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Definition
| singing without instrumental accompaniment |
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| the term applies to lines supplied by the actor wherever they may be required; improvise |
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| tickets sold before a show's opening |
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| the chief opponent of the protagonist in the play |
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| an even that is notable less important than the preceding event |
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| the stage space in fron of the curtain lines or the proscenium; also called the forestage |
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| also called theatre in the round, center staging, or circle theatre. A type of theatre where a center stage is used and the audience is seated around the stage |
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| comment or speech delivered by a character to the audience; the rest of the characters onstage are not aware of the delivery |
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| the permeating influence of the play. lighting, scenery, acting, etc. are contributory factors, designed in consonance with the theme of the play |
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| a try-out or evaluation during which producers, casting agents, and directors can view actors for employment |
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| a large drape or painted canvas which provides the rear or upstage masking of a set. It also proveds design and decor elements that support specific area and/or mood |
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| any part of the theatre that is not visible to the audience, including wings and dressing rooms |
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| a type of song which relates a story over the course of several verses |
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Definition
| in general all actor movement on stage is referred to as blocking |
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Definition
| the spoken (as opposed to the sung) portion of a musical |
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| strip of drapery hung from a batten to mask the area about the stage |
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| an interior setting using flats to form the walls and often the ceiling of a room |
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Definition
| slapstick or farce comedy. a type of comedy often overplayed by actors |
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Definition
| slapstick or farce comedy. a type of comedy often overplayed by actors |
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| the theater district in New York |
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| a variety show characterized by broad ribald comedy, dancing, and striptease |
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| small actions, such as smoking, eating, using a fan, tying a necktie |
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the company of actors
to assign parts to the actors |
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Definition
| narrow metal platform suspended above the stage to permit ready access to lights and scenery hung from the grid |
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| an actor specializing in the portrayal of parts which necessitate changes in manner of speaking, walking, etc. |
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| the person who designs the dance movements |
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Definition
| a group of singers in which several singers sing each of the melodic lines |
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| chorus line/ chorus girls |
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Definition
| a group of singers (usually female) who sang simple numbers in musical comedies |
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| the center of the acting area |
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| the person who writes the score (the melodies/notes) |
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Definition
| tension between two or more characters that leads to a crisis or climax |
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Definition
| a recording made in the studio, with singers 'performing' their roles. It is an effort to excite the interest of backers so that the show can be produced. |
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Definition
| a musical where the plot isn't as important as theme or metaphor |
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| to be the first person to play a role |
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| an utterly expressionless face |
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Definition
| Latin for a god from a machine. Historically refers to a god-character in Greek and Roman drama that appears at the end of the play to set the action aright. Currently used to refer to a playwriting trick, employing an artificial solution to a dramatic problem |
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Definition
| in American usage, the person who is responsible for overall creative unity in a production and for coordinating the efforts of all contributing artists |
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| as the actor faces it is the area toward the audience, the area toward the front of the stage |
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| researcher for a theatre company |
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| a rehearsal in full costume |
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| a number featuring two singers |
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| the term for the relative volume level in music |
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| volume level is growing softer in the middle of a piece |
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Definition
| music level is growing louder in the middle of a piece |
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Definition
| literally, "again" in French; now used to describe the unplanned repetition of a number because of an audience's enthusiastic response |
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Definition
| similar to the overture, this is an instrumental number performed by the orchestra at the beginning of a second (or third) act, indicating to the audience that the show is about to resume after an intermission or interval |
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Definition
| Actor's Equity Association is an actor's stage union |
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Definition
| the importing of information that is necessary for an understanding of the plot but is not covered by the action onstage |
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Definition
| composition marked by freedom and diversity of form, often with burlesque elements and satirical or parodic intent |
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Definition
| a style of writing and performance which is characterized by pace and physical humor; often makes use of mistaken identity and misunderstandings |
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Definition
| the art of staging any type of armed or unarmed combat for a play |
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| a wall of scenery which may be easily removed or attached to other walls |
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| the imaginary wall at the proscenium arch line which separates the audience from the players. A concept of "realism" |
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Definition
| a show that sells poorly and closes early |
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Definition
| large, powerful spotlight with a sharp focus and narrow beam that is used to follow principal performers in a musical or to isolate areas of performance |
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| the row of lights at the foot of the stage |
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Definition
| presenting a melody earlier in a show, but without the words for which is is best known |
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| portion of the theater building reserved for audience members (seating, lobby, concessions, coat room, rest rooms, etc.) |
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Definition
| a "category" of music i.e. opera, ragtime |
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Definition
| a show that sells very well |
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| the audience of the auditorium |
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| instrumental accompaniment |
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Definition
| can be featured in the course of a song in various ways, such as introduction, interlude, or coda |
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Definition
| played before the singing starts; usually "sets the mood" |
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Definition
| a substantial portion of instrumental music played between sung portions |
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Definition
| music that "wraps up" the tune |
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Definition
| a period of rest between acts in which the house lights are raised and the audience is free to move about |
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Definition
| a portion of a song written in a different key (pitch) than the opening |
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Definition
| short for legitimate stage, as opposed to musicals, night clubs, burlesque |
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Definition
| acting areas of various height. Refers to vertical difference in the placement of actors |
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Definition
| the words/ poetry to a musical or opera |
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Definition
| the person who writes the lyrics to a song |
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Definition
| the words/poetry to a song (usually rhyming) |
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Definition
| to hide another actor, action, etc. from the audience's view |
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| long-running blockbuster musicals on Broadway |
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Definition
| self-referential devices wherein a play or musical draws attention to its own fictional status |
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Definition
| to over act. to play a part dependent on audience response rather than on rehearsed decision-making |
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Definition
| a comic variety show of the 19th and early 20th centuries, usually featuring white actors in blackface |
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Definition
| a long speech for one person |
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Definition
