Trinity High School
Faculty of Performing Arts
Higher Drama
Vocabulary Booklet
Q.
What is this study booklet for?
A. In your National 6 Higher drama course it is essential that you know the vocabulary
listed in this booklet.
Q.
When will I need to use all of the following vocabulary?
A. You will be assessed using all of this vocabulary in both:
 Your practical work e.g. Drama Skills directorial task and in practical exam
with visiting assessor
 Your written exam paper. You must always use the correct drama terminology
in both sections of your written exam paper.
Q.
How often should I study this booklet?
A. All the time. It will not be easy to remember all of the vocabulary immediately, but it
is possible if you do the following:
 Start learning now and don’t leave it to the last minute!!!!
 Learn a small amount of words each day e.g. 5 to 10 words
Q.
How will my drama teacher help me?
A. Your teacher will give you tests to help you learn all of the vocabulary.
A. Your teacher will expect appropriate use of terminology in formative observations of
group discussion and practical work, and in log books and essays.
A. Your teacher will facilitate practical explorations which will reinforce the vocabulary
that you need to know.
1
(N3 N4 N5 N6)
Accent
Acting style
Actor-audience
relationship
Way of speaking used in a local area or country
The way in which you approach the role e.g. method acting,
realistic, abstract
The use of the fourth wall or presence/ involvement of the
audience
Agitprop
Agitprop- a portmanteau derived from the words agitation and
propaganda is
stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an
explicitly
political message. The term agitprop gave rise to agitprop theatre, a
highly
politicized leftist theatre originated in 1920s Europe and spread to
America; the
plays of Bertolt Brecht being a notable example. Russian agitprop
theater
was noted for its cardboard characters of perfect virtue and complete
evil, and its
coarse ridicule Gradually the term agitprop came to describe any kind
of highly
politicized art.
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution
that
represents the opposition against which the protagonist or
protagonists must contend.
Clear pronunciation of words
A remark to the audience only
To create atmosphere or mood means that the audience engages in
Articulation
Aside
Atmosphere
emotional
and intellectual activity when confronting the relationship between
design
aspects and visuals (mise-en-scène) and dramatic action at a particular
moment in
time.
Audience
Auditorium
Avenue
People watching a drama
The area for the audience, generally filled with seats
Audience seated on two sides of the acting area
2
Backcloth
Canvas cloth which covers the back of the stage: can be
painted
Non-acting area behind the stage
Keeping an even distribution of weight
Adjustable metal flaps attached to the front of a fresnel
spotlight for shaping the beam of light
Backstage
Balance
Barn doors
Black comedy
A black comedy is a comic work that employs black humor, which, in its
most basic definition, is humor that makes light of otherwise serious
subject matter.
Blackout
The acting area is not lit
Slow fade to the lighting/sound is faded out slowly
Fast fade to the lighting/sound is faded out quickly
Snap to Blackout is achieved instantly
Deciding where and when actors will move on stage
Messages given by the position or movement of the body
Blocking
Body Language
Centre Stage (CS)
Centre Stage Left
Centre Stage Right
Character
Character Card
Pivotal character
Climax
Context
(CSL)
(CSR)
The centre area of the stage
The left hand centre side of the acting area as the actor faces
the audience
The right hand centre side of the acting area as the actor
faces the audience
Specific person in a drama
A character profile and basic characterisation technique
A character who changes the course of the action in the
The dramatic, social, political or cultural time period or
setting in which the play was originally intended
Dramatic context
Characterisation
Clarity
Comedy
Comedy of manners
The process of fully developing a character
Clearness of the voice
A drama which is funny/comical
Conventions
Alternative ways of presenting parts of a drama
The comedy of manners is an entertainment form which satirizes the
manners and affectations of a social class or of multiple classes, often
represented by stereotypical stock characters. The Importance of
Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is an example of this
3
Comedia dell’arte
Costume
Creating
Crime Drama
Crossfade
Cue
Cyclorama
A theatrical form characterised by improvised dialogue and a
cast of colourful stock characters; masks are usually worn
Clothes worn by actors for their character
The process of developing a drama’s content and roles through
practical exploration, experimentation and problem solving
A drama based on crime and investigations
To change from one lighting cue to another with no blackout in
between, or to change from one sound cue to another with no
silence in between
A signal for an actor to do or say something, or for a lighting or
sound effect to begin or end
The back wall of the stage which can be painted or lit
Dance Drama
A drama presented through dance moves
Design Concepts
The overall ‘look’ of the drama e.g. set, lighting, costume, staging
Dialogue
A conversation between two or more characters
Directing
To block moves, give notes to the actors
Docu-drama
A documentary style drama, including reconstructions of events
Down Stage Centre (DSC) The middle part of the stage nearest the audience
Down Stage Left (DSL)
The part of the stage nearest the audience on the left as the
actor faces the audience
Down Stage Right (DSR) The part of the stage nearest the audience on the right as the
actor faces the audience
Dramatic Irony
Actions or remarks whose significance is not realised by all the
characters
Dress rehearsal
Final rehearsal of a drama with all the theatre arts
Drama media
Dramatic features
Dramatic irony
Projections, video footage, sound-scapes
The use of e.g. a symbolic prop, aside, hiding or concealment of a
character that can be seen or heard by the audience but not
others on stage
The irony occurring when the implications of a situation, speech, etc, are
understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play
Duologues
A conversation between two persons
4
Emotion
Emphasis
End on
Enter
Epic theatre
Add feeling to the movement
The stress on a word or phrase
Audience seated at one end – acting area at the other
To come on stage
A theatrical movement arising in the early to mid-20th century from
Episodic Structure
Lots of relatively short scenes are linked together by the same character,
place or theme. Scenes could be shuffled around and placed in a different
order because there is no overall beginning, middle and end. Commonly used by
Brecht.
