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THEATRE VOCABTHEATRE VOCAB

MS. ELSON

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Upstaging is…Upstaging is… When an actor is standing in front of another person

and they can’t be seen OR it means that the actors is not facing the stage and can’t be seen by the audience

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Cheat OutCheat OutTurn your body half way toward the

audience and half way to the other actor so that the audience can see and hear you

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Diaphragm: Muscle that Diaphragm: Muscle that supports your breath in order to supports your breath in order to control your vocals onstagecontrol your vocals onstage

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PROJECTINGPROJECTING

To Project is have control of your voice, supported by your diaphragm using a full breath to reach even the back of the audience

How do you project?

Try this…

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Mugging is …Mugging is …

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Mugging is…Mugging is…

OveractingIs that a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on the play! Go for the truth of the play you are in.

IndicatingIndicating

Overdoing the showing without feeling or believing it.

Bad acting

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What is MIME?What is MIME?

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MIMEMIME

• Acting without words, OR with words USING GESTURES

• Imagining some or all of the props

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OBJECTIVEOBJECTIVE

What your character WANTS in a playOr goal in the play

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MOTIVATIONMOTIVATION

Why your character wants what they WANT

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IntentionIntention

HOW your character gets what he she wants

Beg, guilt, seduce, bribe, threaten, befriend…

Your character’s tactic

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RAISE THE STAKESRAISE THE STAKES

Make the motivation stronger. Your job as an actor is to find the best,

strongest motivation to think about so you can act the scene with truth and immediacy

MUST be LIFE OR DEATH for your character or it isn’t a good motivation

I.P.C.I.P.C.

Immediately Preceding CircumstancesWhat happened to your character right

before you walk on stage Is it raining, did you just have a fight with

a friend? Etc…

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IMPROVISATIONIMPROVISATION

IMPROVActing without a script-- making it up off

the top of your head

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Stage ManagerStage Manager

Helps director run rehearsals, takes blocking notes, on book for actors, sets up stage before rehearsal, in charge of running show when it is show time, on headset with “lights up…” etc.

Runs around before show (Or assistant stage manager shouting… “5 minutes to places” or “places everybody!”

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What do you say when a stage What do you say when a stage manager tells you…?manager tells you…?“Five minutes to places!”

You say….?

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Stage managerStage manager

THANK YOU, 5 MINUTES!

SpikeSpike -- --

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The tape used on the stage to show where the set pieces go.

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DirectorDirector

The person in charge of everything about how this play looks, sounds, feels and must think of the audience, actors, crew, designers and make everything run smoothly.

PlaywrightPlaywright

The writer of a play

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Given CircumstanceGiven Circumstance

In the script, the writer gives you clues to how your character acts

It is the unchangeable facts of the play that the actor can not change

If it says your character is 15, wears glasses and loves to sing-- you can’t change that

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Stage DirectionsStage Directions

Do you remember the 9 stage directions?

Make a box, put a tic-tac-toe board in it. Write audience on the bottom and draw the 9 directions.

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The Stage DirectionsThe Stage Directions

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BLOCKINGBLOCKING

The written directions that a director gives the actor and s/he writes in the margins of his/her script

Warm-upsWarm-ups

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Physical & vocal exercises to get mind and body ready

to perform on stage

What do you want as an actor What do you want as an actor for your character?for your character?Sympathy or Empathy?

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EMPATHYEMPATHY

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44THTH WALL WALL

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THE IMAGINARY WALL BETWEEN THE AUDIENCE & THE ACTOR – SOMETIMES IT IS BROKEN ON PURPOSE – IF THE ACTOR TALKS DIRECTLY TO YOU!

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PLOTPLOT

ANOTHER WORD FOR PLOT IS…

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PlotPlot Story: James and I wanted to swim, so we went

to the beach. Then it started to rain, and because we couldn't swim comfortably any more, we went home.

Protagonist or Antagonist?Protagonist or Antagonist?

The main character is…? The Protagonist

The person who tries to stop the main character is… the Antagonist.

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The antagonist is not always The antagonist is not always the villain!!!the villain!!!

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ConflictConflict

Needed in a play or there wouldn’t be any drama.

Person vs. person, person vs. the universe, person vs. self

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ClimaxClimax

Highest point of tension in the play

Usually when the protagonist fights the antagonist…

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OBSTACLE OBSTACLE A HURDLE OR PROBLEM THE CHARACTER MUST GET OVER IN ORDER TO GET HIS/HER OBJECTIVE.

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COLD READINGCOLD READING

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COLD READING COLD READING

For auditions, rehearsal and for play readings actors do this technique which requires them to make strong choices and act even though they only have a few minutes to go over the lines.

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MONOLOGUEMONOLOGUE

HOW MANY PEOPLE SPEAK IN A MONOLOGUE?

WHO DO THEY SPEAK TO?

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ANSWER: ONE!ANSWER: ONE! From a

paragraph to a whole play, one person speaks to…

A) Audience B) Universe C) Themselves D) Another

character/object standing in for a character

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Dialogue is…Dialogue is…

Two or more people speaking on stage

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SettingSetting

Details about the location the play takes place.

Example: In a dark haunted house, there is a breeze blowing the curtain of a broken window. A lone candle is flickering and a creaky door sounds off stage.

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TimeTime

Time of day, time of year, season

Example

Time: In the summer of 2050 there is snow on the ground. It is 8pm.

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At RiseAt Rise

What used to rise in the old days that gives us this saying?

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The Sun or CurtainThe Sun or CurtainAt Rise: The first thing you see when the curtainGoes up or the lights go on, before they speak

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What is upstaging yourself or What is upstaging yourself or others mean?others mean?

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SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF A SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF A DIRECTOR SCREAMS-- DIRECTOR SCREAMS-- ““STOP UPSTAGING STOP UPSTAGING YOURSELF?YOURSELF?””

A) SCREAM BACKB) LOOK BACK IN YOUR PACKET

AND LOOK UP WHAT UPSTAGING MEANS

C) SMILE BECAUSE YOU REMEMBER THE ANSWER IS…

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What is it called when you are What is it called when you are talking clearly to the back of the talking clearly to the back of the stage…stage…A) YellingB) ProjectingC) Talking loudly

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Improv RULESImprov RULES

There are five… let’s learn ‘em together

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What are the class What are the class consequencesconsequences ??There are 4