ABOVE

ACTING AREA

AD-LIB

AESTHETICDISTANCEMust be in constantbalance with empathy.

APRON

ASBESTOS

AT RISE

BACKING

BACKDROP

BACKSTAGE

BATTEN

BEAM LIGHTS

Away from the audience, upstage; to cross above a chair is to keep itbetween you and the front of the stage.

That portion of the stage used for blocking by the director duringrehearsals and by the players during performances. Bounded on theright by the right sight line, on the left by the left sight line, upstageby a drop or curtain, downstage by the main curtain line andsometimes by the edge of the apron. In our Temple, by the first rowof seats.

In response to an emergency, like forgetting lines, experienced actorsimprovise lines or a speech to move the action forward to avoid deadtime.

A necessary physical or psychological separation or detachment of theaudience from the dramatic action, so as to maintain the illusion

The stage space between the Main Curtain line or Asbestos and theorchestra pit or edge of the stage, or, in our Temple, by the first rowof seats.

A fireproof curtain hung in front of the Main Curtain, controlled by afusible link activated by a fire, to close off the stage area from theaudience area. Only activated once or twice a year by the firedepartment for inspection or, of course, in the presence of a fire. Inour Scottish Rite Temple it is used in the absence of a main curtain.

Used to describe what is happening on stage when the curtain opensor goes up, or the lights go on.

Flats' or drops behind openings in the scenery to hide the backstagearea.

A painted piece of muslin or canvas hung from a batten to obscure thebackstage area or to add to the set illusion. Also may be a curtain ordrape.

The area behind the set., including the right and left wings, dressingrooms, prop areas and set building shops, storage, etc.

A long piece of 2" pipe hung by ropes or cable from the grid andraised and lowered by a series of ropes or cables on which aremounted backdrops, curtains, lights, and sometimes players so theymay be taken up into the flies. In our Temple the battens are made ofwood.

Spot lights which are suspended outside the stage area over theaudience area and aimed toward the stage to light the apron and frontstage areas.

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BELOW

BLACKOUT

BLOCKING

BORDER

BORDER LIGHTS

BUSINESS

CARRIAGE

CENTER STAGE

CHEAT

COLOR FRAME

COUNTER

COUNTERWEIGHT

CREW

Toward the front of the stage. Opposite of ABOVE..

To cut off all the lights and plunge the area in complete darkness andthe condition produced by this action.

One of the most important duties of the Director. All movement andlocation of the players on stage are controlled by the Director. Hemust move and place his players so they can be seen and don't have toturn their faces upstage to speak to someone above them. He mustmotivate all movement and endeavor to construct artistic pictures bythe arrangement of his players. This is done during rehearsals and itssuccess is dependent on the experience of the Director. This is one ofthe weakest points of our presentation of the Degrees and needsattention.

A strip of drapery or painted canvas or muslin hung from a battenacross the stage above the acting area to mask off the grid or loft fromthe audience. Also may mask lights and is usually fixed.

A row of lights in a reflecting trough hung from a batten above theacting area.

Detailed physical movement given by the Director to establishcharacter, mood, or just to justify his presence and give himsomething to do to make him more believable in his role. (Lookingfor twigs to build a fire),(Chipping at a stone to square it), etc.

A wooden box in which stage weights are placed to counterbalancedrapes, curtains, or drops.

A position on stage half way between extreme stage right and stageleft and halfway between upstage and downstage. In the middle of thestage.

It is a hard and fast rule in the theater never to turn your head morethan 90° past a line drawn parallel to the proscenium arch to speak toanother player. If that player is above you that rule still applies. Eyecontact with the player above you is not made and you speak to himwithout looking at him.. This is called "cheating."

Metal frame in which gels or plastic color media are placed and fittedinto lighting instruments to change beam color.

A movement made by a principal performer in a scene when anotherperformer steps in front of him, hiding him from the audience. Heshould move to the right or left to open himself to the audience view.

A device for balancing the weight of scenery in a system whichallows scenery to be raised above the stage by means of ropes andpulleys.

That wonderful backstage team, without whom nothing would ever bepossible on stage.

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CROSS

CUE

,'

CUE-SHEET

CURTAIN

CUTOUT

CURTAIN-LINE

CYCLORAMA orCYC.

DIMMER

DIMOUT

DIRECTOR

DOWNSTAGE

DROP

DUTCHMAN

ELLIPSOIDALSPOTLIGHT(LEKOS)

A movement by a player across the stage in a given direction.

A prearranged signal such as the last words in a speech, a lightingchange, a bit of business, or some other action, which indicates toanother player, or the stage manager, that it is time to proceed to thenext line or action.

A prompt book with the cues marked for the use of the crew or thestage manager.

The opening or closing, or the rise or fall of a curtain to separate aplay into its structural parts or the last bit as the curtain falls or closesthe play (as the final curtain).

