony Rail

a lighting position on the front edge of the balcony, originally installed in most Broadway theaters

Sitelines

a line of sight, especially one between a spectator and the spectacle in a theater or stadium

Scenario

a listing of the beats of a scene. Also called a breakdown, the scenario gives the actors a sense of the underlying structure of the scene; it serves them as a sort of map as they move through the journey of the scene.

Resume

a listing of your experience with your contact information

moment-to-moment

a logical progression of the action that creates a flow with smooth transitions

green room

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

Realism

a movement of the late 19th century championing the depiction of everyday life on the stage and the frank treatment of social problems in the theatre. The plays of Henrick Ibsen of the 1870s were important in establishing a dramatic style for realism. "Realism" continues to be used as a term for representational plays and production style.

Romanticism

a movement that rejected nearly every aspect of neoclassicism, celebrated the natural world, and valued intense emotion and individuality.

Book musical

a musical play that tells a story and has spoken words as well as songs

producer

a person who handles the business end of a production, you secure rights to a play, raise the money, hire the actors and staff, arrange for the rental of the theatre, and supervise any publicity and ticket sales

Playwright

a person who writes plays

Rendering

a picture created by a designer to communicate with other production personnel

shared position

a position on stage in which one actor mirrors another actor's body position

stage door

a private door for actors and theatre personnel, not accessible to the audience

rod puppet

a puppet constructed without shoulders, arms, or legs and manipulated by one or more than one rod

marionette

a puppet manipulated by strings connecting a control rod or paddle to the moving body parts

hand puppet

a puppet that is manipulated by the puppeteer's fingers inside the puppet's head and hands

flowerway

a ramp that extends through the audience from the back of the auditorium up to the stage

special rehearsal

a rehearsal for a special element, such as fight scenes, musical members, dance members, or dialects

run-through

a rehearsal to go through an act or the entire play from beginning to end with as few interruptions as possible

founded the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT)

a school for actors and a company that produced theatre

Balcony

a second tier of seating

Scene

a section of a play with its own main conflict and crisis. A scene usually contains one of the major events of the story and makes a major change in the plot or central relationship. In film or television scripts, scenes are also determined by changed in location or lighting requirements, and each scene is given a "slug line" as in interior living room - night. In some older plays, scenes are marked by the entrance of major characters; these are called French scenes.

blocking rehearsal

a series of rehearsals in which the director and actors work out the blocking, or movement of the actors on stage during the play

Floor Block, 1 Groove

a sheave to reverse the path of a hand line on counterweight sets or curtain track systems

E'tude

a short exercise, series of ambiguous lines without given circumstances or setting that help an actor practice acting techniques such as: onjective, given circumstances, magic if and subtext

Aside

a short line delivered directly to the audience, and thereby, breaking the fourth wall; by dramatic convention, the other characters onstage are presumed not to hear it.

tableau

a slient and motionless depiction of a scene created by actors, often from a picture. the plural word is tableaux

Substitution

a special kind of emotional recall in which someone from the actor's real or imaginary past is substituted (in the actor's own mind) for the other character in a scene in order to enrich the actor's response to that character. This is a dangerous device because it may take the actor out of the here and now, but with caution, it may be useful.

Dramaturg

a specialist in dramatic literature and theatre history who serves as a consultant for production

musical director

a specialist who works with the musicians and teaches the actors the songs for a musical

international phonetic alphabet

a system for transcribing the sounds of speech that is independent of any particular language but applicable to all languages

magic "if"

a technique pioneered by Konstantin Stanislavsky for developing empathy with a character.

created or found space

a theatre area that is found and used as is

Raisonneur

a type of narrator, but one who remains within the action but they have little direct effect on it thus making them objective and credible but they are skeptical

Playable

a way of understanding an objective or action that is useful in performance and contributes to the movement of the scene. The most playable objectives are SIP: Singular, Immediate, and Personally important. The best way of defining an objective is as a change in the other character; as this will draw your energy outward and into the immediate future, bringing you into strong interaction with the other character.

neutral mask

a white, featureless facial covering worn over the actor's own face

platform stage

above the audience

fly space

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

Breakup

abstract gobo - provides non-specific texture

aniline dye

acid-based dye, creates strong colors on natural and some synthetic fibers

presentational theatre

acknowledges that the audiance is present

technical approach

acting from the outside in, concentrating on physical details

Honesty or Truth in Acting

acting so real you can't see the person act

Neoclassic unities

action, place, time

Hypokrites

actor in 5th century Greece

Empathy

actor's ability to put themselves in the place of another person, both for purposes of observation and for applying the transformation to a role. It is possible to empathize with someone even if you do not sympathize with him or her.

Cast

actors in a play

music in poetics

actual sound, patterned sound, most common being language

how are modern shoes made period?

adding buckles, dying, bows, lace

mounting the show

adding the finishing touches, such as scenery, props, and costumes, to a theatrical production

Asbestos Curtain

aka fire curtain a fire resistant curtain made of asbestos fabric or steel. In the event of a fire, the curtain is automatically lowered to isolate the stagehouse from the audience.

Relationship

all characters exist in relationship to other characters, and we come to understand a character mostly by observing the way others related to him or her. For this reason, we say that actors create each other's characters more than they create their own. It is important that you develop your character in specific relationship to the performances of the other actors in your scene.

built show

all costumes are sewed by costume director

Through Line of Action

all of the actions of your character create a clear line leading to the fulfillment of the super objective.

Main Climax

all parts of the play converge at this point and everything appears in its most vivid theatrical form

GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCE

all that creates character in their current situation

Luminaire

all-encompassing term for lighting equipment

puppet

almost anything brought to life by a human in front of an audience

puppetry

almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance. Types of puppets include rod, hand, and marionette.

Counterweights

also called bricks; the slabs of iron that are loaded into a counter weight system to offset the weight of the scenery

sound reinforcement

amplification of sound already on stage

emotional memory

an acting technique pioneered by Konstantin Stanislavsky in which the actor recalls the visual and auditory images, or physical circumstances, of a real-life (or imagined) event in order to relive the emotions accompanying it.

