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 |
|---|---|---|
| DOWN CENTER | A stage position or area, center and downstage. Also a stage direction, as "Mary, move down center." Sometimes abbreviated as D.C. or DC. | |
| DOWN LEFT | A stage position, left (audience's right) and downstage. Also a stage direction, as in "Mary, move down left." Sometimes abbreviated as D.L. or DL. | |
| DOWN LEFT CENTER | A stage position, downstage of left center position. Sometimes abbreviated as D.L.C. or DLC. | |
| DOWN RIGHT | A stage position or area, right (audience's left) and downstage. Sometimes abbreviated as D.R. or DR. | |
| DOWN RIGHT CENTER | A stage position, downstage of right center position. Sometimes abbreviated as D.R.C. or DRC. | |
| DOWN STAGE or DOWNSTAGE | 1) The entire front half of the stage. Thus, 'downstage wall,' 'downstage entrance.' 2) Any part of the stage considered as a position in relation to something or someone farther back, as in "Mark moves right, downstage of Mary." | |
| DOWNLIGHT | A light from directly above the acting area. | |
| 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. |
