Theater vocabulary

Break a leg

An idiom used to wish good luck to a performer.

Audition

A tryout for a role in a performance.

Stage

A platform where performers present a show.

Script

The written text of a play, movie, or show.

Alienation effect

Techniques used in theater to remind the audience that they are watching a play.

Blocking

An actor's planned movements on stage during a performance.

Props

Objects used on stage by actors that are not costumes or set pieces.

Stage Directions

Instructions in a script detailing actor movement, lighting, or sound cues.

Apron

The part of the stage that extends past the proscenium into the audience.

Aside

Lines spoken directly to the audience that other characters on stage are presumed not to hear.

Backdrop

A painted cloth hung at the back of the stage to set the scene.

Blackout

The sudden extinguishment of all stage lights.

Beat

A short pause or a momentary shift in mood or feeling within a scene.

Character

A person portrayed in a play or story.

Articulation

The practice of clear and distinct speech.