Theatre Appreciation Study Guide - August 2026

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering theatre basics, history, acting techniques, and technical design based on the lecture notes.

Theatre Unique Characteristic

The presence of a live audience.

Collaborative Art Form

A term describing theatre because it involves multiple artists working together.

The Heart of Theatre

The performer-audience relationship.

Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg

The two founding titans of modern European drama, representing Norway and Sweden.

A Doll's House

An 1879 play by Henrik Ibsen following Nora Helmer, who hides a secret forgery from her husband, Torvald.

Nora Helmer

The main character of A Doll's House who leaves her family to find her own identity after realizing she has been infantilized.

The Globe Theatre

Shakespeare's circular, open-roof theatre which featured a standing pit for groundlings.

Groundlings

The audience members who stood in the pit of the Globe Theatre.

Theatre Genres

Categories of drama including Comedy, Farce, Melodrama, and Tragicomedy.

Stanislavski

The individual who created the first acting system.

Students of Stanislavski

Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner.

Alexander Technique

A method used by actors for better posture, reducing muscle tension, and mind-body awareness.

Callback

When an actor is invited back to audition again.

Audition Requirements

Items an actor must bring to auditions, specifically a Headshot and Resume.

Oklahoma!

A 1943 production written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, known as the first famous "book musical."

Book Musical

A musical where songs and dances work to move the story forward.

Fight Director

The person responsible for creating all staged violence in a production.

Society of American Fight Directors

The organization that provides certification for actors in stage combat.

Costume Communication

How costumes indicate a character's age, occupation, status, and social position.

Costume Acquisition Methods

The four ways costumes are obtained: Pulled, Purchased, Built, or Rented.

Props Designer

The person responsible for hand props and set dressing.

Sound Designer

The person responsible for sound effects and ambient noise.

Protagonist

The character the story follows who is faced with an obstacle; they are not always morally good.

Sandi Stock

A guest speaker who served as the Neurodivergency Consultant for the production Lightswitch.