A profile of a bush, tree, piece of furniture, or whatever cut from apiece of plywood, foam, cardboard, etc. to represent on stage a twodimensional figure of the needed object. It is held erect by a tip jack.

A line marked on the stage floor to indicate where the main curtaintouches when it is closed.

A background curtain hung around 3 sides of a stage to mask the rearand each side from the audience. Sometimes it is blue and representsthe sky.

An electrical device which permits lighting intensities to be changedsmoothly and at varying rates.

To turn out the lights slowly, usually set to a count determined by theDirector for dramatic effect using a dimmer.

The person who is in complete charge of the production, coordinatingthe efforts of all the contributing artists, sets, props, costumes,lighting, sound, rehearsals, and the interpretation of the play by theactors, and is responsible to the audience for its success.

The front of the stage toward the audience.

A large piece of canvas or muslin, hung from a batten, and painted torepresent a scene in the play.

A 6" to 8" wide strip of canvas or muslin, of any necessary length,soaked in glue or sizing which has been diluted with water. The stripis then applied to the joints between flats, to tears in drops and flats,or anywhere when you wish to join two pieces of canvas or muslintogether. It becomes indistinguishable from the audience.

A type of lighting instrument used for its excellent throw and controlof its spot size. The workhorse of lighting.

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EMPATHY

ENTRANCE

EPILOGUE

EXIT

FLAT

FLOOD

FLY LOFT orFLIES

FOLLOW SPOT

FOOT LIGHTS

FREEZE

FRESNEL

GEL

GRID

GROUND CLOTH

GROUND ROW

HAND PROPS

Entering fully through imagination into the performers feelings ormotives in the meaning of the play. Empathy must always be inbalance with aesthetic distance or else chaos would result.

The style and manner in which an actor comes on stage and into ascene, and its effect on the audience and the other players.

A speech addressed to the audience at the conclusion of the play.

The manner in which a player leaves the stage which sometimesprompts applause.

A wooden frame covered with muslin or canvas, usually of a standardsize, and used with other similar units painted to create a set.

A lighting instrument which has no lens and is used to light largeareas of the stage.

The area above the stage where scenery may be lifted out of sight withropes and pulleys when not needed.

A powerful spotlight with a narrow l^am mounted in a pivot and isused to light and follow a player as he moves around the stage. Itshould never be used brrr (without a gel) as we do, and should lightmostly the face to assist ;he audience in hearing, as theysubconsciously lip read, which reinforces the sense of hearing to agreat extent.

A row of lights along the edge of the apron. Once a principal sourceof stage lighting, but now rarely used.

To stop all movement for dramatic effect.

A lighting instrument with a short throw and a soft edge which blendswell with other spotlights.

A flexible color medium that fits in front of a lighting instrument togive color to a light beam. Properly the word applies to those made ofgelatin, but is now applied also to those made of plastic.

A series of steel I beams just under the stage roof on which aremounted blocks or sheaves through which lines (wire cables or ropes)pass to raise or lower battens. (Our grid, I understand, is made ofwood, which bothers me.)

A neutral gray or green piece of canvas or muslin which covers thefloor of the acting area.

Low-profile pieces of scenery that sets on the stage floor held erect bytip jacks

Small props carried on and off stage by the players during theperformance.

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KILL

LEG

LEFT STAGE

LIGHT-PLOT

MASK

MASKING

OPEN

PACE

PARALLELS

PATCH BOARD

PICKING UP CUES

PLATFORM

PLOT

PREPARATION

PRODUCER

PROLOGUE

PROMPT

PROMPT BOOK

To suppress or shut off unwanted light, or to ruin an effect byimproper execution, as to kill a laugh.

Sections of curtain material, usually velour, four to six feet wide,hung in pairs, left and right, from a batten to mask entrances orbackstage areas from the audience view.

The left side of the stage from the stand point of the player facing theaudience.

A diagram showing the location of the lighting instruments, thepatching system, and where the light beams the stage.

To cut off from the view of the audience by means of scenery orcurtains the backstage areas, technical equipment, or lighting.

Scenery or drapes used to hide or cover.

To turn or face more toward the audience.

The rate or speed at which a performance is played.

Platforms which fold for storage usually four feet by eight feet andwhich vary in height from one foot to three feet in six-inchincrements. They allow the director to place his players on differentlevels for dramatic effect and so they may be better seen.

An electrical control panel somewhat like a telephone switchboard,used to connect a light or series of lights to a control dimmer by usinga jumper cable with a plug on both ends.

The audience, in their minds, completes the players spoken line beforehe finishes the line. Therefore the next player to speak must start hisline before the player speaking before him is finished. If there is apause between cues the play seems very slow and the audience goesto sleep.

see PARALLEL.

