Theatre Terminology Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key theatre concepts, roles, structural elements, and definitions based on lecture notes.

Dramaturg

Researcher of the play and its period and world.

Director

Person who directs the production.

Actor

Person acting in the production.

Scenic designer

Designs the scenery for the production.

Costume designer

Designs the costumes for the production.

Lighting designer

Designs the lighting for the production.

Theatrical mirrors

Moments in the play that reflect or imitate real life, helping the audience recognize themselves or society in the story.

The world of the play

Time, place, culture, circumstances in which the story takes place.

Don't forget yourself

A reminded for actors to stay connected to their own awareness.

Social world of the play

The relationships, social rules, roles, and power dynamics between characters.

Social learning

Learning how to behave and interact with others by observing experiencing society.

Bad math

Reducing theater to easy equations.

Ghost

A figure from the past that remains active. A memory, role, or inherited story.

Humor

Not avoidance. Can express pain and power.

Repetition

Repeating a word, action, image, or idea.

Revision

Changing or reworking a scene to improve it.

Art

Form of creative expression.

Interpretive

Explaining or finding meaning in a performance.

Formalist analysis

A close study of the script itself rather than historical, biographical, or sociopolitical context.

Exposition

Information that introduces the characters, setting, and background.

Status quo

The existing or usual state of things before anything changes.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up the story.

Multi linear plot

A story with multiple storylines happening at the same time.

Pisodic

A play made up of separate scenes or episodes that make not follow one storyline.

Story

The characters, events, and idea that make up what happens.

Catharsis

The emotional release or the process of cleansing. Purging of emotion that has built up throughout the play.

Protagonist

Main character.

Antagonist

"Villain" character trying to stop the protagonist from achieving their goals for whatever reason.

Confidant

A character trusted by the main character.

Normative

What's considered normal in the world of the play.

Raisonneur

A character who expresses the playwrights' ideas or opinions and often comments on what is happening.

Seed

A small idea that becomes important later in the show.

Through action

When an actor communicates a character's thoughts or feelings through what they do and how they behave rather than saying it.

Counter through action

When an actor responds to or opposes another character through their actions instead of words.

Language

The words and way of speaking characters use in the show.

Music

Music in the show.

Spectacle

The visual elements of a performance such a scenery, costumes, lighting, and movement.