A male or female person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie.

A person or a situation that opposes another character's goals or desires.

The clear and precise pronunciation of words.

The planning and working out of the movements of actors on stage.

The center of the area defined as the stage.

A personality or role an actor/actress recreates.

The development and portrayal of a personality through thought, action, dialogue, costuming, and makeup.

The point of greatest dramatic tension or transition in a theatrical work.

A reading of a script done by actors who have not previously reviewed the play.

Two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort.

A theatrical work that is intentionally humorous.

Opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action.

Clothing worn by an actor on stage during a performance.

A decisive point in the plot of a play on which the outcome of the remaining action depends.

Opinions and comments based on predetermined criteria that may be used for selfevaluationor the evaluation of the actors or the production itself.

A signal, either verbal or physical, that indicates something else, such as a line of dialogue or an entrance, is to happen.

The conversation between actors on stage.

The art and technique of bringing the elements of theatre together to make a play.

The person who oversees the entire process of staging a production.

​ The stage area toward the audience.

The final few rehearsals just prior to opening night in which the show is run with full technical elements. Full costumes and makeup are worn.

The theatre of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and often extended to the close of the theatres in 1640.

Detailed information revealing the facts of a plot.

A comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual humor, and, often, an improbable plot.

The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows an established design. Forms may refer to a literary type (e.g., narrative form, shortstory form, dramatic form) or to pattern of meter, line, and rhymes (e.g., stanza form, verse form).

In literary and dramatic studies, genre refers to the main types of literary form, principally tragedy and comedy. The term can also refer to forms that are more specific to a given historical era, such as the revenge tragedy, or to more specific subgenres of tragedy and comedy, such as the comedy of manners.

An expressive movement of the body or limbs.

Theatrical events in honor of the god Dionysus in Ancient Greece and included play competitions and a chorus of masked actors.

A spontaneous style of theatre through which scenes are created without advance rehearsal or a script.

A theatrical performance that focuses on small presentations, such as one taking place in a classroom setting. Usually, it is not intended for public view.

One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre, originating in the 1600's and combining stylized acting, costumes, makeup, and musical accompaniment.

The height of an actor's head actor as determined by his or her body position (e.g., sitting, lying, standing, or elevated by an artificial means).

Cosmetics and sometimes hairstyles that an actor wears on stage to emphasize facial features, historical periods, characterizations, and so forth.

Coverings worn over the face or part of the face of an actor to emphasize or neutralize facial characteristics.

An incident art form based on pantomime in which conventionalized gestures are used to express ideas rather than represent actions; also, a performer of mime.

A long speech by a single character.

A character's reason for doing or saying things in a play.

A type of entertainment containing music, songs, and, usually, dance.

One of the traditional forms of Japanese theatre in which masked male actors use highly stylized dance and poetry to tell stories.

A character's goal or intention

The tempo of an entire theatrical performance.

Acting without words through facial expression, gesture, and movement.

The highness or lowness of voice

The stage representation of an action or a story; a dramatic composition.

A person who writes plays.

The orientation of the actor to the audience (e.g., full front, right profile, left profile).

The placement and delivery of volume, clarity, and distinctness of voice for communicating to an audience.

Items carried on stage by an actor; small items on the set used by the actors.

The view of the stage for the audience; also called a proscenium arch. The archway is in a sense the frame for stage as defined by the boundaries of the stage beyond which a viewer cannot see.

The main character of a play and the character with whom the audience identifies most strongly.

Almost anything brought to life by human hands to create a performance.Types of puppets include rod, hand, and marionette.

Practice sessions in which the actors and technicians prepare for public performance through repetition.

The part of a plot consisting of complications and discoveries that create conflict.

A rehearsal moving from start to finish without stopping for corrections or notes.

The written text of a play.

The area where actors perform.

The backstage technical crew responsible for running the show. In small theatre companies the same persons build the set and handle the load in. Then, during performances, they change the scenery and handle the curtain.

(See center stage, downstage, stage left, stage right, and upstage.)

The director's liaison backstage during rehearsal and performance. The stage manager is responsible for the running of each performance.

​The left side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.

The right side of the stage from the perspective of an actor facing the audience.

Established characters, such as young lovers, neighborhood busybodies, sneaky villains, and overprotective fathers, who are immediately recognizable by an audience.

Printed words, including dialogue and the stage directions for a script.

To imitate or represent life in performance for other people; the performance of dramatic literature; drama, the milieu of actors, technicians, and playwrights; the place where dramatic performances take place.

The established techniques, practices, and devices unique to theatrical productions.

Events, activities, and productions associated with theatre, film/video, and electronic media.

Noncompetitive games designed to develop acting skills and popularized by Viola Spolin.

a form of drama in which the main character suffers disaster.

The characteristics of a voice, such as shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, and so forth.

The degree of loudness or intensity of a voice.

The area of the stage furthest from the audience