Theater Vocabulary

• Theater


  A collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers, typically actors or actresses, to communicate through combinations of gesture, song, music, and dance
• Prompt Book


  The master copy of the script or score, containing all the actor moves and technical cues, and is used by the deputy stage manager to run rehearsals and later, control the performance
• Green Room


  The space in a theatre or similar venue that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on stage
• Woofer


  A loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio frequencies, known as bass and sub-bass
• Boom Stand


  Enables hands free mounting of microphones, lightweight lights and other similar equipment
• Crossfader


  A control on a mixer or DJ mixer that allows one source to fade in while another fades out
• Call Board


  A bulletin board, as in a theater, on which notices are posted announcing rehearsals, changes in the cast, etc.
• Front of House


  The part of the theater that is used by the audience. The part of the venue that is open to the public
• Personal Props


  An object actors used on stage or screen during a performance or screen production
• Valence


  A boarder or teaser on stage. A hanging cloth that conceals the stage from the view of the audience
• Shotgun Mic


  A type of microphone that pick up sound from a specific direction while filtering out background noise
• False Proscenium


  A frame formed by scenic canvas or vertical flattage within the proscenium arch
• Douser


  A metal flag used in larger follow spots and projection equipment to cut off the light beam without cutting off the electrical supply
• Jackknife Platform


  A stage used for rapid scene-shifting, consisting of a platform or two on casters, pivoted at one corner to swing off- and onstage
• House Right


  To a seated audience member's right
• Floor Plan


  A drawing that shows the shape, size, and arrangement of rooms in a building as viewed from above
• Subwoofer


  Producing the lower frequencies within music. Known as the bass and sub-bass, amplified through the woofer
• Hazer


  An atmospheric effect that will basically put "liquid dust" into the air to enhance lighting
• Set Dressing


  Decorating a particular set with curtains and furniture, filling shelves and generally making it look real and lived –in
• Backlight


  To increase readability in low light condition. Help separate the subject of and the background
• Casters


  To move pieces of their sets, equipment, and other material
• Wing Space


  The areas just off stage left or stage right, not seen by the audience
• Stock Scenery


  Those that the theatre stores between productions and can be reused, redressed, or altered for a production. Companies that have allocated space to store scenic elements such as flat walls and platforms can effectively and economically reuse them
• Audience Blinders


  High intensity flood lights mounted to focus on the audience. Turned on to create an impact on the audience and perhaps cover a scene change
• Masking


  Masks have been used almost universally to represent characters in theatrical performances