Drama Vocabulary
1. act
a subdivision of a play into sections
2. actor
a person who plays a role or character in a play
3. action
conflict that causes a heightening of the events in the play
4. amphitheatre an outdoor theatre that was used in the Classical Period.
5. Architecture
one of the seven arts, the art of building and construction, the
scenery in a production.
6. arena
a staging style in which the stage is completely surrounded by the audience
7. art
an imitation of life
8. black box
a staging style in which a blank space is set up in one of the other
three staging styles
9. blocking
the movement of the actors on stage in a play
10. character
the personality of a role in a play
11. chorus
a group of 12 dancers who told parts of the story in a Classic Play.
12. classic
first, or original, the First Great Period of Drama
13. climax
the highest point of action in the play, brings about the resolution
14. comedy
a non serious play with a happy ending
15. conflict
the struggle in the play
16. criticism
positive comments to improve performance.
17. costumes
one of the seven arts, the clothing that a character wears in a play
18. cue
the moment something is meant to be said or done
19. dance
one of the seven arts, the art of movement
20. detail
a specific part of a whole.
21. dialogue
“two speak,” two or more people speaking
22. drama
a mimetic art, literature that is meant to be performed, an art form
in which a story is acted out for a live audience
23. elevation
a scaled drawing of a scene that shows the height but not the depth
24. episode
“after the ode,” one of five sections in a classic play
25. exposition
“from this position,” the information the audience needs to
understand the story
26. ground plan
a scaled drawing that shows a scene as it would appear
from above
27. guerilla theatre
theatre that is not performed in a theatrical space, and is not
immediately apparent to be a dramatic presentation
28. imitation
copied behavior
29. improvisation
unscripted, to make up as you go along, thinking on your
feet
30. intermission
a break or pause near the middle of a play
31. lighting
one of the seven arts, creates mood, tone and focus in a
play, and includes the use of special effects
32. mask
a covering for the face that creates or reveals character
33. melodrama
a serious play with a happy ending
34. mimetic
to imitate, drama is a mimetic art
35. modern
a movement toward realism, the Third Great Period
36. monologue
one person speaking, a long speech
37. music
one of the seven arts, it provides mood and tone in a play
and heightens the dramatic action. Music can be sung or
used as background setting.
38. observation
using your senses to receive information.
39. orchestra
the semi circle in front of the stage in an amphitheatre
40. painting
used to create depth and detail in theatrical scenery
41. plot
the sequence of events, what happens in a play
42. proscenium
a staging style in which the audience sits on one side of the
stage and views the play through a frame or arch
43. proscenium arch
the frame around a proscenium stage
44. public theatre
the outdoor theatre that Shakespeare wrote his plays to be
performed in.
43. realism
the attempt to be as life-like as possible.
45. rehearsal
practice for performance
46. resolution
the final resting place of a play
47. ritual
an practice that is done regularly and faithfully
48. role
a character in a play
49. romantic
passionate, or of great passion, the Second Great Period
50. scene
the subdivision of an act into sections
51. setting
the time and the place
52. soliloquy
a monologue that is delivered as an aside to the audience
53. speech
one of the seven arts, the art of acting, using projection,
emotion, and articulation, to express the dialogue in a play
54. stage directions
abbreviations used to split the stage into sections for the
purpose of blocking
55. thrust
a staging style in which the stage is surrounded on two or
three sides by the audience
56. tragedy
a serious play with a sad ending, the earliest dramatic form
57. warm ups
exercises designed to help the actor get ready to perform