Thrust

an actor/audience configuration in which the audience is on 3 sides of the performance area. (maybe theatre)

Suspension of Disbelief

an audience member's unspoken agreement to 'believe' mentally and emotionally in the imaginary world of the play.

cattle call

an audition to which anyone may come and be given a minute or so to perform for the director, also known as an "open call"

Action is not

an emotion or a physical activity

Critique

an evaluation either verbal or written of a performance

equity waiver

an exception to Actors' Equity Association wage standards that allows members to work for free in small productions

gesture

an expressive movement of the body or limbs

Centerline

an imaginary line drawn down the center stage, from upstage to downstage

Fourth Wall

an imaginary wall that separates the actor from the audience.

Stanislavsky system

an individualized, psychological approach to acting

character flaw

an inner flaw that hampers a character's good judgment and leads the character to make unfortunate choices; sometimes called fatal flaw or tragic flaw

tragic flaw

an unchangeable trait in a character that brings about his own ruin

A-D Converter

analog to digital converter used in computer soundcards

Beam angle

angle of spread where the intensity of the light drops to 50% of the max intensity at the center of the beam (does not change with distance)

complication

any force that effects direction of the action

Cue

anything that causes something to happen. For the actor, it refers to the line or event just before his or her character speaks or moves. It can also refer to a change in the lighting or sound.

Brecht

appealing to the intellect not the emotions;mother courage her children; created epic theater and alienation effect

Noh

appeared in the 14th century, written in classical language meant only for the aristocrats

Pit

area immediately below the stage which is usually lower than the auditorium level; used primarily by the stage orchestra

scenic environment

area where action needs to take place

fly loft

area where scenery can be lifted out of the viewing area

STANISLAVSKI

arguably most influential practitioner of 20th century

Avant-Garde

art that pushes recognized boundaries

Concept

artistic decisions meant to communicate a specific interpretation of a play to the audience.

hand puppet

aslo called a glove puppet ,fits over the puppeteer's hand much like a mitten or a glove

quality

aspecs of voice

Attribute

aspect of moving light that can be controlled

Representational

attempts to represent reality on stage

Eugene Scribe

attributed to writing over 700 plays

front of the house

audience area, ticket booths, ushers, etc.

Playwright

author of play

The mind must be 3 things

aware of history, have an active imagination, have focus

Offstage

backstage area outside the performance area

resolution/conclusion

balance is restored

back, key, fill

basic three point lighting which includes a backlight, key, and fill

romanticism

began in the 18th- 19th century; about emotion and imaginary; lots of people; love was a common theme; emotion over reason; came after Englightenment

Mystery Plays

biblical stories. From word Misterium meaning crafts/guild

private moment/solitude in public

blocking out the audience to appear alone doing an activity/action "using the 4th wall"> (Analogy of a cat walking across the stage and pausing to lick himself in front of us.)

Color Filter

blocks all but one color from coming through

Components of Actor's job

body (dance, martial arts), voice (projection, articulation, breathing), and mind (improve, script analysis, character development)

Actor's tools

body, voice, mind

animation

bringing something to life through movement and action (ex. puppets)

Trim

buttons, rickrack, lace, and so on.

Style: Organization

by cause and effect? are there digressions?

Emile Zola

called for naturalism, claiming that plays should show a "slice of life"

wagon stage

can be moved easily, has castors

Lifts

carry and transfer the loads of a fly system to the fly system infrastructure

climatic structure

cause and effect

Protagonist

central character

recognition

change from ignorance to knowledge on one part of the character

Unit of Action

change in the rhythm of the scene

Perspective Scenery

changeable scenery for specific plays (tragedies, comedies, pastoral tragicomedies). Appeared as early as 1508 and standardized approaches to such scenery were popularized by Sebastian Serlio. Ex: Wings, flats

10 pieces of info on Hookup

channel number, dimmer number, circuit number, position, unit number, type, wattage, purpose or focus, gel color, template or gobo

given circumstances

character analysis approach that begins with examining characters' life circumstances. Can include general background of the character

Narrator/Chorus

character that adds spoken commentary to a play/group of characters that serve as participants, commentators, or supplements to the main action

conflict

characters with opposing wishes or running opposing events or opposing goals

Type Casting

choosing the stereotype of the part

Action

circumstances that impel you to act; to be art, you have to create the circumstances and feelings through imagination; the creation of these things leads you to do something, to act; if you are ever on stage and are doing nothing, then something is terribly wrong; and if you are ever on stage doing something but have no reason for doing it, then something else is wrong.

A1

code used by the Lighting Industry Forum to indicate recommended usage of lanterns

kino flo

color corrected, high frequency florescent source of light developed to eliminate flicker problems. they produce less heat and fit into smaller places. A good soft light.

rendering

color or black and white picture of set in perspective

CTB

color temperature Blue

additive mixing method

combines wavelengths to make another color (for example, if a green and a red light shine on a white surface, the overlapping areas will appear amber)

puppet

comes from the word in latin pupa, meaning doll, can almost be anything brought to life by human in front of an audience

Backlight

comes from upstage or from behind actors.

Direct Idea

comes right out and states it

Kyogen

comic interlude during the Noh dramas

Fill Light

compensates for holes in key lighting

NATURALISM

complete representation of the'rich complexities of the human soul'

TOTAL THEATRE

complete use of actors as props, furniture, mime artists, vocal experts and actors

resolution

compromise all the events following the climax

CAD patterns

computer assorted design

modernism

concept that sees theatre as detached from life and so able to reflect life

fire curtain

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

scenery

consists of onstage decorations to help establish the time and place of a play

BERKOFF

contemporary, controversial practitioner who propounds 'total theatre'

Where does LEKO get its name?

contraction of original manufacturers' names: Joseph Levy and Edward F. Kook - founders of century lighting

The body must have 3 things

control, flexibility, ability to relax

Designer

controls the environment in the theatre, influence audience's emotional involvement, and communicate information (time and place).

