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 |
|---|---|---|
| DIALOG or DIALOGUE | Lines in a stage entertainment or dramatic work, usually those in which at least to persons take part (as opposed to monologue). Thus dramatic or stage dialogue. | |
| DIAPHRAGM | Iris | |
| DICHROIC FILTER | Glass color filters which reflect all light except that which is the color of the filter, which passes through. Normal gels absorb the unwanted colors, turning the light into heat. Diachronic filters run cooler, and produce a much cooler beam of light. Longer lasting, but a lot more expensive. | |
| DICHROIC LAMP | Low voltage display lamp with a reflector that lets heat pass through it, rather than reflecting it. Results in a much "cooler" light. | |
| DIFFUSE | To spread light softly, often by use of a diffusing medium. | |
| DIFFUSION/DIFFUSING MEDIUM | A filter used to soften the edges of a light beam. Different strengths of diffuser (sometimes called "frost") are available from many color filter manufacturers. | |
| DIGITAL | Many electronic devices use digital logic. Information is handled in separate bits (either ON or OFF) rather than continuously variable analogue signals. Most computer lighting boards give a digital multiplexed output, and most new sound equipment is digital. | |
| DIGITAL DIMMER | Dimmers that can respond directly to the digital multiplexed output of the lighting desk. The technology also permits the dimmer to report faults and other data back to the control board. | |
| DIGITAL RECORDING | 1) ADAM : (Akai Digital Audio Multitrack). 12 track recording onto Video 8 tape. 16 bit, 44)1 or 48kHz sampling rate. 2) DAT (Digital Audio Tape) Cassette-like system which has much higher quality than standard audio cassettes. Widely used in gathering sound effects, for news gathering, and for playback of music. 3) DCC (Digital Compact Cassette) Rival to DAT which also plays standard audio cassettes. 4) Mini Disk : Uses computer disk technology, rather than tape. A laser heats an area of magnetic disk which is then written to by a magnetic head. When cooled, the magnetic information is read from the disk by laser. Tracks can be named, and are instant start. Very theatre-friendly system. 5) Direct to Disk : Uses the hard disk present in most PCs as the recording medium. | Digital Recording |
| DIM | To decrease the stage illumination, as in "Dim the spot." | |
| DIMMER | Electrical or electronic device that controls the amount of electricity passed to a lamp, and therefore the intensity of the lamp. | |
| DIMMER RACK | A number of individual dimmer circuits mounted in a cabinet. | |
| DIN | Deutscher Industrie Normen. European standard covering audio connectors and tape equalization characteristics. | |
| DISCHARGE LAMP | A high-powered source of light produced by means of a discharge between two electrodes. An arc light, for example uses a discharge between two carbon rods which are manually or automatically fed together as they are burnt up. The use of this type of lighting is restricted to non-dimming applications such as followspots and projection, where dimming is achieved by mechanical means. Many of the new generation of moving lights use discharge lamps and diachronic filters. | |
| DISCOVER | To reveal a scene, a person, etc., to the audience, often by the opening of a curtain or bringing up stage lighting. Thus, "Barnes is discovered upstage left, smoking." | |
| DISSOLVE UNIT | Interface connected between two or more slide projectors and a tape player. Synchronization signals recorded onto the tape are detected by the dissolve unit and fade up the lamp in one slide projector while changing the slide in the other, and then vice versa, producing a dipless crossfade between the two images. | |
| DISTORTION | Noisy and unpleasant sound reproduction, usually the result of overloading sound equipment. Reducing the levels can remedy the situation. | |
| DISTRIBUTION BOARD | System of interconnected fuse carriers and cabling that routes an incoming power supply to a number of different outputs. | |
| DMX/SMX/RDM |
MULTIPLEXED (MUX) SIGNAL |
DMX/SMX/RDM |
| DOCK | A place (often a raised platform) for the loading or unloading of materials. | Loading Dock/Scene Dock |