Evaluate
Exit
Eye Contact
Facial expression
Farce
Flashback
Flash forward
Flats
door flat
window flat
Flies
Flood
Fluency
Focus
Focussing
Follow spot
Form
Forum Theatre
the theories and practice of a number of theatre practitioners,
including Erwin Piscator, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold
and, most famously unified by Bertolt Brecht.
Epic theatre incorporates a mode of acting that utilises what he calls
gestus (a combination of physical gestures and "gist" or attitude). The
epic form describes both a type of written drama and a methodological
approach to the production of plays: "Its qualities of clear description
and reporting and its use of choruses and projections as a means of
commentary earned it the name 'epic'.
To judge the strengths and weaknesses of a drama
To leave the acting area
Looking directly into someone’s eyes
Look on face which shows emotion
A comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through
situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant and
improbable
Acting out an event in the past
Acting out of a future or imagined event
Wooden frames, joined together and covered with canvas, which
can be painted
Frames into which a door is built
Frames into which a window is built
Area above the stage from where scenery/actors are flown in on
pulleys
Lantern giving a wide spread of light
Natural, flowing speech
Key moment, scene, character, relationship or event in a drama
Positioning the lanterns to get the desired lighting
Powerful profile used to follow actors around the acting area
The way the story is told
The audience suggest changes to a drama in order to affect
outcomes
5
Freeze frame
Fresnel Spot
Front of House
(FOH)
Frozen picture
Gauze
G-clamp
Gel
Genre
Gesture
Given Circumstances
Giving witness
Gobo
Ground plan
Historical drama
Hot-seating
Improvisation
Intonation
The action is frozen in time
Lantern giving a soft edged beam of light
Any job in the theatre which involves dealing with the audience
e.g. box office, refreshments, usher
Foundation word for tableau
See-through material which cannot be seen through when lit
from the front, but can be seen through when lit from behind
Clamp used to secure lantern to lighting bar or stand
Film placed in front of a lantern to change the colour of the
beam
A specific type of drama
Movement of the hand or arm which communicates a meaning or
emotion
The term given circumstances is applied to the total set of
environmental and situational conditions which influence the actions
that a character in a drama undertakes. Although a character may
make such choices unconsciously, the actor playing the character is
aware of such conditions on a conscious level to help him or her deepen
his or her understanding of the motivation behind the character's
actions.