4th wall

convention of the theatre where the actor pretends the audience isn't there

Early Church's reasons for distaining theatre

convincing actors were too powerful a tool of persuasion

pulled

costumes that are rented or bought

types of natural fibers

cotton, linen, silk, wool

Wigs

covering head - real or fake hair - different styles and lengths 3 types of hair: Human, Yak, synthetic

flat patterning

created for one specific actor, laid out of butcher paper

Backlight

creates a line around the actor separates him/her from the scenery

sound designer

creates a soundtrack to support the show. It may be recorded or live

Scenic Designer

creates a visual home for the play

Stressed the importance of ensemble

creating a give and take between actors

Greeks

credited with the origins of the theatre

crisis

crucial moment, lead to climax

episodic structure

cumulative, loose pass or journey through plot

first hand

cutting fabrics, preparing it for stitchers

interpretive dance

dance that tells a story

set designer

decides how the scenary will look and how it will be built; choses paints colors and all materials; produces scale drawings for technical director to use in construction

contrast ratio

describes the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and darkest blacks can be displayed in a picture

Costume Designer

designs costumes for the show

Counterweight System

device for balancing the weight of scenery, allowing it to be easily lowered or raised above the stage by means of ropes or wires and pulleys

transducer

device that converts energy from one state into another

Maroon

device that creates the sound of an explosion

beam width

diameter along any specified line that is perpendicular to the beam axis and intersects it (changes with distance)

Plato

didn't support theater. Believed a convincing actor was harmful to society

specular light

diffused direct light produced by focusable spotlight; best example - sun; PARALLEL RAYS, create harsh shadows with well-defined edges

synthespian

digital actor created by computer animators

collaborator

director champions intention of playwright

Auteur

directors who operate with total control

REALISM

distillation of the detailed observation of everyday life

costume aging

distressing, used to wear down stress points like knees and elbows

phrasing

dividing and adding emphasis

open face light

does not have a lens, but is more powerful than an equivalent sized fresnel. Generally used as raw power light to be bounced or heavily diffused.

indicating

doing an action that appears fake or superficial...lacks connection to your body...not organic

respond to a strong stimulus

don't manufacture a false response

Fire Doors

doors made of fire-resistant material that can be closed to prevent the spread of fire

Orchestra

down front seats nearest the stage

callback list

during auditions, a list directors keep of actors they want to call back for subsequent auditions as they narrow the field of candidates

Hem

edge of cloth, turn the edge of the cloth under then sew

Empathy

emotional identification. Refers to audience participation

Exodos

ending. The chorus sings their final lines.

stock characters

established charcters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky villians, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately reconizable by an auidence.

Box Seats

expensive seats located in front of and to the right of the balcony and separated from other seating areas

naturalism

extreme form of realism; has a 1 hour and 15 min play about a guy brushing his teeth

Blinders

face the audience to prevent them from seeing backstage

Modified Authenticity

fashions do not have to be replicated stitch by stitch as long as prominent design elements and the line that identifies them are there.

tempo

fast or slow

Ibsen

father of realism. wrote Dolls house

Peking Opera

features chanting, singing, and musical accompaniment

Experiencing vs Indicating

feeling and reaction to situation, trying to get audience to understand

Fill Side

fills enough to make the actor more visible fill is ALWAYS less than key

Silk

filter that stretches light in different directions

Dress rehersal

final few rehersals with full technical elements and full dresses

climax

find out if world can be put back into order

Discoveries

finding out things about the play or characters you didn't know before

Barndoors

flaps on the front of a Fresnel that are adjusted to control the beam.

Bump

flash in light - often a cue

bounce light

flash or tungsten light bounced off a reflective surface (such as the ceiling or walls) to give the effect of natural or available light

Pin Spot

focuses a small beam on a specific spot

Variety

focuses on differences and diversities in a work of art. (Contrasts)

denouement

follows the climax and ties up loose ends

act curtain

for between scenes, which is of lighter fabric and is decorated in keeping with the mood or theme of the play

Bioenergetics

form of therapy by storing emotions in our bodily structure and that the stored emotion can be released through physical action.

Grid

framework of steel affixed to the stage ceiling, used to support rigging necessary for flying scenery

draping

freestyle, no paper

FOH

front-of-house: anything in the audience, commonly used to describe staff such as ushers, also lighting positions

Crinolines

full stiff underskirts.

tragic-comedy

fusion of serious and comic

design concept

general idea of how the set will look

"Betty Crocker Method"

generally at least 5 lights on every production

Verse

generally rhyming

Introduction

gives name, selection(s) and character

masque

glorious spectacle performed for nobility

William Shakespeare

greatest dramatist of all time

Dance Lighting System

group of lighting instruments which all utilize a specific angle and when used together cover the entire stage

Producer

handles business aspects of show

artistic director

handles hiring the director, cast, and designers

Bifocal Spot

has two sets of shutters

millinery

hats

Costume Parade

having actors move on stage to get comfortable in their costumes and to see if they fit.

Measurements

head, neck, shoulders, chest/bust, waist, hips, arms, leg, inseam, and shoe

Cans

headsets used to communicate backstage

lighting designer

helps establish mood, place, & intensity with the use of light

assistant director

helps keep the rehearsal process organized and running smoothly, taking duties that range from coordinating rehearsal schedules and rehearsing movement with actors to making sure that the actors are speaking the correct lines and that all the director's instructions were written down some times handled by the stage manager

cues

helps to know what to do next

Dip

hidden trapdoor concealing outlets on stage or a lacquer used to tint bulbs or lighting set up at stage level

tweeter

high frequency speaker

Compact Iodide Daylight "CID"

high intensity lamp that simulates daylight

pitch

high or low

ambient light level

highly diffused light that covers all the set. it is undefined, directionless light.

Antiquarianism

historical accuracy

union dye

household dyes like Rit Dye, work well on natural fibers

Unity

how all the components of a work of art work together to produce a whole.

Relationship

how the characters feel about one-another

production concept

how the play should look and feel

Morality Plays

humanity's struggle with good and evil

central image

idea that goes with entire play

Components of Production

idea/script, sets, lights, costumes, props, performers

subtext

ideas, feelings, thoughts not expressed directly in the text

CL

imaginary line down middle of stage

Curtain Line

imaginary line in which the act curtain meets the floor

subtext

imformation that is implied but not stated by the character, thoughts or actions that do not express the same meaning as the spoken words

flipping the lid

improperly manipulating a movable-mouth hand puppet, causing flapping of the upper jaw or head

Rogers

in 1943 his play Oklahoma! came to Broadway. Incorporated story telling into his play.

