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 |
|---|---|---|
| OPERA BUFFA | An Italian expression for "comic opera." | |
| OPERETTA |
A light dramatic entertainment with much singing and little speaking, at least in the French and Viennese tradition. Voice technique approaches that of opera, but the subject matter of the story is always light and comic. Examples include Die Fledermaus, Orpheus In the Underworld, and The Merry Widow. In the U.S., operetta took a different turn, emphasizing romance over light comedy, turning out such shows as Naughty Marietta, The New Moon, The Student Prince and Rose-Marie. |
|
| ORCHESTRA PIT | A sunken area, directly in front of the forestage, usually partially screened from the audience, where instrumentalists sit to play for onstage performers. | |
| OUT | 1) In flying, means up (out of sight), as in "take out the drop." 2) In lighting, means turn off or dim completely, as in "take out the number three spot." | |
| OUTRIGGER | An extendible leg to increase the stability of access equipment, such as a "cherry picker" lift or ladder. | |
| OVERPLAY | To overact. | |
| PA SYSTEM | ||
| PACE | The speed at which a dramatic performance, or any part of it, is played. Pacing may involve speaking the lines more quickly, but often is improved by reducing pauses between lines. Often used to describe a show: "The pacing was off." | |
| PACING | ||
| PAINT FRAME | Large vertical wooden frame from which cloths are hung for painting. The frame is often winchable for easy access. | |
| PANTOMIME | In acting, expressive movement of the body, without words. Often shortened to "mime." In Britain, pantomime refers to a spectacular entertainment with songs and dances, and a plot drawn from nursery rhymes or fairy tales, often performed during the Christmas season. | |
| PAPER THE HOUSE | Marketing technique. Giving away tickets to a performance (e.g. Opening Night) to make a show seem to be selling better than it actually is. | |
| PAR | Short for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector lamp. A lamp containing a filament, reflector and lens in one sealed unit. Used in Parcans to produce a high intensity narrow beam of light. Par lamps are available in many different sizes and powers. Par sizes available include 16, 36, 38, 56 and 64) (The number refers to the diameter of the lens, in eighths of an inch). The most common for theatre use are Par 64s rated at 1000W (1kW), although other wattages are available. | |
| PARABOLIC REFLECTOR | ||
| PARALLEL | 1) The folding frame that forms the base of a readily portable platform. 2) The opposite of 'series' when referring to wiring two loads into one outlet. | |
| PARAMETRIC EQ | Equalization control where the range of frequencies to be boosted or cut can be selected. Allows the "fine-tuning" of the equalization. | |
| PART | An actor's role. | |
| PATCH PANEL | A board consisting of rows of sockets into which plugs can be connected to route sound signals or power for lighting circuits. | |
| PATCHING | 1) To cross-connect lighting circuits around the stage area to a chosen dimmer. Connecting instruments to dimmers. 2) Using a cross-connect panel which enables any stage lighting channels to the control desk to control any dimmer or group of dimmers. Some large lighting boards have the facility for soft patching - a totally electronic way of patching. Some Rock Desks have a pin patch which allows groups of dimmers to be allocated to a particular control channel. Also applies to routing of sound signals. | |
| PATRON | A supporter of the theatre, especially a paying member of the audience. |