| an American-derived genre which developed in the late 19th century. It tended to have lass complex plots and less difficult singing than opera and operetta |
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Definition
| a production which does not have a clear-cut storyline; presents a series of somewhat-related vignettes |
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Definition
| all parts of the stage not enclosed by the setting |
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Definition
| that part of the stage enclosed by the setting which is visible to the audience in any particular scene |
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| the first 'official' performance of a show or opera |
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Definition
| one of the oldest ancestors of musical theater. originated in Italy at the beginning of the Baroque era |
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Definition
| French comic opera; a little more slapstick than its ancestor opera comique |
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Definition
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Definition
| french comic opera; predecessor to opera bouffe |
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Definition
| a genre of enormous popularity in Europe and early 20th century America. Grew out of French "opera bouffe". Usually more vocally challenging ("operatic") than the scores of musical comedies |
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Definition
| methods of 'decorating' a melody to make it more interesting |
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Definition
| a separate instrumental number played at the beginning of an opera show. in musical theater, it is common for the overture to contain melodies from various songs in the show |
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Definition
| a highly UNfavorable review |
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| usually a play that requires costumes that are not contemporary |
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| performing a show for profit without permission |
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| a recessed area at the foot of the stage in which an orchestra may sit, obscured from the view of the audience |
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Definition
| the frequency at which a particular note vibrates (its relative "highness" or "lowness") |
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Definition
| as distinct from story or theme. the patterned arrangements of events and characters for a drama. incidents are selected for maximum dramatic impact. |
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| a dress rehearsal performed in front of an audience |
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| person responsible for the business side of a production. in many cases he/she also determines the creative image of a company by his/her choices of personnel hired for creative areas |
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Definition
| a song and/or dance section that features the whole cast (or a large portion of it) |
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Definition
| objects used by a performer on stage |
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Definition
| the architectural picture frame opening through which the audience views the stage |
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Definition
| the principal character in a play. it is his/hers failure or success that we follow |
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| a stage inclined towards the audience to create the illusion of depth |
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Definition
| the span of notes, from low to high, required in a particular song or which particular singer is able to sing |
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| a highly favorable review |
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Definition
| a pianist who, during early rehearsals of a show or opera, duplicates the melodies and accompaniments to be played by the orchestra |
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Definition
| the return to a earlier musical number later in a show, often with modified text |
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| a critic's written, published assessment of a show's strengths and weaknesses (usually published around opening night) |
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| a restaging of a stage production after its original run has closed. new material may be added. |
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Definition
| the general term used to describe how music moves through time. encompasses terms such as beat, meter and tempo |
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Definition
| a genre of the late 20th-century which tends to be sung throughout (like opera), but makes use of rock style in some or all of its score |
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| the written melodies/ notes of music |
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Definition
| the time period in which new shows tend to open - fall through spring |
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Definition
| a number which is received so enthusiastically by the audience that their sustained applause "stops" the production for a period of time |
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| a moment of internal thought externalized in front of an audience |
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| a number featuring one singer |
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Definition
| in the early 20th century, a person who advertised new tunes in music stores by performing them for customers or shopkeepers |
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Definition
| an understanding established through custom of usage that certain devices will be accepted or assigned specific meaning or significance without requiring that they be natural or realistic |
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| instructions in the script concerning blocking |
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| the actor's right when facing the audience |
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| the actor's left when facing the audience |
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| a song and/or dance that features one of the leading characters, allowing him or her to show off his or her talents |
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| a show that is designed, from the start, to show off the talents of a particular actor or singer |
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Definition
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| a part in a play other than a character part |
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Definition
| to remove something from the stage area |
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Definition
| the secondary story of a drama or play |
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Definition
| a member of the company who understudies several chorus and/or dancing roles |
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| a rhythmic effect in which notes on weak beats are emphasized; a common jazz technique |
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Definition
| a living picture posed by players |
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Definition
| an overhead drapery which cuts down on the height of the proscenium opening in order to mask stage machinery above |
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| music that is growing faster |
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| music that is growing slower |
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Definition
| music written so that it underscores the meaning or mood of the words |
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Definition
| using music to "illustrate" a particular word or phrase i.e. singing the word "loud" loudly |
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Definition
| words and music can correspond in various ways |
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| one note per syllable of text |
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| several notes per syllable of text; often associated with operatic singing |
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Definition
| the way that melody is used in a piece |
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| a melody with no accompaniment |
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| a melody with accompaniment |
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Definition
| two or more melodies heard simultaneously |
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| a melody starts in one voice and is then overlapped by a second voice singing the same melody |
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Definition
| two or more different melodies performed at the same time through - composed - no clear repetition in a piece |
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Definition
| the central thought, topic, subject, idea or perhaps lesson of a play |
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| a group of singers (and often an orchestra) who travel and perform an opera or musical in various cities |
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Definition
| openings in the stage floor through which actors may come on to the stage or leave the stage |
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| a production which opens "out-of-town" (not in New York) in an effort to test it before its NYC opening |
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| an actor who studies and rehearses the role of the lead actor for performance in case the original artist is prevented from appearing |
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Definition
| stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick turns, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances |
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| a theatrical entertainment consisting of successive unrelated acts such as songs, dances, and comedy skits |
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| the classification given to a singer's voice, based primarily on its range |
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| a high pitched woman's voice |
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| a low pitched woman's voice |
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| a high pitched man's voice |
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| a low pitched man's voice |
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| a female voice type midway between soprano and alto |
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| a male voice type midway between tenor and bass |
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| the theatre district in London |
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| offstage space at right and left of the acting areas |
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