Arbor

in a flying system, the cage where the operators put the counterweight to balance the weight of the scenery

Purchase Line

in a flying system, the rope that the operator uses to move the scenery or lighting unit up and down during the performance

Wings

in a proscenium theatre, spaces offstage left and right for actors, crew, and scenery not yet in the visible performance space

technical director

in charge of lighting and sound

draper

in charge of patterning, draping. oversees the creation of design

box

in proscenium staging, seating for upperclass

fourth wall

in proscenium, idea that the audience is looking through an invisible fourth wall into the action

set model

in scale representation of finished set

Baby Lens

incandescent spotlight

foreshadowing

indicates forthcoming action

subtext

information that is implied by a character but not stated by a character in dialouge, including actions and thoughts.

Parcan

intense light - used for special effects

design elements of lighting

intensity direction/angle color shape texture space

Thrust Stage

is a combination of the proscenium and the arena stage, the audience sits on two or three sides of the acting arena, which projects, or thrusts, into the audience area from a rear wall, which has some kind of scenery, the actor enter and exit through the audience as in arena stage and also through doors in the rear-wall scenery

shadow puppet

is a flat, two dimensional figure controlled by a wire or rod against a screen

rod puppet

is a puppet manipulated by one or more rods

full-body puppet

is a puppet worn over the puppeteer's head and body

In Proscenium and Thrust stages the back wall

is one of the stage house separates it from the backstage area, big doors allow for large pieces of scenery to be brought in

business manager

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

Orchestra pit

is the area for musicians, it may extend underneath the stage

stage manager

is the director's technical liaison backstage during rehearsal and performances, giving directions, solving problems, and ensuring smooth transitions between scenes

Light & Sound booth

it is rear of the house or the top of the balcony, to the house technicians who control lights, music, or special effect

kabuki

japanese singing, dancing, acting

accessories

jewlery or other non props part of costumes

Chorus

kept the audience informed of the action

Jean Rosenthall's lighting cues

keyed to both music and physical impulse, no matter what style of dance she was lighting

Beam Light

lamp that uses a parabolic reflector for high-intensity

Pearl

lamp with frosted finish that diffuses light

Units

large sections than beats within a play

Lux

level of illumination on a surface

Nonrepresentational play

light could be expressionistic

spill

light that covers more than it is supposed to

directional light

light that illuminates a relatively small area with a distinct light beam. Directional light, produced by spotlights, creates harsh, clearly defined shadows

Aero

light with tight beam that produces intense light

Advance Bar

lighting bar set downstage of the proscenium

Ballyhoo

lighting effect when swinging a spot beam in a figure 8

backlighting

lighting from behind the actors

inciting incident

lights the fuse, sets it off

aesthetic elements of costumes

line color shape fabric accessories makeup

aesthetic elements of set design

line color mass rhythm movement texture

Silhouette

line of the garment.

Color Call

list of colors needed for a lighting plan

Costume Plot

lists every comfort costume for each scene.

intensity

loudness, measured in decibels, db

Array

loudspeakers flown in for a performance

woofer

low frequency speaker

Birdie

low voltage uplight often used to conceal set pieces

Mezzanine

lower balcony seating

secondary colors

magenta, yellow, cyan

Key Light

main source of lighting

Breaking Down

make new clothes look old- scrubbed, dirtied, use cheese grater

Modeling

makes the actor look 3-dimmensional, shadows

Building

making a costume.

Fabrics

material used to make costumes

Baffle

material used to prevent light from spilling into another area or to reduce sound reflection

Ampere / Amps

measurement of electrical current in a circuit

sense memory

memories of sight, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures used to help define a character in a certian situaion.

Douser

metal flag used to block a beam of light

Donut

metal plate inserted into lanterns to sharpen focus

armor materials

metals, plastic, wood, leather, thermoplastic

body mike

mike that an actor wears in their hair or on their face

Side Stages

mini-stages to the left/right of the main stage

Selective Focus

misdirect, have the audience look where you want them to be

fiber reactive dye

most useful for fabric painting

sound reproductions

motivated: car leaving environmental: crickets

Scoop

mounted in ellipsoidal reflector - produces soft-edged, circular beam. Used as floodlight.

Neoclassicism

movement based on study of ancient Greek and Roman culture

three functions of sound

music, effects, reinforcement

Blocking

n. Director's planned movement for the characters. v. A planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage

post-modernism

named itself; reaction against modernism; theatre is what you think it is; raises questions and doesn't supply answers; has no point

story

narrative

Catwalk

narrow platform suspended above the stage to permit ready access to the ropes, the lights, & the scenery hung from the grid

Notions

needles, thread pins, elastic, hooks and eyes, snaps, buttons, and so on.

Stand by what you choose to put on the stage

never allow yourself to fall below a certain standard

37

number of plays Shakespeare wrote

154

number of sonnets Shakespeare wrote

synthetic fibers

nylon, acrylics, acetate, rayon, polyester

developed these techniques by

observing various acting troupes and productions

Noh

oldest form of Japanese Theatre

wireless mic

omnidirectional patterns, an actor with have a mic connected to a battery pack which transmits the sound to the receiver

Sophocles

one of the greatest writer of all time alongside Shakespeare

Raked Stage

one that is slanted upward toward the rear, mostly to show dimension/depth (like a street)

Ethics

one's artistic integrity and responsibility to the art form

greenroom

only scenery in Hindu theatre is a wall

scenery

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

Circle of Attention

onstage we are absorbed by the closest objects in that circle and this constant shift of attention is crucial to living on the stage.

preview performance

open to public but not reporters

Trap

opening in the stage floor, normally covered, which can be used for special effects, such as having scenery or performers rise from below, or which permits the construction of a staircase that ostensibly leads to a lower floor or cellar

Illusion of the First Time

opposite of anticipating. dont react to something before it happens

SUPER OBJECTIVE

over arching objective of whole play

Director

oversees artistic aspects of show

director

oversees the entire process of staging a production, coordinating everything that actually happens onstage

