Acting 1 terms
Terms
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- Blocking
- The director's arrangement of the actor's movements on stage with respect to one another and the stage space.
- Stage Right
- The actor's right as he stands onstage facing the audience.
- Stage Left
- the actor's left as he stands onstage facing teh audience.
- Downstage
- Toward the audience
- Upstage
- Away from the audience
- Below
- Toward the audeince (same as downstage)
- Above
- Away from the audience (same as upstage)
- In
- Toward the center of the stage
- Out
- Away from the center of the stage
- Onstage
- The part of the stage, usually enclosed by the setting, that is visible to the audience in any particular scene.
- Offstage
- All parts of the stage not visible to the audience
- Backstage
- The entire stage portion of the theatre building, in contrast with the auditorium, which is designated as "out front"
- Wings
- Offstage space at the right and left of the acting areas.
- Open
-
A position in which the actor is facing toward the audience, or nearly so.
* kneel on downstage knee
* use upstage arm to gesture and pass items
* play shared scenes in a quarter position
* make turns downstage - Closed
- A position in which the actor is turned away from the audience
- Share
- When two actors are both open to an equal degree, allowing the audience to see them equally well.
- Give, take
- when two actors are not equally open, the one who receives a greater emphasis is said to take the scene. The other is said to give the scene.
- Upstaging
- When one actor takes a position that forces the second actor to face upstage or away from the audience.
- Cross
- Movement from one area to another. When noting a cross in your script, the standard abbreviation is X.
- Contercross
- A movement in teh opposite direction in adjustment to the cross of another actor. The instruction usually given is counter left or counter right.
- Curved cross
- In crossing to a person or an object above or below you, it is neccessary to cross in a curve so you do not arrive either upstage or downstage of the person or object. Sometimes called an arc cross.
- Cover (A)
-
When another actor moves into a position between an actor and the audience, thus obstructing him from view. Covering is usually avoided.
* the responsibillity is on the downstage actor (don't stand in front of another actor)
* if another actor does stand directly below you, make a small adjusting movement
* make crosses below other actors so you are not covered. - Cover (B)
- A term used to define the speech or action invented by an actor to keep the audience from detecting a mistake.
- Dress Stage
- a direction requesting the actors to adjust their positions to improve the compostion of the stage picture.
- Business
- smoking, eating, slapping, falling, telephoning, crying, etc.
- Hand props
- small objects the actors handle onstage, such as teacups, letters, books and candies.
- personal props
- hand props that are carried on the actor's person and are used only by him (watch, cigarette holder,etc.).
- Costume Props
- Costume accessories used by the actor in executing business (fans, walking sticks, gloves, etc)
- Stage props
- Objects for dressing the stage not used by the actors in executing their business (vases, lamps, clocks, etc)
- Prop table
- Tables that are usually placed offstage right and left to accommodate props the actors carryo on and off the set.
- Ad Lib
- Coming from Latin ad libitum ("at pleasure") the term applies to lines supplied by the actor whenever they may be required, as in crowd scenes or to fill in where there would otherwise be and undesirable pause.
- Aside
- A line that the other actors onstage are not supposed to be hearing,
- Build
- To increase the tempo or the volume or both in orderto reach a climax.
- Cue
- The last words of a speech or teh end of an action indicating the time for another actor to speak or act.
- Pick up cues
- A direction for the actor to begin speaking immediately on cue without allowing any lapse of time.
- Pointing
- Giving special empahsis to a word or phrase. An actor may also be directed to point a movement or a piece of business.
- Tag line
- The last line of a scene or an act. It usually needs to be pointed.
- Telescoping
- Overlapping speeches so one actor speaks before another has finished. It is a technique for acceleration the pace and building a climax.
- Top
- To "build" a line higher than the one that preceded it.
- Action
- That portion of an actor's part in a play defined by the pursuance of a specific goal.
- Adjustment
- The technique that allows an actor to hold fast to the reality of his role while altering intentions or actions to fit the changing circumstances of the scene.
- Affective Memory
- A term Stanislavski used to indicate both sense memory and emotional recall.
