Displaying 961 - 980 of 998
| Theatre Terms (A-Z) Sort descending | Definition |
|---|---|
| TREADS | General name for any stage staircase or set of steps. The step of the staircase is called the tread, and the height of the staircase depends on the number of risers. The length of the staircase is called the going. Treads can be either open or closed string - meaning whether the riser is solid. |
| TRIM | A pre-plotted height for a piece of scenery or lighting bar--usually measured against the height of the teaser. Sometimes flying pieces are given a number of extra trims, that may be color coded, in addition to the "in trim" (lower) and "out trim" (higher - out of view). |
| TRIPPING | Rolling up a cloth drop that can't be flown out of sight. |
| TRUSS | Trusses are structural frameworks built from straight, interconnected members, commonly used to distribute loads and provide stability. A theatrical truss can be hung, flown, or supported from the ground, and used to hang a variety of lighting fixtures, fog/haze machines, audio speakers and more in one simple system. It's particularly useful for hanging lights in a temporary location, either indoors in an outdoor area, like a park. |
| TUMBLING | Flying a drop from the bottom as well as the top when there is insufficient height to fly it in the normal way. |
| TURKEY | A show that fails deservedly. According to tradition, the term derives from "turkey actors" who took part in weak Thanksgiving productions that the indulgent public patronized as an annual tradition. |
| TURNBUCKLE | Threaded device which is used to tension a wire, or to provide an adjustable link in a cable, to fine-tune the height of flown scenery. (Known in the UK as a bottle screw.) |
| TWEETER | Part of a speaker system designed to handle the high frequency part of the signal. |
| TYPE | Typecast, typecasting, or type casting may mean: Typecasting (acting), the process by which an actor is strongly identified with a specific character, role, or trait--referred to as a "type." For example, an actor may play an outspoken senior citizen, which is a type. But if the actor plays that role routinely, they may become typecast, sought only for such a role. An actor's height, weight, hair color, nationality or ethnicity may also impact their being cast, because the director or casting director may see the actor themself as a "type," rather than an actor who can play multiple types. |
| ULTRA-VIOLET or ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT | Ultraviolet light is a type of light (actually, electromagnetic radiation) that makes black-light paint or posters glow. |
| UNDERSTUDY | A performer cast in the ensemble of a musical (or minor role in a play) who is responsible for covering a lead and/or supporting role(s) |
| UNITY | Completeness of a work of literature ("unities of form and time") The key qualities in the construction of a tragedy's plot, Aristotle said, are: it has a beginning, middle, and end (i.e., is complete); and it is of appropriate size to be "easily embraced in one view" or "easily embraced by the memory" [long enough to move a character "from calamity to good fortune, or from good fortune to calamity." For this reason, Aristotle says good plays resemble living organisms. (This idea has a rebirth in Romanticism's "organic form" theory.) An "episodic" plot is: one that moves from incident to incident without necessary or probable cause. In addition to unity of form and time, Aristotle also said a plot should be unified. |
| UP STAGE or UPSTAGE | The part of the stage furthest from the audience. |
| UPSTAGE or UPSTAGING | An actor's attempt to command the attention of the audience when the actor has no right to do so. Typically, this involves moving upstage center, forcing the other actors to turn their backs to the audience. Upstaging is not only bad manners, but detrimental to the necessary harmony of an acting ensemble. Accordingly, most directors will not tolerate such behavior. |
| USITT | United States Institute for Theatre Technology |
| VERTICAL SIGHT LINES | Imaginary lines drawn from the highest seats of the audience area, often in a balcony, and from the seats in the front row, to the lowest hanging obstructions over the stage, to determine what portions of the performing area will be visible to all of the audience. |
| VISUAL CUE | A cue taken by a technician from the action on stage rather than being cued by the stage manager. |
| VOLTAGE | The "pressure" at which electric current is available. The American standard is 110 Volts. The UK standard voltage is 240 Volts. |
| VOM or VOMITORIUM | A passageway, originally for spectators, used to clear the seating area in quick fashion. Also used to describe a ramped passage that allows actors to run onstage from below (and run back). |
| VU METER | VU - Volume Unit). Pointer and scale meter which indicates the average level of a signal. Misses any transients and spikes that lead to a clipped signal. |