Role ‘gives witness’ as if present at a scene within the drama
– can be questioned by the group
Thin metal plate cut out in a pattern and placed in a lantern to
project pattern or shape into the acting area
Bird’s eye view of the set showing what is on the set,
entrances/exits and the position of the audience
Drama set within a specific time period in which the action takes
place in the past
Questioning a character in role
The action is created through devising, it can be spontaneous
or rehearsed
Rising and falling of voice in speech
6
Key
Key Scene
Key Moment
Explanation of symbols on a ground plan
A pivotal scene in the drama
The moment when something changes e.g. a shift in mood/
atmosphere or a change in relationships between characters
Language
Lighting
The dialogue used by characters appropriate to the drama &
character
Used to create mood, atmosphere or location in a drama
Make-up
Mannerisms
Worn by actors for their character
A character has a particular way of doing something either in
movement or speech e,g, tapping fingers while he/she talks etc
Mantle of the expert
Masking
Movement
Musical
One actor unintentionally preventing another from being seen by
the audience
Covering for all, or part, of the face
A sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and
exciting events intended to appeal to the emotions
Stylised form of movement which creates an illusion of reality
Control desk for sound effect being used in a drama
A character speaks their thoughts aloud
Concern the feelings & emotions aroused by a drama& therefore
involve an audience response to what is being seen & heard
Use of the body as a means of communication
Drama which includes song and/or music
Narration
Naturalistic
Non-naturalistic
Part(s) of the drama are told as a story by a narrator
Natural, everyday movement
Away from the norm, for example you would walk in a bizarre way
Order of Scenes
The sequence of scenes in a drama
Masks
Melodrama
Mime
Mixing desk
Monologue
Mood & Atmosphere
7
Pace
Pantomime
Pause
Performance
Speed of speech or movement
Christmas theatrical entertainment usually based on a fairy tale
A break in speaking; period of silence
Presentation of a drama to an audience
Performance Concepts
Personal prop
The acting style etc
An item carried or worn by a character e.g. glasses, handbag,
wallet
A genre of theatrical performance that pursues storytelling through
Physical Theatre
Pitch
Play
Playwright
Plot
Positioning
Posture
Presenting
Profile spot
Promenade
Prompt
Prompt copy
Prompt side
Props
Projection
Proxemics
Proscenium Arch
Protagonist
Purpose
Pyrotechnics
primarily physical means.
How high or low the voice is
(scripter or improvised) Another word for a drama
Person who has written the play
Storyline of the drama
is where an actor is placed on the acting area relation to other actors
Position of the body – how it is held
The results of the Creating process, including performance and
evaluation
Lantern giving a hard-edged beam of light
Audience follows the action on foot, moving from one location to
another
To supply forgotten lines to an actor
Master copy of the script with all moves and technical effects
included
Left hand side of the stage where prompter and stage manager
sit during performance
Short for properties - objects used by an actor
The strength of speaking or singing whereby the voice is used
loudly and clearly.
Stage within an enclosing arch
The main character who enters conflict because of the antagonist
The purpose must be established in order to communicate
meaning. Purpose can be toentertain, explore and experience,
educate, tell a story, explore a theme or issue, communicate a
message, inform
Stage fireworks
8
Rake
Register
Slope of stage (to allow actors to be seen)
Appropriate speech for the person being spoken to, or for the
situation
Rehearsal
Practice or preparation of a drama
Rehearsed Improvisation Drama devised/created without a script which is rehearsed
before presentation
Rehearsal Activities
Games, workshops and activities used to develop characters and
meaning of the drama
Revolving stage
Stage which turns in a circle
Rhythm
Movements which follow a pattern or beat
Role
Part played by an actor / attitude adopted
Role on the wall
A 'role on the wall' diagram is usually just an outline of a person with
Role-play
Role-reversal
information written on it - either inside the outline, or round the edge. It
represents the character you're exploring.
A means of exploring attitudes and beliefs
Role reversal is one of the psychodrama techniques that demonstrate
a protagonist’s intrapersonal conflicts deeply and explicitly on the
stage. The protagonist is invited to move out of his own position or role
into the significant other’s position and enact that role. Therefore, the
auxiliary ego can observe and learn how to play the role. For example,
in a parents-children session, a protagonist who is the child reverses
role with one of his or her parents. This technique not only helps the
protagonist get more insight of a specific role but also helps the
director, the auxiliary egos, and the audience learn more about that
specific role.
Rostra
Blocks or platforms used to create levels
Safety chain
Satire
Used to attach a lantern to the lighting bar for safety
The use of humour, irony etc. to expose and criticise people’s
stupidity or vices
Outline of the plot of a drama, including changes in time or place
Section of a drama, set in one place at one time
Resources used to create the setting where a drama takes place,
e.g. backcloth, flats, rostra, furniture.
