HOW TO SEARCH:
- Enter a word in the "Search Terms and Definitions" box.
- For example, entering the word "curtain" would display all terms whose definition includes that particular word.
- When in doubt, use the simplest version of the term--for example, search for "prop" instead of "props" or "properties," and "Fade" instead of "Cross-Fade."
| Theatre Terms (A-Z) Sort descending | Definition |
|---|---|
| ABOVE | 1) Elizabethan stage directions for a location on an upper stage or in a gallery. 2) Stage direction (mostly obsolete) for upstage, upstage of. |
| ABSTRACT SETTING | A stage setting that is stylized rather than photorealistic or representational; that is, one that does not attempt to present a realistic stage picture. |
| ACCENT LIGHTING | Lighting that stresses certain stage areas. It may be done with intensity and/or color. An "accent light" is one that provides such illumination. |
| ACN | Advanced Control Network. Show control protocol using ethernet, designed to improve on the limitations of DMX512. |
| ACOUSTIC | Pertaining to sound. |
| ACOUSTICS | The behavior of sound and its study. The acoustics of a room depend on its size and shape and the amount and position of sound-absorbing and reflecting material. |
| ACT | 1) One of the principal structural divisions of a dramatic work, usually, in a play, from one to five in number. 2) To perform, to represent a character in a dramatic production. Hence acting. 3) A solo performance created and/or presented by the performer, as in "a Las Vegas act." |
| ACT CURTAIN | A curtain behind the fireproof curtain, and behind the grand drape, if there is one, closing the proscenium opening, and raised (or drawn) to reveal the stage during an act or scene. |
| ACT DROP | Victorian stretched framed and painted canvas. Used as a visual stimulation during scene changes, and to indicate that there was more to come. Term now used to refer to any front cloth or tabs lowered during intervals. Especially pantomime / musicals. |
| ACT WARNING | A stage manager's call to actors and crew to announce the timing remaining before the beginning of an act, or scene. |
| ACTING AREA | That area within the performance space within which the actor may move in full view of the audience. Also, a specific portion of such an area actually used for acting during all or part of a performance. |
| ACTION | 1) The physical movement of an actor on the stage. 2) The movement or development of the plot of a dramatic work, or an incident in that movement, as it is revealed or meant to be revealed by actors on the stage through dialogue, physical movement, etc. Short for "dramatic action." |
| ACTIVE | A piece of circuitry is termed active if it needs a power supply for it to function. (Active DI box, Active crossover etc.) Circuitry that needs no additional power supply is termed passive (e.g. resistors & capacitors in a crossover). Passive circuits use the electrical sound signal itself to operate the components. OR A piece of circuitry is termed active if it amplifies a signal supplied to it. A passive circuit does not increase the level of a signal. |
| ACTOR | Originally a male performer in a play, with "actress" used for women. Today, "actor" is increasingly used for both male and female performers. |
| ACTOR-PROOF | Said of a role or script that is certain to be effective even if badly acted. |
| ACTRESS | The use of the term "actress" to refer to female performers has become less common in recent years. The move away from "actress" and towards using "actor" for all performers, regardless of gender, is part of a broader societal trend towards greater gender neutrality and equality. This change in language usage reflects evolving cultural norms and a desire to avoid reinforcing traditional gender hierarchies and stereotypes. |
| AD LIB | To add lines or business not in the script, or songs or music not in the score, especially as improvisation. |
| ADJUDICATION | The process of evaluating a production entered into a theatre festival or other competition, by a group of people (adjudicators) with a wide range of theatrical training and experience. Adjudication is considered to be an educational process, in which the adjudicators provide a verbal report of their reactions to each production (normally, immediately after the production) for the benefit of the producing company and the audience. Adjudicators also determine which productions will advance to the next level of competition (as in the AACTFest cycle), and may also award first place and second place awards. |
| ADJUDICATOR | A person with a wide range of theatrical training and experience, who views productions entered in a festival (such as AACTFest) and who shares his or her reactions with the participants and audience. |
| ADVANCE BAR | Lighting bar positioned just downstage of the proscenium arch. |