Drama IGCSE - Dramatic and Theatrical Terms

Pitch

The highness or lowness of a sound

Pace

The rate and pace at which words are spoken

Pause

Where sounds stop. How often? For how long?

Tone

The feelings and emotions in the voice

Volume

How loudly/softly words are spoken

Intonation

The rise and fall of the voice

Emphasis

Choosing to stress particular meaning

Posture

Stance, a particular position of the body

Facial expressions

Using the face to show mood, emotion and feelings

Gesture

A body movement to express an idea, feeling or mood

Eye contact

Establish eye contact with another actor or the audience

Energy

How you move, the amount of force, the mood expressed through the body

Proxemics

How far or close an actor is to another actor → communicate relationship between characters

Status

The power dynamics between two characters → dominant characters have a higher status to a more submissive character with a lower status

Inflection

The rise and fall of the voice

Articulation

The clarity of speech

Language

The way the character speaks including: accent, idiom, dialect, vocabulary or phrasing → suggests class, profession, culture or personality

Direction

Where you are going: forwards, backwards, diagonal, sideways

Antagonist

A principal role, opposed to that of the protagonist or hero

Protagonist

The main character or hero in a play

Levels

Height or positioning of a character compared to the other characters → can be used to portray status

Tableau

A frozen image of the scene as if the picture was paused.

Props

Furnishings, set dressings, and all items large and small which cannot be classified as scenery, electrics or wardrobe

Satire

A play in which irony, exaggerated characters and ridicule are used to expose or attack such aspects of society as foolishness, social snobbery or hypocrisy.

Soliloquy

A speech in which an actor speaks the inner thoughts of character aloud for audience to share → actor is usually alone on stage during it → not to be confused with a monologue.

Symbolism

The use of symbolic language, imagery, set design or colour to evoke emotions or communicate ideas.

Suspense

Tempo

The speed at which the action on stage proceeds.

Dynamics

Variations of level in energy (Voice, body language etc) → used to accentuate status.

Vocal projection

Directing the voice out of the body to be heard clearly at a distance.

Improvisation

The spontaneous and imaginative use of movement and speech to create a character or object in a particular situation and develop the scene.

Stage presence

The level of confidence, commitment and energy an actor appears to have on stage → ability of actor to hold the attention of the audience

Irony

An implied discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.

Types of irony:

• Verbal irony

• Dramatic irony

• Situational irony

• Proleptic irony

Blocking

used to describe the path traced by an actor’s movement on stage, including entrances and exits → usually determined by the director with assistance from the actor

Mirroring

Copying the movement and/or expression or look of someone else exactly.

Mood

The atmosphere or feeling of a performance, often created by the music, setting or lighting.

Transition

Movement, passage or change from one act, scene, section, position, state, concept, etc.

Fourth wall

illusion of an invisible wall of a set through which audience sees the action of the play → breaking the fourth wall refers to the moment when an actor directly addresses the audience through fourth wall → breaking the illusion.

Subtext

What a character is really thinking or feeling when they say particular words → linked to motivation.

Dénouement

moment in a play when the essential plot point is unravelled or explained → tensions that have driven the drama are resolved.

Exposition

The part of a play that introduces the theme, main characters and current situation in the story.

Contrast

Dynamic use of opposites or significant differences to create dramatic effect.

Conflict

The internal or external struggle between opposing forces, ideas, or interests that creates dramatic tension.

Promenade

A staging genre in which the audience moves around the performance space(s) in response to the action

Tension

atmosphere created by unresolved situations that human feel compelled to address.

Types of Tension 

• Tension of Task

• Tension of Relationship

• Tension of Surprise (Unexpected and Expected)

• Tension of Mystery

Pause

A short period of silence or stillness in a performance when the drama is communicated nonverbally

Rhythm

In performing, rhythm is the tempo, pace or regular pattern of the work → can reflect emotional state of a character or group of characters, or the atmosphere of scene.

Exposition

The part of a play that introduces the theme, main characters and current situation in the story

Rising Action

A series of plot relevant incidences that create suspense, interest and tension

Turning point

The climax; the highest point of the story where the events can go either way (the highest point of tension)

Falling action

Parts of the plot which happens after the climax.

Resolution

How the problem or conflict in a drama is solved or concluded