The written words of a drama
Scenery used to show where a drama takes place
To place a drama in a certain time or place
An item placed on the set, usually part of it e.g. a lamp, clock,
picture
Where the drama takes place
Scenario
Scene
Scenery
Script
Set (1)
Set (2)
Set prop
Setting
9
Sight lines
Site specific theatre
Slow motion
Sound
Soliloquy
Special effects
Speed
Split Stage
Spontaneous
Improvisation
Spotlight
Stage directions
Stage whisper
Staging
Stage Configurations
Stage imagery
Stage Proxemics
Stance
Status
Stereotype
Stimulus
Strike
Structure
Stylised
Style
Subtext
Tableau
Tabs
Target Audience
Tension
Textual analysis
What the audience sees of the stage from where they are
sitting
Site-specific theatre is any type of theatrical production
designed to be performed at a unique, specially adapted location
other than a standard theatre
Movement performed at a slowed down speed
Music, sfx etc used in a drama
A single lengthy speech, made when no other characters are on
stage
Used to create a mood or atmosphere on stage e.g. strobe light,
mirror ball, smoke machine
The pace of an action or movement
When two or more scenes are set up on the performance space
Drama created ‘on the spot’ without a script or plan
Beam of light created by a lantern for a person or place on the
acting area
Written or spoken advice on how to act a drama
A loud whisper intended to be heard by the audience
The position of the acting area relative to the audience
The way in which the staging is used e.g. in the round
Visual effects on stage
Attitude or position of the body
Importance relative to others
An exaggerated portrayal of a type of person
Anything which suggests ideas which can be developed into a
drama
To remove all the set from the acting area
Way in which time, place and action are sequenced
Movement that is exaggerated, artistic, not natural
A particular type of acting/performance
The underlying meaning of text
A stage picture, held without movement
Curtains
A specific group of people at whom a drama is aimed
Build up of excitement
10
Theatre Arts
The collective name for lighting, sound, costume, props, make-up
and set
Theatre in the round
Audience seated all around the acting area
Thought tracking
An aid to characterisation: the character speaks their thoughts
out loud
Thought tunnel
Character(s) walk past other characters who comment on their
situation
Thrust
Audience seated on three sides of the acting area
Time Period (Historical) When the drama takes place
/passage of time/
shifts in time
Timing
Speaking, moving or pausing at exactly the right moment
Tone
Change of voice to express emotion
Tragedy
A drama about unhappy events and with a sad ending
Tragicomedy
A type of drama that blends aspects of both tragic and comic
forms
Trapdoor
Door in a floor
Treads
Stairs
Truck
Piece of scenery on wheels for ease of movement
Up Stage Centre (USC)
Up Stage Left (USL)
Up Stage Right
(USR)
Use of Direction
Use of Levels
Use of Space
The middle part of the stage furthest away from the audience
The left hand part of the stage furthest away from the audience
as the actor faces the audience
The right hand part of the stage furthest away from the
audience as the actor faces the audience
Is whether the actor moves forwards, backwards or sideways
Varying the height at which movement etc are made
Covering and using the acting/performance space
Venue
Visualisation exercises
Voice-over
Voices in the head
Volume
Place where a drama is presented
Relaxation techniques commonly used by Stanislavski
Recorded speech played during a drama
Recall of words said by others about a character or situation
Loudness or quietness of the voice
Wings
Sides of a theatre stage
11
 The following vocabulary list is only concerned with theatre arts terms.
 It is divided into sections to make it easier for you to learn them.
 Some of the following terms are also listed in the main vocab section on pages
2-8. So please don’t panic!!!!!!!!!!!! Pages 9-12 have only been added to help you
focus more on theatre arts vocabulary.
Proscenium Arch
Apron
Auditorium
Backcloth
Backstage
Balcony
Blacks
Cyclorama
(Dress) Circle
Front of House (FOH)
Flies
Gauze
Green room
Prompt side
Pyrotechnics
Rake
Revolving stage
Stalls
Trapdoor
Treads
Truck
Wings
Stage within an enclosing arch
Part of the stage in front of the curtain
The area for the audience, generally filled with seats
Canvas cloth which covers the back of the stage: can be painted
Non-acting area behind the stage
Areas of seating above the stalls
Drapes which curtain off the sides, or back, of the stage
The back wall of the stage which can be painted or lit
Area of seating above the stalls and below the balcony
Any job in the theatre which involves dealing with the audience
e.g. box office, refreshments, usher
Area above the stage from where scenery/actors are flown in on
pulleys
See-through material which cannot be seen through when lit
from the front, but can be seen through when lit from behind
Area in which actors wait when not on stage during a
performance
Left hand side of the stage where prompter and stage manager
sit during performance
Stage fireworks
Slope of stage (to allow actors to be seen)
Stage which turns in a circle
Lowest area of seating, not above stage height
Door in a floor
Stairs
Piece of scenery on wheels for ease of movement
Sides of a theatre stage
12
Blackout
The acting area is not lit
Slow fade to the lighting/sound is faded out slowly
Fast fade to the lighting/sound is faded out quickly
Snap to Blackout is achieved instantly