- Apron
- The part of the stage that extends toward the audience in front of the curtain, Also termed "forestage".
- Asbestos
- The fireproof curtain that closes the proscenium opening and separates the stage from the auditorium in case of fire.
- Auditions
- Readings of specific roles before the director to determine casting. In both the professional and nonprofessional theatre, plays are usually cast through auditions.
- Back drop
- The drop farthest upstage from in any setting
- Backing
- A drop or flats used outside an opening in the setting, such as a door or window.
- Bit part
- a small part with few lines
- Call Board
- a backstage bulletin board on which notices of concern to the actors are posted.
- Character part
- constrasted to straight part, a role usually depicting an elderly, unusual, or eccentric individual.
- Cheating
- A term used without any derogatory meaning when an actor plays in a more open position, or performs an action more openly, than complete realism would permit.
- Clear Stage
- A direction to leave the stage, given by the stage manager for everyone not immediately involved.
- Company
- A group of actors who perform together either in an individual play or for a season. Sometimes called a troupe.
- Concentration
- giving complete attention to something. The ability to concentrat is a key part of of effective acting.
- Curtain call
- The appearance of actors onstage after the performance to acknowledge the applause of the audience.
- Curtain line
- The imaginary line across the stage floor that the front curtain touches when it is closed.
- Dialogue
- The lines spoken by the characters in a play
- Double
- To play more than one role in a single play.
- Drop
- Any material, ordinarily flown, used as a backing for a scene
- Ensemble acting
- A theatrical presentation in which the stress is on the performance of the group rather than the individual
- Exit
- To leave the stage; an opening in the setting through which actors may leave.
- Extra
- A small nonspeaking part: soldiers, townspeople, etc.
- Flats
- The canvas-covered frames that constitute the walls of a stage setting.
- Flies
- The space above the stage in which scenery is suspended.
- Fourth wall
- In an interior setting, the imaginary side of the room towared the audience.
- Front curtain
- A curtain closing the proscenium opening that hangs immediately behind the asbestos. It is usually used as the act drop.
- Given circumstances
- An unchangeable fact that affects the playing of the scene.
- Green room
- A room located close to the stage, in which the actors may await entrance cues and receive guests after the performance.
- Gridiron
- A contrivance located in the flies for suspending scenery.
- Ground Plan
- The arrangement of doors, windows, steps, and so forth for a stage setting; also a diagram showing the arrangements.
- Improvistaion
- Spontaneous invention of lines and business by performers.
- Indicating
- Performing an action without an intention. Indicating is a derogatory term in psychologically motivated acting.
- Intention
- The character's real reason for performing an action.
- Justification
- The process by which the actor directs his imagination to believe strongly in the reality of each stage action.
- "Magic If"
- A term used by Stanislavski to describe the process by which an actor places himself in the given circumstances of the scene.
- Motivation
- Why the character acts
- Mugging
- A derogatory term for exaggerated facial expressions
- Obstacle
- A physical or moral obstruction that hinders one from completing an action.
- Pacing
- The rate of speed at which teh actors speak their lines, pick up their cues and perform thier actions.
- Places
- A direction given by the stge manager for everyone to be in his proper position for the beginning of an act.
- Proscenium
- The wall dividing the stage from the auditorium.
- Proscenium Opening
- The arched opening in the proscenium wall through which the audience can see the stage.
- Run-through
- An uninterrupted rehearsal of a scene, an act, or the entire play. In contrast is the 'working" rehearsal, in which either the director or the actors may stop to work on details.
- Stealing
- A movement that will not receive the audience's attention. The term is also used to mean taking the audience's attention when it should be elsewhere.
- Straight Part
- A role without marked eccentricities, normally a young man or young woman.
- Strike
- The direction given by the stage manager to change the setting for another scene or to dismantle it at the end of a performance.
- Subtext
- The actor's continuous thought that give meaning to the dialogue and the stage directions.
- Trap
- An opening in the stage floor.
- Try-outs
- Auditions
- Walk-on
- A small part without lines; an extra