Stage Manager

oversees the entire production crew, rehearsals & performance

Lamp Tray

part of lamp where lamp holder sits

Vomitories

passageways located underneath the seating that generally give access to the stage. (there are some in Maybee theatre

omni directional microphone

patter extends in a spherical pattern around the mic head

Theatre

performing in a place for an audience

Mime

performing without sound

Director

person in charge of artistic aspect of theater production

Aristotle

philosopher influenced Theater never wrote a play, wrote a guide to tragedies. wrote the poetics(pg 298)

character in poetics

physchological, physical and moral makeup of person

Slapstick

physical commedy

Onstage

physically inside acting area

Bi-Directional microphone

picks up sound in front and behind, but not on the sides

magic sheet

pictoral reference to the lighting instruments and their respective channel numbers; used exclusively by lighting designer; crucial during tech rehearsals

Henrik Ibsen

pioneer of realism who challenged audiences to face their personal demons

Electrics

pipes onstage numbered forward (from proscenium, toward upstage)

Pit

place where the poorer stood in the Elizabethan Era

Galleries

place where the wealthiest sat in the Elizabethan Era

Liturgical Drama

plays performed by the clergy in latin as part of the worship service in Christian monasteries and cathedrals during the Middle Ages.

Public Domain

plays written before 1923 are no longer protected

Aristotle's Six Elements of a Play

plot, character, thought, language, music, spectacle

complex plots

plots contain recognition, reversals, catastrophe

simple plots

plots without recognition, reversals or catastrophe

plot,character,thought,diction,music,spectacle

poetics in order

theatricalism

post-modern; makes no pretense of reality

ellipsoidal reflector

powerful light that shines from far away from the stage

rehearsal

practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare public performance through repetition.

Rhetorical Tradition

presentation style, external characteristics manipulated for desired effect, emphasis on vocal delivery

theatre of involvement

presentation; seeks to actively involve the audiance; post-modern

prompter

primary duty is to feed lines to actors when they forget them, they must follow every line in rehearsal and performance, and ready to assist when needed

key light

primary source of light. provides dominant illumination and casts the strongest shadows. most directional lighting and corresponds to the motivating light source in setting

Aphorism

principle truth, center, motto, etc; brief quotable statement that expresses human emotions

dressing rooms

private or semiprivate areas where actors put on make up, change clothes, and store their costumes for a show

Balconies

projecting upper floors, with more audience seating

Exposition

provides background information.

marionette puppet

puppets controlled and manipulated by strings

Catharsis

purgation of pity and fear experienced upon watching theater.

Neoclassic goals defining verisimilitude

push idea of reality, morality, and universality

resonance

quality caused by vibration that enriches vocal tone

timbre

quality of a sound, based on the harmonics of the sound producing objects

CIRCLE OF ATTENTION

range of focus which helps actor to avoid self consciousness

frequency

rate at which an object vibrates, measured in Hertz, hz

absurdism

reaction against everything; no point to anything; in a god-less universe human exsistence has no meaning or purpose so all communication breaks down

expressionism

reaction against realism; play that emphasizes over simplified characters, sets, and writing in order to make their point; symbolic; opposite of reality; no hopes and dreams; you will be crushed by something higher than you

realism

reaction againt romanticism; a play that presents life as it actually is; bad can win; Ibsen who is Norwegin is the father of dramatic realism

Box Set

realistic, interior setting made of flats to simulate the three interior walls, and sometimes a ceiling the audience views the play through the imaginary fourth wall

Ben Jonson

rebellious playwright of the Elizabethan Era

Copyright

recognize plays as intellectual property of playwright

Focus Chart

record indicating exact focus of all lanterns

primary colors

red, green, blue

Allusion

reference to another work of literature or to a person or an event outside the play

CMY

refers to colors mixed in moving lights

Production

refers to the play as a rehearsed performance, and one that is performed in front of a live audience.

general working rehearsal

rehearsals during which the director and actors work on individual scenes and concentrate on understanding the characters' motivation, emotions, and personallity

tech rehearsal

rehearsals that include the lights, sound, costumes, more complex props, and final set pieces

Proportion

relationship between the levels (fundamental shape of rise, crisis, and release)

Digital Light Curtain "DLC"

remote-controlled batten with color changers

Subtractive mixing method

removes wavelengths of light to make another color; can be done using filters or colored pigment (for example, if a white light passes through an amber color filter, only red and green pass through; the blue light is absorbed and hence subtracted out of the light path)

ground plan

representation of how the set will look from above

condenser

requires power and is the most electronically complex microphone

The voice must have 5 things

resonant, flexible, projection, enunciate, dialects

wardrobe crew

run crew, quick changes, laundry

Gorky

russian naturalist playwright (Lower Depths). Tried to call for social reform

Miracle Plays

saint's plays

Swatches

samples of fabric for various costumes.

Episodes (scenes)

scene in the action of the drama

formal scenes

scene is a collection of units marked by a change of time or place

low key

scene is flooded with shadows and darkness with little or no fill. Mysteries, Romance, thrillers

Skene

scenery

orchestra

seating in front of the stage

Off-Broadway

seats 100-500; professional

Broadway

seats 500-1800; professional.

Subplot

secondary line of action

turn table

section of stage that can rotate

Emotional Memory

sense memory (Stanislavski greatly influenced by a book called the Psychology of Emotions by Theodule Ribot, who stated that the memory of all life's experiences are recorded in the nervous system); if feelings of past events in your life don't immediately come to you, then concentrate on what you saw and heard, on what you did and where you were; recalling these sensory details will bring back the feelings associated with them (one of his most controversial ideas).

Prose

sentences/paragraph structure

make up room

separate from dressing room and devoted to many characters for make up

Chase

sequence of cues to change lighting

Side Light

serves to makes actor look more 3-dimmensional

Raked Stage

set at an angle. Early proscenium theatres featured a raked stage: the stage was elevated much higher at the back of the stage (upstage) than closer to the stage (downstage). Modern designers sometimes build a raked stage for a particular production as part of the design concept. When the audience area is raked, the seating is elevated toward the back of the house to facilitate seeing over the rows in front.

objectives of set design

set locale time period mood realism/nonrealism solve practical problems coordinate central image environment

Pattern

set of forms in the shape of different pieces of clothing

objectives of lighting design

set place/time focus central image visibility mood coordinate rhythm reveal shape

downlighting

shines straight down on actors

Accessories

shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, glasses, jewelry, etc.

crafts

shoes, jewelry, accessories, etc.