Crossfade
Fade up/down
Flood
Gel
Spotlight
Focussing
Follow spot
Fresnel spot
LFX
Lighting Desk
Profile spot
Wash
Barndoors
G-clamp
Gobo
Pyrotechnics
Safety chain
Special effects
To change from one lighting cue to another with no blackout in
between
To brighten or dim the lighting
Lantern giving a wide spread of light
Film placed in front of a lantern to change the colour of the
beam
Beam of light created by a lantern for a person or place on the
acting area
Positioning the lanterns to get the desired lighting
Powerful profile used to follow actors around the acting area
Lantern giving a soft edged beam of light
The quick way to write ‘lighting effects’
Control board for lighting
Lantern giving a hard edged beam of light
The whole acting area is evenly lit
Adjustable metal flaps attached to the front of a fresnel
spotlight for shaping the beam of light
Clamp used to secure lantern to lighting bar or stand
Thin metal plate cut out in a pattern and placed in a lantern to
project pattern or shape into the acting area
Stage fireworks
Used to attach a lantern to the lighting bar for safety
Used to create a mood or atmosphere on stage e.g. strobe light,
mirror ball, smoke machine
13
Cue
Fade in
Fade out
Crossfade
Live (SFX)
Pre-recorded (SFX)
SFX
Mixing desk
Costume
Hats
Jewellery
Wigs
Costume list
Period costume
Personal prop
wallet
Props
Set prop
Props table
A signal for an actor to do or say something, or for a lighting or
sound effect to begin or end
To bring the volume up
To bring the volume down
To change from one sound cue to another, with no silence in
between
An SFX is operated on cue during the performance e.g. a
doorbell, a phone ring, a knock
An SFX is recorded on tape and played on cue during the
performance
The quick way to write ‘sound effects’
Control desk for sound
Clothes worn by actors for their character
Items worn on head in keeping with the character being played
Items worn on ears, neck or wrists in keeping with costume worn
Artificial hair in a variety of colours and styles for any
character part
A list of all costumes for each character in a drama
Costume which reflects clothing from a time in history
An item carried or worn by a character e.g. glasses, handbag,
(short for properties) – items used or carried by an actor, or
items on the set
An item placed on the set, usually part of it e.g. a lamp, clock,
picture
Table in the wings on which all props are placed for actors to
collect as they enter, and replace as they exit
14
Fake Blood
Foundation
Liners
Pencils
Scarring
Stipple sponge
Tooth varnish
Crepe hair
Highlighting
Shading
Spirit gum
Latex
Nose putty
Skull cap
Powder, liquid or capsules which create the effect of bleeding
The basic skin colour
Sticks of make-up in different colours used to create lines,
bruises, shading, highlighting etc.
Soft pencils in different colours which are easily smudged and
blended
Scars created with make-up, putty or scarring material
Used to create an unshaven look or the appearance of cracked
veins
Used to create the look of a missing tooth by blacking out an
existing one
Plaits of artificial hair which can be cut and trimmed to form
eyebrows, moustaches and beards
Using light colours to make face areas stand out
Using colours to make facial areas look shrunken
Glue used to attach hair to the face
Liquid rubber which can be used to make skull cap moulds and
false noses
Type of clay used for altering the shape of the nose or chin
and/or making warts and wounds
Plastic head-shaped covering to give appearance of baldness
Acting area
That part of the available space occupied by the set and/or used by
actors when acting
Centre Stage (CS)
The centre area of the stage
Centre Stage Left (CSL) The left hand centre side of the acting area as the actor faces the
audience
Centre Stage Right (CSR) The right hand centre side of the acting area as the actor faces the
audience
Down Stage Centre (DSC) The middle part of the stage nearest the audience
Down Stage Left (DSL)
The part of the stage nearest the audience on the left as the actor
faces the audience
Down Stage Right (DSR) The part of the stage nearest the audience on the right as the actor
faces the audience
End on
Audience seated at one end - acting area at the other
15
Ground plan
Key
Rostra
Set (1)
Set prop
Sight lines
Staging
Theatre in the round
Thrust
Up Stage Centre (USC)
Up Stage Left (USL)
Up Stage Right (USR)
Avenue
Dress the set
Portable staging
Proscenium Arch
Promenade
Bird’s eye view of the set showing what is on the set, entrances/exits
and the position of the audience
Explanation of symbols on a ground plan
Blocks or platforms used to create levels
Scenery used to show where a drama takes place
An item placed on the set, usually part of it e.g. a lamp, clock, picture
What the audience sees of the stage from where they are sitting
The position of the acting area relative to the audience
Audience seated all round the acting area
Audience seated on three sides of the acting area
The middle part of the stage furthest away from the audience
The left hand part of the stage furthest away from the audience as
the actor faces the audience
The right hand part of the stage furthest away from the audience as
the actor faces the audience
Audience seated on two sides of the acting area
Add soft furnishings such as tablecloth, cushions, pictures and preset props
Lightweight frames and boards for creating levels
Stage within an enclosing arch
Audience follows the action on foot, moving from one location to
another
16