The patterned arrangement of events and characters for a drama,arranged for dramatic impact.

The study (learning lines, remembering blocking, business, andgestures) prior to a performance, also to summon up from thesubconscious a mood in keeping with the character he is playing.

The person in charge of the business end of a production includingraising the necessary money.

A speech delivered to the audience prior to the beginning of a play.

To furnish an actor with missed or forgotten lines or cues during aperformance.

A script of a play containing the actors lines, blocking, light, andsound cues.

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PROPS

PROFILE

PROSCENIUM

RAKE

RAKED STAGE

REHEARSAL

RISER

SANDBAG

SCRIM

SCRIPT

SET

SET PIECE

SPILL

STRIKE

SUBTEXT

SWITCHBOARD

Objects, furniture, chairs, thrones, benches, etc., necessary tocomplete a set, and any object used by the players.

An irregular shape of scenery , flowers, shrubbery, walls, buildingoutlines, hedges, etc. which sit on the stage as a ground row.

The frame around the stage through which the audience watches theperformance.

A setting set at an angle from the audience standpoint.

A stage which slopes upward away from the audience toward the backof the set. Once all stage floors were built with this slope hence"upstage" and "downstage."

Preparation by the cast for a performance through repetition andpractice. It is here that the Director puts the play together.

see PARALLEL.

A canvas bag filled with sand, weighing about twenty pounds, to holdstage braces, tip jacks, and other things in place on stage as it is notpermitted to nail into stage floors. Sometimes heavier sandbags areused to counterweight drapes

A thin open weave fabric which is nearly transparent when lit frombehind and opaque when lit from the front.

The written or printed text, consisting of dialogue, stage directions,character descriptions, set diagrams, etc. of a play or other theatricalrepresentation.

A representation of the locale, whether it be an interior or exterior,composed of scenery, furniture, and exterior pieces like lamp posts, atent, steps leading up to a house, etc.

A piece of scenery which stands independently in the set.

Light from stage lighting instruments which falls outside the areas forwhich it is intended.

To remove pieces of scenery or props from on stage or to take downat the entire set after the final performance.

Referring to the meaning and movement of the play below thesurface; that which is implied and never stated. Often moreimportant than the surface activity.

An electrical service panel containing switches, circuit breakers,dimmers, etc. which control the stage lighting.

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WORKINGTEASER

TECHNICAL

THROW

TIP JACK

TORMENTOR

TRAP

TRAVELER

TREE

UPSTAGE

WAGON

WAGON BLOCK

WAGON JACK

A short horizontal curtain just in front of the main curtain and justbehind the proscenium, which may be raised and lowered to mask theloft and effectively controlling the height of the proscenium. Moststages have three teasers (Sometimes called borders; however, bordersare usually fixed and do not move up and down.)

Referring to functions necessary to the production of a play other thanthose of the cast and the director, such as functions of the stage crew,carpenters, and lighting crew.

The distance from the lens of the lighting instrument to the object orarea to be lit; most lighting instruments have a limited throwdepending on the wattage and the design of the instrument.

A folding brace which is hinged to a ground row or profile or freestanding cutout on stage to hold it erect.

A curtain somewhat like a leg, but travels open and closed and is hungon the right and left of the main curtain to mask the wings. Its namealludes to the trouble it causes the actor to get around it to gain accessto the stage. They are generally referred to as TORMES.

An opening in the stage floor, normally covered, which can be usedfor special effects such as having scenery or performers rise frombelow or which permits the construction of a staircase whichostensibly leads to a lower floor or cellar.

An intermediate curtain somewhat like a main curtain, but in stagecenter between downstage and upstage and opens from the center tothe left and right by splitting in the middle. Some theaters have twotravelers.

A free form pipe structure having a large vertical iron pipe fromwhich smaller pipe "branches" are teed off at different levels, onwhich are hung lighting instruments. These trees are located right andleft and are used to supplement regular lighting and sometimes aloneto achieve a dramatic effect.

At or toward the back of the stage, away from the apron or front of thestage.. (The word dates from the time when all stages sloped upwardsfrom the footlights.)

A low platform mounted on wheels or casters, which is used to movescenery or parallels on and offstage, usually 4 feet by 8 feet.

A block of wood about 6" long, usually a piece of 2" x 4", which isplaced under each corner of a wagon so it does not move after beingplaced in position on stage.

A piece of 2" x 4" about 12" long with one end cut at a 30° angleand the other end with a 1" dowel about 12" long inserted in a 1"hole drilled for that purpose. It is used to raise the wagon corners tofacilitate setting the wagon block.

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WINGS The space behind the proscenium on the right and left where props,scenery, and actors are stored waiting for entrances. The wings areout of the view of the audience.

Detailed drawings of parallels (folding platforms), flats, tip jacks, wagons, etc. will be madeavailable on request.

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