What is the order of costume shops?

shop manager, draper, first hand, stitcher, crafts, millinery, wardrobe and run crew

telegraphing

signaling to the audience his reaction before a stimulus is given to him

Variables of costume design

silhouette (overall shape) - color - texture - accent

general mike

sits on stage

PZM/PCC mic

small condenser mic that picks up sound up to 15 feet away.

skene

small, hut-like building behind the stage that acted as a dressing room

French scenes

smaller than formal scenes, a portion of a drama delineated by the entrance or exit of a character

how are pulled felt hats made?

soak it, then shape it with steam

fresnel

soft focus

"Less is more"

some actors overact when simply doing actions is the most effective.

inner conflict

some sort of unfinished business that is so compelling that it handicaps the character until it is confronted

choreographer

someone who creates new dances and organizes the dancers of the cast.

costume designer

someone who designs or supplies costumes (as for a play or masquerade)

producer

someone who finds financing for and supervises the making and presentation of a show (play or film or program or similar work)

Norm character

someone who is adjusted to the world of the play and knows more about the situation than other characters

director

someone who supervises the actors and directs the action in the production of a show

playwright

someone who writes plays

digression

something that departs from the main progression in the play, deviates from the plot

Image

something we already know that is used to describe, illuminate, or expand upon something we dont know or cannot easily be told

mid-range

speaker that reproduces the middle range of audible frequencies

Fills

speakers used in addition to main sound system

Dialogue

spoken words

diction in poetics

spoken words

costume shop manager

staff member who coordinates the efforts of cutters, stitchers, and other personnel in building costumes

thrust

stage where the audience sits on three sides

Audition

standard tool for casting productions, it is a performance in order to get a role

plot

stresses action and causality

samisen

stringed instrument used by the orchestra in Japanese theatre

Presentational

style of production that acknowledges theatricality and does not attempt to created the impression of "real life" on the stage. Presentational scenery, costumes, and lighting may suggest, distort, or even abstract reality. Presentational acting may include lines directed to the audience or other recognition of its presence

other conventions

suspension of disbelief, beat, through-line, given circumstances, setting, e'tude

method acting

system of realistic acting was distilled by followers of Konstantin Stanislavsky and has been taught primarily since the 1930's in America

negative actions to avoid

telegraphing, indicating

Inner monologue

the "stream of consciousness" of the character. As a training or rehearsal device, actors sometimes verbalize or at least think through their characters' inner monologues to be sure they have provided full inner justification for their external actions.

empathy

the ability to understand and identity with another's situation to the extent of experiencing that person's emotion

Casting

the act of choosing actors for parts

Dual consciousness

the actor's ability to be immersed in the character and the character's world while still reserving a level of awareness for artistic judgment. Different types of material make different demands on actors in this regard, with film requiring the virtual elimination of the actor's awareness is favor of the character's.

Visualization

the actor's ability to imagine a situation, to "see" it in the mind's eye. A special and affective form of rehearsal called Visuo-Motor Behavior Rehearsal (VMBR) allows you to visualize your performance while in a relaxed state, allowing your deep muscles to respond to your mental image.

Sense memory

the actors recall of sights, sounds, touch, and smell from specific past events.

Events

the actual happenings of a play

Subtext

the actual meaning of dialogue behind the spoken words

stage

the area where actors perform

orchestra

the area where the chorus danced

structure

the arrangement of the parts of the plot and their relationship to each other

Humor

the atitude that makes life bearable

suspension of disbelief

the audience agrees to pretend with the performers, in order to immerse themselves in the events that are about to take place on the stage

given circumstances

the backgroud and basic situation surrounding a scene

stage crew

the backstage technical crew responsible for running the show. In small theatre companies the same persons build the set and handle the load-in. Then, during performances, they change the scenery and handle the curtain.

Rising Action

the basic internal conflict is complicated be the introduction of related secondary conflicts.

Conflict

the central element of causal plot; two forces working against each other

Superobjective

the character's main desire in life, the life goal toward which each of his or her individual objectives is direct. Characters, like people in everyday life, are often unconscious of this life goal, but it pervades everything they do. Stanislavski also spoke of a superobjective for the actor, which was "to understand how every moment of the performance contributes to the reason why the play was written."

vocal quality

the charateristics of a voice, such as a shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so fourth.

Suppression

the choice not to act in response to a stimulus but, rather, to "hold down" the energy the stimulus has aroused. By allowing yourself to feel the urge to act, then make the effort to suppress it, you can turn a "not doing" into a playable action. A "not doing" is useful because it helps build suspense.

Communication

the circle of speaking, listening and responding between characters

motivation

the conscious or subconscious reason a character takes a particular action

production values

the critical elements of a production, such as acting, directing, lighting, costuming, sets, and makeup

volume

the degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.

Stage manager

the director's liaison backstage during rehersal and performance. The stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance.

stage manager

the director's technical liaison backstage during rehearsals and performances

Opposites

the diverse way of seeing and playing emotions in a scene

superobjective

the driving force that governs a character's actions throughout the play

Parados

the entrance song of the chorus.

Moment Before

the events and feelings prior to the scene

Public Solitude

the feeling of being alone while others are around; if this really happens it is a strange and wonderful feeling to act as if the only people and future is on the stage.

dress rehearsal

the final rehearsal, when costumes and makeup are added, before the play opens

table work

the first step in the rehearsal process; the actors read through the play while seated around a table. Afterward, the director and actors discuss the characters, motivations, and meaning, and the designers may present their ideas to the cast

grand drape

the front curtain, which is typically made of luxurious fabric in deep colors

verisimilitude

the illusion of truth

theatre

the imitation or representation of life performed for other people; the performance of dramatic literature; drama; the mileu of actors, technicians, and playwrights; the place where dramatic performances take place.

