Brief Glossary of Theatre Terms

Flat

The scenery walls. May be soft (muslin) or hard (usually plywood) covered. Built like a stretched painting.

Strike

Normally, to tear the set down. May also be used for individual articles, e.g., "Strike that pillow; it's ugly!"

Stage Right/Stage Left

These are directions from the actor's point of view. They are exactly opposite your view which is called House Right/House Left.

Upstage

Toward the back of the stage (from when stages were actually higher at the back). Or an unethical attempt by an actor to take focus from whatever is supposed to have it.

Downstage

Toward the audience.

Rake

A ramp. Often stages are "raked" that is, built on a slope with the upstage higher than the downstage. Sometimes, seating is "raked" in the auditorium for better viewing. Ours is "stepped."

Sightlines

What the audience can see. In our auditorium, people sitting on the sides can see offstage, but not very far upstage this is known as "bad sightlines." The best sightlines are from the "Duke's Seat," a leftover from the French Renaissance.

Awesome

-A word from the seventies that has been adopted by today's college students to make up for their lack of vocabulary.

Wings

The sides of the stage outside the scenery. Where actors hopefully cannot be seen.

Fly system

A counterweighted system of ropes and blocks that move scenery up and down.

Fly loft

The area where the scenery is located when out of sight. Ours is five feet high, so it has to be very short scenery.

Drop

Painted scenery at the back of the stage or outside the windows and doors.

Cyc

Cyclorama An unpainted backdrop (sometimes wrapped) which is colored by lights.

Blue-Hair performance

A matinee.

Overture

Music played before curtain in a musical comedy.

Entre' Acte

Music played before curtain, but after intermission in a musical comedy.

Interval

What the British call intermission.
My Bad-A phrase that will not excuse your behavior at the Black Hills Playhouse.

Venue

What the British call a theatre or auditorium. Now, frequently used by American arts administrators, and, consequently, an absolutely necessary word in grant applications.

Actor's Equity Association

An affiliate union of the AFL-CIO for actors. Originally formed to keep producers from using British actors in America.

Scrim

Usually black or white, the scrim is a loosely woven drop which reflects light from the front but reveals actors and scenery when lit from behind (called "scrimming through").

Mugging

Making faces for a laugh (instead of acting).

Hey, Rube!

The international signal by performers that they are in trouble with the locals and require help.

Wings and Borders

The drapes or scenery that frame the stage parallel to the audience.

Tormenter

Drapes or scenery that frame the stage perpendicular to the audience.

Please feel free to ask the meaning of any terms or phrases that are unfamiliar to you. I paid a lot for my graduate degree to learn a separate vocabulary.