Theatre language, terms and definition

1. THEATRE LANGUAGE,
TERMS AND
DEFINITION
Adeel Ahmad

2. A
◦ AD: Can refer to Artistic Director or Assistant Director
◦ AD LIB: Often used if a mistake is made and the actor improvises to get back to the
script
◦ Agent: Someone who acts on behalf of Performers to help find them work
◦ Am Dram: Amateur dramatics, non-professional theatre
◦ Apron: The front of the stage that juts out in front of the proscenium arch
◦ Artistic Director: Someone who oversees the artistic programmed of the theatre as
well as managing funding, budgets and staff
◦ ASM: Assistant Stage Manager
◦ Audition: A type of interview for a Performer to showcase their talents and check their
suitability for a role

3. B
◦ Beginners: The call given to Actors five minutes before the
start of the performance to ensure they are in position
◦ Blocking: The instructions of where the Actors need to stand
or move
◦ Broadway: The American equivalent of the West End,
located in Manhattan, New York. A central area for
performances such as plays and musicals

4. C
◦ Call times: The time in which you must arrive for your rehearsals or for the show
◦ Cans: The communication system between departments, usually through a headset
◦ Centre stage: The middle of the stage
◦ Choreography: A sequence of steps and movements for staged dances and performances
◦ Color-blind casting: Casting an Actor for their ability over what their appearance is. Often used
for characters where race, gender or ethnicity is not mentioned in the play
◦ Conservatoire: A drama school or performing arts training institution with conservatoire status,
meaning training is particularly intensive
◦ CSM: Company Stage Manager
◦ Cues: A trigger for an action to happen
◦ Curtain call: The end of the show, usually when the actors take their bows

5. D
◦ Dark: When a theatre is not currently being used for performances
◦ Downstage: The front of the stage, nearest the auditorium
◦ Drama school: A school which specializes in teaching about
performance and theatre
◦ Dress run: A rehearsal in costume where the full production is
performed
◦ DSM: Deputy Stage Manager
◦ Duologue: A part of a play with speaking roles for only two Actors

6. E
◦ Ed Fringe: Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the
world. It takes place every August, with a large number of performances
at different venues across the city.
◦ End on: When the audience is on one side of the stage
◦ Ensemble: A group of Actors who play background roles and appear in
multiple scenes, can also be used to refer to an entire theatre company
◦ Equity: A union for people working in the performing arts, including
Actors

7. F
◦ Fly's: The rigging system made up of ropes and pulleys that enables
Stage Crew to quickly move large pieces of scenery
◦ Fourth wall: A metaphor for the invisible and imaginary 'wall' between
the Actors on stage and the audience
◦ Fringe theatre: Theatre that is experimental in style or subject matter.
The term comes from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Fringe are
small-scale theatres often located above pubs, and are the equivalent of
New York's Off-Off-Broadway Theatres and Europe's 'free theatre'
groups

8. G
◦Get in: Fitting of the set in the theatre
◦Get out: Taking down and removing the set from the
theatre
◦Going dark: Warning called when the lights are
about to be turned off

9. H
◦ Half: The call given to Actors half an hour before they are to
be called to start the performance. This is given at 35 minutes
before the start of the show
◦ Headshot: Professional photograph of yourself which you
hand out at auditions and to Agents
◦ House: The auditorium
◦ House lights: The lights in the auditorium

10. I
◦ Improv: Short hand for improvisation where an Actor comes
up with lines on the spot, unrehearsed
◦ In the round: When the audience sit on every side of the
stage
◦ Iron: Safety curtain used to separate the stage from the
audience in case of a fire

11. THANK YOU