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 |
|---|---|---|
| CASTING DIRECTOR | A casting agent in charge of subordinate casting agents. | Casting Agent |
| CASTING OFFICE | A company that makes available suitable actors for a producer. | |
| CASUALS | Mostly British: Part-time temporary technicians (paid by the hour). | |
| CAT CALL or CATCALL | A noise, originally one like the cry of a cat, uttered or produced by an instrument, to show disapproval. Now generic to any sound of disapproval, usually from an audience. | |
| CATHARSIS | A Greek term for the emotional release (literally purgation or purification) in a spectator of a staged tragedy. Aristotle believed that tragedies were healthy outlets for emotion, and thus a deeply moving experience is often called "cathartic." | Tragedy |
| CATWALK | An access walkway to equipment. Unlike a bridge, not necessarily across a void. | Bridge |
| CEILING | A flat, in one piece, or hinged in two or more pieces, or a cloth or drape, hung horizontally to form the top of an interior set, concealing the flies. | |
| CENSOR | To cause a dramatic piece or production to be suppressed or altered by governmental action, when it does not conform to legal requirements (now chiefly nudity or obscenity). Also the name of a government official charged with this responsibility--although commonly not so titled. Hence, censorship. | Censorship |
| CENSORSHIP | Strictly speaking, censorship is a governmental action, in which a play or production is altered or even banned because it violates certain statutes, such as for nudity, language, or blasphemy. While the term is often used loosely to refer to any changes to a script, or any decision not to produce a play, such usage stretches the meaning considerably. | |
| CENTER LINE | Imaginary line running down the stage through the exact center of the proscenium opening. Often marked as CL on stage plans. Normally marked on the stage floor and used as a reference when marking out or assembling a set. | |
| CENTER OF INTEREST | The point in a stage picture upon which the attention of the audience is meant to rest, shifting with the movements of the actors, lighting, or other reasons. | |
| CHANNEL | 1) A complete control path for signals in lighting or sound equipment. 2) In stereo recordings, the two outputs are referred to as left channel and right channel. | |
| CHARACTER | 1) One of the characters in a play. 2) A type of personality portrayed on the stage, as in "I need to get into character," or "Please, stay in character." | |
| CHARACTER ACTOR | An actor who specializes in one or more roles that call for characteristics quite different from his/her, as the roles of old men, gangsters, society matrons, etc. | |
| CHARACTER PART | An acting role calling for emphasis on the characteristic peculiarities (e.g., the amorous old man, the shrewish wife, the foreigner with an accent, etc.) | |
| CHASE | Repeated sequence of changing lighting states that gives the effect of the moving lights, as in "chase lights." | |
| CHEAT SHEET | 1) A smaller version of the lighting plan, used by the lighting designer during the lighting plot. 2) Any such version of a complete list, including a cheat sheet for costumes, sets, cues, etc. | |
| CHECK | 1) Opposite of Build; a smooth diminishment of light or sound level. 2) A test of an electronic or other technical system, as in to run a sound check. | |
| CHEW THE SCENERY | To overact, especially in emotional scenes. Sometimes, also scene chewer. | |
| CHIEF ELECTRICIAN | The senior member of the theatre's stage lighting team, although not necessarily the lighting designer. |
