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• Accent


  A distinctive way of pronouncing words, especially one associated with a particular country, area, or social class
• Antagonist


  A character who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with the hero/main character (the protagonist) in a play, novel or film
• Ambient Sounds


  The everyday sounds that occur naturally in a setting and give us a sense of location or setting (e.g. bird song, waves lapping the shore, fire crackling)
• Blackout


  When all of the stage lanterns are bought down, and the performance space is in darkness
• Blocking


  The deliberate positioning of actors on stage to provide the audience with the best and most effective view
• Cyclorama


  A background device covering upstage and used with special lighting to create the illusion of sky, open space, or great distance
• Downstage


  The area of the stage closest to the audience (in a traditional end-on or thrust configuration)
• Duologue


  A passage of speech delivered by two characters
• Emphasis


  The stress or pressure on individual words that makes them stand out. Emphasis for a particular effect is significant and can change the meaning of a sentence as well as the feeling behind it
• Flood light


  An unfocused lantern that provides a broad, even wash of light
• Foreshadowing


  A warning or hint of something that is going to happen
• Pace


  How fast or slow an actor's vocal delivery is
• Posture


  How an actor holds their body (e.g. slumped, straight, upright, shoulders back or rounded/hunched over)
• Profile spot


  A lantern which produces a crisp edged, circular beam of light
• Protagonist


  The main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles
• Proxemics


  The communication of meaning through the spatial relationships on stage
• Rake


  The name for the slope of the stage floor – often tilted up away from the audience to improve sightlines (with downstage being the lowest point)
• Subtext


  The underlying meaning of something (often what characters really feel/want, but not what they say); the implied meaning
• Tone


  The quality of someone's voice or their manner which suggests their mood or intention towards the listener (e.g. a sympathetic tone, a sarcastic tone, a firm tone, a threatening tone of voice…)
• Upstage


  The area of the stage furthest away from the audience (in a traditional end-on or thrust configuration)