Stakes

the importance

focus

the intended point of interest on stage

Chroma

the intensity of a color, its brilliance or dullness

Dramatic function

the job a character was created to do within the story; can be related to plot, meaning, the audience's understanding of the main character, or any combination of these.

stage left

the left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the auidence.

protagonist

the main character of a play and the character with whom the audience identifies most strongly

Grand Drape (Main Curtain)

the main curtain

Key Side

the main light source onstage ex.) the sun

acoustics

the manner in which the space reflects or absorbs sounds

rising action

the middle part of a plot consisitng of complications and discoveries that create conflict

Pace

the momentum or flow of a scene. Momentum is different than tempo, which refers to the speed of the action. Regardless of tempo, a scene had good pace when the connections of cause and effect, action and reaction, are strong and real so that the action flows with integrity and purpose. Paradoxically, slowing the tempo of a scene will sometimes improve the pace because the actors are forced to experience the connections of action and reaction more fully.

primary event

the most important incident in the background story

point of attack

the movement when the play begins in relation to the background story

Objective

the objective activates your will to action; emotion will follow, as you pursue the object of your desire.

dark night

the one night of the week when a play is not performed and the theatre is closed; typically Monday nights

Prologos

the opening portion of the play

Actor's position

the orientation of the actor to the audience

Main Idea

the outcome of the entire presented experience of the play, both the performance and mise-en-scene

through-line

the overall objective of the play

Role

the part in a play

resonators

the parts of the bod that creat a vowel sound

articulators

the parts of the body that create consonant sounds -

Acting

the performance of a part or role in a drama performance

assistant director

the person who acts as the liaison between the director and the cast and crew and who takes charge of the rehearsal when the director is absent. Another set of eyes and ears

prop designer

the person who selects, designs, and finds the props

Imaginary Other

the person you are talking to in a monologue

Anto proscenium (First AP)

the pipeline above the audience, before the proscenium numbered backward (from first AP, toward the audience)

stage manager's booth

the place from which the stage manager calls the actors to the stage, gives the order to raise and lower the curtain, and gives cues to both the lighting and the sound crew, and supervises change of scenery

Circumstance

the place, situation and character relationships

Projection

the placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience

Fly Space/Fly Gallery

the platform above the floor level of the stage, used for tying fly lines

Progression

the plot's always advancing forward feeling

text

the printed words, including dialouge and the stage direction for a script

Transformation

the process by which the actor begins to "become" the character, or more accurately, make the character his or her "own". To use the language of William James, the character becomes a new "me" to be inhabited by the actor's "I". Stanislavski used the term metamorphosis.

Justifying

the process of connecting outer (visible or audible) actions to inner needs and processes. The script provides the basis for the outer actions; as much as the script may also hint at the inner action that produces this outer action, however, it is finally the task of the actor to justify it, and in so doing the actor puts his or her personal stamp on the performance.

climax

the prominent peek emotional intensity that produces a significant change in the characters

hue

the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength

depth of field

the range or distance before and behind the main focus of a shot within which objects remain relatively sharp and clear

Rhythm

the regular repetition of elements, patterns or movement in a work of art.

off-book rehearsal

the rehearsal when the actors must have their lines memorized because they no longer have the script with them on stage

color temperature

the relative blueness or redness of white light, measured in Kelvin degrees. Bluish light has high color temperature; reddish light has a low one.

stage right

the right side of the stage from the actor's perspective facing the audience

Build

the rising action or increased intensity of a scene

inciting action

the single event in the play the sparks the main action or conflict

catastrophe

the single most distinguishing feature in a classic tragedy

Downstage

the stage area closest to the audience; on the raked stage of the Renaissance theatres, the stage literally sloped downward as it got closer to the audience

Play

the stage representation of an action or a story, a dramatic compositions

Tactics

the strategies characters use to get what they want from others

Stagehouse

the structure containing the performing area and offstage space; storage stage house or loft that is usually as high or higher than the proscenium itself

Stimulus

the thing your character is reacting to at any given moment. The most useful stimuli are in the immediate present, however much they may trigger needs or feelings from your character's past.

Objectives

the thing your character pursues through action that he or she thinks will satisfy that need. An objective is best defined using a transitive verb phrase, such as "to persuade him to give me a territory in town." In practice, the most useful form of objective is a change in the other character, such as "to get him to look at me with compassion." The terms intention and task are sometimes used to mean objective.

American federation of television and radio artists

the trade union, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, that represents talk-show hosts as well as announcers, singers, disc jockeys, newscasters, sportscasters, and even stuntpoeple

screen actors guild

the union that represents film and television actors

actors' equity association

the union that represents stage actors

Recall

the use of a memory from the actor's real or imagined past sensations similar to those required by a scene in order to enrich the actor's response to the scene. Stanislavski believed that every cell in the body was capable of such memory, and he urged actors to develop their storehouse of such memories.

manipulation

the way a puppeteer moves or works a puppet

manipulation

the way a puppeteer works or moves a puppet

style

the way in which the play is written, produced, and acted

Pronunciation

the way to say a word

Attitude

the way your character feels about something that has happened.

Magic If

the word "if" opens the door to the imagination; the word "if" is magical in that it gives us permission to be something other than what we are; it enables us to place ourselves in situations in which we have never been, and to live those situations.

Given Circumstance

the world and situation within which your character lives, especially as it affects his or her action. The circumstances include who, when, where, and what. The Given Circumstances of the play can include anything the author has supplied with his story. Some examples include: Place (where the scene takes place, like a living room), Sensory Elements (heat, cold, looking out a window, physical handicaps, etc.), Relationships (to the other characters and to the "event" of the scene, what others in the play say about you, etc.), and Period Specific (choices regarding the period of the play).

script

the written text of a play

Wardrobe

theater's collection of costumes

The Globe

theatre where Shakespeare's company of actors worked primarily

multi focus theatre

theatre where there are many different scenes going on at the same time

thought in poetics

theme

covered buckram hats

thick, tightly woven

gel

thin piece that goes over a light fixture to change the color

scrim

thinly sewn fabric that if lighted from the front look full but if lit from the back is see through

Sensory Recall

this is a part of concentration; associate sense and memories with feelings.

