Technical Theater Terms

Production team

a production team is the group of technical staff who produce a play, television show, recording, or film

Production Design team

responsible for the visual concept of a film, television or theater production; they identify a design style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes, while working closely with the director and producer

Producer

responsible for raising the money for the theater/theatrical productions. They are people who raise money but don’t have much say in the artistic vision

Artistic Director

the person who oversees the overall selection and interpretation of the works performed by a theater, ballet, or opera company

Managing Director

responsible for the overall business administrative, and operational management of the company

Scenic Designer

the member of the creative team charged with developing the environment used to tell the story of a play, musical, or performing arts piece; they design the set

Lighting Designer

will work with the director, artistic director and/or lighting technicians to create the visuals for lighting, lasers, strobes, spots and sometimes video screens for a performance; they design the lighting for the production

Sound Designer

responsible for an audience’s audio journey through a production; works with the director and the rest of the creative team to make decisions about what an audience hears when they watch a piece of theater

Playwright

responsible for writing a play; some are commissioned by theater companies or producers and others write plays and submit them speculatively; usually they will have written the play well in advance of rehearsals, but small changes can be made as the show develops

Director

a professional in the theater field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theater production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theater performance, etc.

Production Manager

works with designers, the technical crew, and the management team to make sure the technical elements of a show are completed safely, on time, and on budget

Property Manager

often called the prop(s) master, is an artistic and organizational employee in a film, television or theatrical production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, properly placing, and/or overseeing any props needed for a production

Scenic Artist

paint backdrops, murals and prop pieces for theater, TV and film productions; they take the designs from the scenic designer and create the set pieces. which could be anything from a cityscape to a wall decorated in period style

Technical Director

a resident technical expert who supervises the activities of all technical departments — from lighting to carpentry — and oversees the use and maintenance of theater equipment

Master Electrician

responsible for implementing the lighting design for a production drawn up by the lighting designer; this involves overseeing the preparation, hanging, connection and focusing of stage lighting fixtures

Stage Manager

facilitate communication across all creative and technical departments; act as a right hand to the director; oversee sets, props, lights, and sound; and call all technical cues during performances

Supernumerary

actors who have no lines throughout the production; normally called extras in the film and tv industry

Production concept

the way that a particular artist, or director, or theater group, plans to perform a production; it is their interpretation and their choice of a show, and their creativity comes through in the performance

Production meeting

the venue where all creative and management areas can share information, clarify the needs of the department, establish deadlines, and work on creating a schedule with consideration for each departments priorities

Technical Rehearsals

a rehearsal that focuses on the technological aspects of the performance, in theatrical, musical, and filmed entertainment; these rehearsals focus on lighting, set, sound, and costumes

Blocking

precise staging of actors in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera; during rehearsal, the assistant director, stage manager or director takes notes about where the actors are positioned and their movement on stage

Cue

is a called event that the stage manager calls; could be a lighting change or sound effect

Shift Rehearsal

a rehearsal, without actors, where the director, scenic designer, technical director, and stage manager work with the scenery and prop crews to perfect the choreography and timing of all scenic and prop shifts

Lighting rehearsal

consists of the lights being cued in sequential order, fixing any problems along the way such as brightness, angle, framing or position; this rehearsal is focus mainly on writing the lighting cues

dress rehearsal

a rehearsal, typically within the last week before a show opens, where the actors will wear their costumes during the run of the show

limited run

a show that will only be open for a certain period of time

prompt book

contains copies of the script and records the cues, clocking, staging, scene shifts, costumes, props etc. of the play

call time

the time that all actors and crew are expected to be at the theater

shift

the process of moving from one setting into another during a play; also to move a prop or piece of furniture

proscenium

audience sit on one side facing the stage; the frame or arch separating the stage from the auditorium, through which the action of a play is viewed

arena

seating where the audience totally surrounds the stage; also known as theater-in-the-round staging

tennis court

seating is audience on two sides

thrust

has the audience on three sides; platform stage is a theatrical stage without a proscenium, projecting into the audience and surrounded on three sides by the audience

orchestra pit

the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform

wings

areas that are part of a stage deck but offstage (out of sight of the audience); typically masked with legs; the space is used for performers preparing to enter, storage of sets for scenery changes and as a stagehand work area

stage directions

a instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or production requirements

apron

the flat wide part of the stage projecting into the audience and used as the main acting area; it is in front of the proscenium

traps

a concealed opening, usually in the stage floor, through which actors, props, and scenery can be brought on and off stage

revolve

a part of the stage that revolves or spins; it can also be a theatrical device for scene changes, or shifts, by which three or more settings are constructed on a turntable around a central pivot

grid

a support structure of the fly system of theatrical rigging — typically comprising ropes and pulleys — that enables stage crew to quickly and safely ‘fly’ elements of the set and lighting (and sometimes even actors) into and out of place

legs

tall, narrow drapes hung parallel to the proscenium at the sides of the stage; used to frame the sides of the acting space as well as to mask the wings, where actors and set pieces may be preparing to enter the stage

boarders

short drapes hung above the stage, spanning its width; used to mask equipment and hidden scenery above

