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.
HOW TO SEARCH:
Click on a letter (A-Z) below to find terms beginning with the specified letter, OR enter a word in "Search for Term" OR search by entering a word in "Words in Definition." For example, entering the word "curtain" would display all words whose definition includes that word. (Note: If the A-Z or word search has been activated, it must be reset before using "Search for Term" or "Words in Definition." To reset the A-Z search: Click Here)
| Term | Definition | Link |
|---|---|---|
| POSITION | The place where an actor stands at any given moment. | |
| PRACTICAL | Noun. Any object which appears to do onstage the same job it would do in life, or any working apparatus (e.g. light switch or desk lamp). An electrified prop. | |
| PRATFALL or PRATTFALL | A stage fall on the buttocks, with humorous exaggeration. | |
| PRE-RELEASE | A dramatic work that has been awarded to a specific publishing house and is in the typesetting, proof, or printing process, but is not yet listed for licensing. | Release |
| PRESENTATIONAL | A style of acting and staging that relates directly to the audience, instead of attempting to represent actual life realistically in every detail (representational). | |
| PRESET | 1) Anything in position before the beginning of a scene or act (e.g. Props placed on stage before the performance, lighting state on stage as the audience are entering.) 2) An independently controllable section of a manual lighting board which allows the setting up of a lighting state before it is needed. Each preset has a master fader which selects the maximum level of dimmers controlled by that preset. | |
| PREVIEW | A function on some memory lighting control desks with video mimics. Preview enables the operator to see the levels of dimmers and other information in a lighting state other than that on stage. | |
| PRIMARY COLORS | The primary additive colors of light are red, green and blue, and the subtractive colors are cyan, magenta and yellow. | |
| PRINCIPAL | An actor who has an important or leading role; sometimes used to refer to actors with speaking parts, as opposed to walk-ons. | |
| PRODUCER | The person who arranges for the production of a play or musical, especially the financing and management. | |
| PRODUCTION | 1) Collectively, the staging of a play or musical in general, including financing, management, direction, acting, costuming, lighting, makeup, scenic design and construction. In essence, the produced work, presented to an audience. Thus, "the play" can mean the printed work, whereas "the production" always means the work as presented to the public. | |
| PRODUCTION DESK | Table in the auditorium at which director/designer etc sit during rehearsals (especially technical rehearsals). Usually has its own lighting and communications facilities. | |
| PRODUCTION MANAGER | Responsible for technical preparations, including budgeting and scheduling of productions. | |
| PROFESSIONAL | As opposed to nonprofessional or amateur, the term refers to people or a production, in which all who take part earn their living in the theatre. | |
| PROFESSIONAL RELEASE | A play licensed only to professional companies. | |
| PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS | A professional company is one that pays a salary to actors, directors, designers and other staff, whether or not the company is profit or not-for-profit. Rights for professional companies are normally based on a percentage of the gross, with an up-front payment against profits. The payment--based on seating capacity and ticket prices--is credited toward the total royalty due at the end of the run, typically based on 8-10% of the gross box office receipts, to be calculated and reported weekly. | |
| PROFILE | 1) The body position of an actor whose right or left side is turned toward the audience. 2) A shaped piece of scenery added to the edge of a flat instead of a straight edge. Also known as a cutout. 3) A type of instrument with at least one plane-convex lens which projects the outline of any chosen shape placed in its gate, sometimes with a variable degree of hardness/softness. Profiles include four beam-shaping metal shutters, a gate to take an iris or gobo and an adjustment to make the beam smooth and even ("flat") or hot in the center ("peaky"). | |
| PROJECTION | The throwing of an image onto the stage by means of light, for an optical or design effect. | |
| PROMPT | To tell an actor what speech or action is required next of him, especially if he forgets during rehearsal or performance. | |
| PROMPT BOOK | Master copy of the script or score, containing all the actor moves and technical cues, used by stage management to control the performance. Sometimes known as the "book." |