Super Objective

this is like the theme. (Ex: Hamlet, the S.O. could be stated as 'the taking of revenge leads to tragedy')

Functional traits

those traits your character was given (or that you provide) to allow the character to believable fulfill his or her dramatic function within the story.

design team

those who design and coordinate the production's set, props, lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup

subtext

thoughts of the character that are not spoken...what is underneath the lines. Important: aids the actor is discovering and defining why he is saying a specific line and forces him to investigate the motivation, backstory and relationship to other characters in the script

Goethe

three questions:1. What was the artist trying to do? 2.did the artist succeed? 3. Was the attempt worthwhile?

Movement

time duration of light cues ex.) slow, blackout, crossfade, sunset

Designer's job

to control the environment in the theatre, influence audience's emotional involvement, and communicate information

Purpose

to create real characters and prevent actors from being caricatures, and creating overly exaggerated or hackneyed portrayals

Cover

to hide an unplanned instance on stage from the audience.

open

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

project

to make your voice fill the performance space

cross

to move from one place on stage to another

improvise

to speak or act without a script

Beckett

took Akalaitis to court about copyright/ cham=nging meaning of the play(Endgame)

a fabric's "hand" is determined by...

touch, what it's made of, woven out of, treated with, finished with

representational theatre

traditional theatre; fourth wall theatre; doesn't involve the audiance

microphone

transducer that converts sound waves into electrical energy

loud speaker

transducer used to convert an electrical signal into mechanical energy

Competition

trying to win the beats of a scene

The Second Shepherd's Play, Everyman

two Medieval plays

melodrama

type of romanticism; good vs evil; about feelings good has to win

Locking Rail/Fly Rail

typically a steel angle or rectangular tube to which the rope locks of a counterweight system are mounted; locking rails are located on the stage deck and/or fly gallery and typically extend from the proscenium wall to the upstage wall (so on the side)

Euripides

uncelebrated Greek playwright who wrote about public issues and the psychology of the individual

Subtext

unstated motivations, ideas, or tensions beneath the surface of a play's text. Often the subtext is more important than the text. "Nonverbal layer."

rake

upward slant used in set design and in seating

Representational play

use natural/source lighting

EMOTION MEMORY

use of previous experience of feelings to inform character reaction

screen projections

used as scenery, has to be dark

Action

used in two ways: in a play or film script, the dramatic action is what happens in the story or scene in the most fundamental sense. For the actor, the action is what his or her character does to try to fulfill a need by winning some objective. Stanislavski spoke of both Spiritual (inner) and Physical (outer) action. Action is the most fundamental concept behind most systems of acting.

Boss Plate

used to bolt down scenery

thumbnail sketch

used to help discussion with director, very rough

counterweight system

used to hold up flies

Elevator

used to raise & lower floor to get scenery, props, & performers offstage

disperse dye

used with synthetics like acetate, nylon, and polyester

dress rehearsal

uses costumes

resonators

uses the hard and soft palate, throat, and sinuses

multimedia theatre

uses video, art, or photography with the theatre

articulators

uses your jaw, teeth, tongue, lips, and soft palate

Front of House

usher. Shows people to seats, checks tickets

subsitution

using a past event that can be put in place of one in the scropt to produce an emotional response to a situation in the script

endowment of an object

using an object to stimulate an event or emotion surrounding an event or time in the past

magic if

using imagination to pretend you are in a specific situation, "possibility of events"

Sense memory

using the senses to recall an event

Loft Blocks

usually a smaller sheave with one groove for a lead line cable

don't act in a

vacuum

moveable-mouth puppet

variation of the standard hand puppet

inflection

variety of speech

Intent

verb or objective-what do you want?

spectacle in poetics

visual aspects

Movement

visual suggestion of action created by the placement of the elements in a work of art.

Aristotle

was in favor of theater

Flagging

waving hands in front of beam to find where focus is on stage

Akalaitis

went to court for changing meaning of a play(Endgame)

Mystery or Secret

what a character does not share with others a special something

Obstacle

what is in your way?

dramatic action

what man does and why he does it

Purpose

what point is the play trying to make

Super objective

what the character wants from the whole play

objective

what the character wants, goal, motivation, intention...most important to creating a character and action on the stage

Physical Given Circumstances

what they look like and how that effects behavior

MAGIC IF

what would your character do if they were in specified situation

Importance

what you think might happen if you don't get what you want

Role Playing

when a character acts differently for different people

Productive Objective

when an objective both compels your attention and energizes you

Reversal

when line of action suddenly switches (ex. drastic change of fortune)

Choice

when pursuing a need, your character may consider several alternative courses of action, then make a strategic choice, which appears to hold out the best chance of success. Examining your character's significant choices can give you a wealth of information about him or her.

Clipping

when sound is distorted because an amp is too weak

Cross

when the actor moves from point A to point B. Such movements need to be justified by some inner need. There are different kinds of crosses, such as the "banana", which is a slight curve so that the actor ends cheated out.

Indirect Action

when there is some obstacle to direct action, a character may choose an indirect strategy, saying or doing one thing while really intending another. The obstacle may be internal or external. When pursuing an objective indirectly, your character may be saying or doing one thing while really meaning another.

Additive Color

when two colored beams are focused on one area

point of attack

when world goes out of balance

stage

where actor perform

prop table

where all items carried on stage by the actors are placed

setting

where and when a scene/play takes place

costume shop

where costumes can be made, maintained, and stored?prop shop: where props are constructed or stored

scene shop

where scenery is built

paint shop

where scenery is painted

Performance Space

where the performance takes place

Place

where the scene is located

exposition

where we are, what the world is, and whose in it

Character

who you are in a play?

Motivation

why you want it

Imagination

without this you cannot act; whatever character you play does not exist until you create it.

jewelry materials

wood, metal, stone, syllastic, thermoplastic

Constantin Stanislavski

work developed actors in realism and naturalism

religious rituals

years ago in many different cultures puppets were used in these

Strategy

your character's sense of how best to pursue an objective within the given circumstances. The strategic choices he or she makes express the way he or she sees the world and the other characters.

posture

your customary way to hold your body

Circumstances

your imagination is activated by the magic "if"; it is what enables you to enter the imaginary circumstances of a play.