Theatre Terms
As a service to the theatre community, AACT provides over 1000 definitions of theatrical terms. Fully searchable, our glossary is helpful for technical staff, directors, actors, producers, or anyone wanting to better understand the inner workings of theatre.
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| Term | Definition | Link |
|---|---|---|
| DOWNSTAGE | 1) The part of the stage nearest to the audience (so-named from the lowest part of a raked stage). 2) A movement towards the audience (in a proscenium theatre). | |
| DRAMA | 1) A representation on a stage by actors before an audience. 2) A piece of writing, particularly one of marked emotional intensity, intended for stage representation. The opposite of comedy. | |
| DRAMATIC IRONY | 1) The use of actions or words carrying a hidden meaning for the audience in the development of a plot. 2) A character's failure to realize a truth evident to the audience. | |
| DRAMATIC UNITY | The principle of "oneness," applicable to every aspect of dramatic writing and production, each element contributing to a single, overall effect. | |
| DRAMATIS PERSONAE | The characters in a play, usually referring a list of them. From the Latin, "persons of the drama." | |
| DRAMATIST | An author of a play, a playwright. | Playwright |
| DRAMATIZE | To convert a nontheatrical work into a play. | |
| DRAMATURG or DRAMATURGE | While the Oxford English Dictionary cites dramaturg as early as 1859, Jeffrey Sweet, co-editor of The Best Plays annual, says he first heard the term at New York’s Eugene O'Neill Center in 1970. At the O'Neill, the dramaturg was a critic on the playwright's side, and assumed to be widely read with a good grasp of craft issues, Sweet explains. The dramaturg was to ask questions of playwrights that would generate responses to answer problems in their scripts. In the last 25 years the role of dramaturg has evolved and expanded. Today, while there is no single definition, Sweet says, "in practice, the dramaturg is generally supposed to have some kind of literary bent, be capable of research, and to utter opinions which by dint of schooling are supposed to be taken seriously." | |
| DRAMATURGY | The art or technique of dramatic composition or representation. Thus dramaturge or dramaturg, dramaturgist. | |
| DRAPE | ||
| DRAPERY | Any soft curtain material, hung--usually loosely--as part of the scenic decoration. Thus, drapery border, drape, drape curtain. | |
| DRAPES | Stage Curtains | |
| DRAW CURTAIN or DRAW-CURTAIN | A curtain that divides in the middle so that it can be pulled to the sides of the stage. | |
| DRAWING-ROOM COMEDY | A light, sophisticated comedy typically set in a drawing room with characters drawn from polite (upper-class) society. | Comedy |
| DRESS | 1) To costume a stage production. 2) To decorate a stage with pictures, drapes, pillows, etc., in order to provide a pleasing arrangement of color, form, and texture. | |
| DRESS CIRCLE | ||
| DRESS PARADE | Review by director/designer/wardrobe staff of all costumes worn by cast and paraded under stage lighting. Any defects, misfits etc. are noted or corrected before the first Dress Rehearsal. | |
| DRESS REHEARSAL | A full rehearsal, with all technical elements brought together. The performance as it will be on opening night. | |
| DRESS THE STAGE | ||
| DRESSER | Person who helps actors with costume care and costume changes during the performance. |
