drama a story written to be performed by actors
TRANSCRIPT
THEATRE TERMSPart One
DRAMA
A story written to be performed by actors
COMEDYA humorous play that has a light tone and happy ending
TRAGEDY
A play that ends in the death of a main character
SCRIPT
The written text of a play
MONOLOGUE
A long speech given by one character
SOLILOQUYAn extended
speech given by a character that expresses inner thoughts aloud to himself and the audience
ASIDE A brief monologue for the audience that is unheard by other characters on stage
PUN
A play on words that exploits similar sounds or multiple meanings
GROUNDLINGS
Audience members in Shakespeare’s time
who watched from the cheapest seats
THE GLOBE
The theatre where most of Shakespeare’s play were performed
OXYMORON
A pair of words that contradict each other
DRAMATIC IRONY
When the audience knows something that the characters do not know
SITUATIONAL IRONY
When what happens is the opposite of what one would expect
PROLOGUE An introduction to a play, usually spoken by the chorus
FOIL
A character who contrasts with or is the opposite of another character
ACT
A major section of a play, usually made up of
several scenes
SCENEA subdivision
of an act that changes for a new time or location; ends when the characters leave the stage
BLOCKING The process
of arranging moves to be made by the actors during the play
CHARACTER The mental
and moral qualities distinctive to an individual within the world of the play.
DIRECTOR Broadly, the
role involves being responsible for the overall artistic vision of a production.
GESTURE Body or facial movements of a character during a play.
MIME Form of
performance with no spoken words. Plot, character etc. are conveyed to the audience by movement and gesture
PANTOMIME a musical-comedy
family-orientated theatrical production -- Popular pantos include Cinderella, Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk, Mother Goose
CUE Any signal (spoken
line, action or count) that indicates another action should follow (i.e. the actors' cue to enter is when the Maid says "I hear someone coming! Quick - Hide!")