show portal

can also be a false proscenium; consists of a header (border) and tabs (legs) that can be moved to adjust the size and shape of the proscenium opening to fit various performance needs; usually designed to be a part of the show that they are a part of

sky drop

a backcloth representing the sky

cyclorama

a large curtain or wall, often concave, positioned at the back of the stage; made out of a reflective material that reflects light and color when lit

dead hang

to hand something above the stage that cannot move up and down

flats

a flat piece of theatrical scenery which is painted and positioned on stage so as to give the appearance of buildings or other background; can be soft covered or hard covered

platforms

also referred to as a riser or rostrum; a stationary, standard flat walking surface for actors to perform on; they are built to be assembled modularly; often used to provide varying levels, to make a show more visually interesting

scrim

a cotton or linen fabric of open weave used for masking areas of the stage; when lit from the front it seems to be a solid curtain, but when lit from the back it can be seen through

wagon

a mobile platform that is used to support and transport movable, three-dimensional theatrical scenery on a theater stage

stage jack

a triangular brace hinged or screwed to a flat or other set piece as a support and for extra rigidity

ways to get props:

1. build

2. buy

3. rent

4. pull

build

making props from scratch

buy

purchasing props from a store or vender

rent

borrow props from a store, person, or organization

pull

bring props out of a prop room

hanging

to hang up lighting instruments/curtains

focusing

to point the light where it needs to be on stage

circuit

a number where a lighting instrument is plugged in

slip stage

large rolling platforms with scenery on them which are to be stored in the wings or rear stage and then slid into view

fly loft

the area above the stage which allows scenery to be flown up until it is out of sight of the audience

set props

include all the furniture on stage, and any other “objects” with are part of the set

hand props

are a small and movable property used by an actor during the performance of a play or a small property capable of being carried on and off a set easily

decorative props

include all the things that are used to enhance the setting visually but are not specifically touched by the actors

costume props

these are items that are not generally considered clothing, but would be designed by the costume designer and worn by the actors

rehearsal props

stand in for the actual prop as the actor works out the stage action and movement in the rehearsal process

batten

permanent or semi permanent lengths of pipe tied to lines from the grid and used for flying curtains, lights, or scenery

corner block

made of ¼ “ fir plywood; these are the mechanical fasteners that hold the frame together; are generally right triangles 10” x 10”

key stone

a ¼ “ piece of plywood used to connect the stile to the toggle bar on a flat

rendering

an architect’s drawing or plan; this may or may not be to scale

thumbnail sketch

a very small, very loose, very fast drawing made at the start of the design process, which helps the designer begin to visualize the final product

painters elevation

scaled paintings (generally ½ “ = 1’-0”) of each piece of scenery showing all color and surface treatment, which the scenic artists will use as a guide for painting the set

parts of a ticket:

1. date

2. time

3. location

4. seat

date

month; day; year

time

what time the event is at

location

where the event is at

seat

what seat the ticket is assigned to

house seats

a theater seat reserved by the management for a special guest

dead seats

seat that cannot be sold

comp seats

complementary, free ticket

press seats

seats for members of the press

pape

leko

a lekolite; a brand of ellipsoidal reflector spotlight (ERS) used in stage lighting which refers to the half-ellipsoidal dome reflector within which the instrument’s lamp is housed

gel

the colored “filters” placed in front of the lights found in theaters, so to color the beam; referenced and referred to by number or a letter and number combination

gobo

used with projectors and simpler light sources to create lighting scenes in theatrical application; lighting designers typically use them with stage lighting instruments to manipulate the shape of the light cast over a space or object

gel frame

are the frames where the colored gels are held

lamp

another word for the light bulb in a lighting fixture; is made up of three parts - the filament, the bulb, and the base

spot light

device used to produce intense illumination in a well-defined area in stage, film, television, ballet, and opera production

light plot

a plan and complete set of instructions for lighting a stage production

sight lines

a line extending from an observer’s eye to a viewed object or area (such as a stage)

parts of a light:

1. c clamp

2. f-nut

3. yolk Bolt

4. yolk knob

5. shutter

6. barrel

7. barrel knob

8. degree

c clamp

commonly used in theatrical carpentry for the same purpose that non-theatrical carpenters employ them; create a quick, temporary, and non-destructive way of joining two objects together

f-nut

the small nut on the side of the c-clamp that adjusts the yolk; not used to focus lights

yolk bolt

the bolt that attaches the c-clamp onto the yolk of the light

yolk knob

allows you to adjust the tilt of the light where the yolk bolt allows adjustment of the pan

shutter

every leko has four; allows for light coming out of the front of the instrument to be shuttered off of places where there shouldn’t be light

barrel

the front part of the light; where the degree of the light will be listed; manipulated to focus and unfocus the beam of light

degree

how wide the angle of light is out the front of the instrument; smaller numbers are more narrow beam angles, meaning that the spread of the light is tighter and over a smaller area; larger numbers are wider beam angles

follow spot

a spotlight for following a performer moving about a stage

focus

to point the light where it needs to be on stage