Theatre Glossary
Whether you're stepping on stage for the first time or picking up a script to read, here's a guide to the terms you'll encounter in the world of theatre.
35 terms in Genres & Styles
Realism
A theatrical movement and style that aims to depict life on stage as authentically as possible, with truthful characters, natural dialogue, and recognisable settings. Realism emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction against the artificiality of melodrama. Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov are considered founding figures. Most contemporary drama operates within broadly realist conventions.
Genres & StylesRestoration Comedy
A style of witty, sexually frank comedy that flourished on the English stage after the theatres reopened in 1660 following the Puritan ban. Restoration comedies feature elaborate plots of seduction and intrigue among the upper classes, sharp dialogue, and satirical observation of social manners. Key playwrights include William Congreve (The Way of the World), William Wycherley, and Aphra Behn—the first professional English woman playwright.
Genres & StylesSatire
A dramatic form that uses humour, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to criticise and expose human vice, folly, or social institutions. Satirical theatre has a long tradition stretching from Aristophanes' ancient Greek comedies through Molière to modern writers like Caryl Churchill and Ayad Akhtar. Effective satire entertains while provoking thought about its targets.
Genres & StylesSite-Specific Theatre
Theatre created for and performed in a particular non-theatrical location, where the site itself becomes integral to the meaning and experience of the performance. Examples include plays performed in abandoned buildings, forests, swimming pools, or private homes. Site-specific work challenges conventional audience-performer relationships and often draws meaning from the history or character of its location.
Genres & StylesSlapstick
A style of physical comedy involving exaggerated, boisterous actions such as falls, collisions, chases, and prop-based gags. The term comes from the "slapstick" or "batacchio"—a paddle-like device used in commedia dell'arte that made a loud slapping sound when used to strike a performer. Slapstick requires considerable physical skill and precise timing to execute safely.
Genres & StylesTheatre in Education
A form of theatre (often abbreviated TIE) that uses performance, workshops, and interactive techniques to educate young people about specific topics—from history and science to social issues like bullying, consent, and mental health. TIE companies visit schools and create participatory experiences where students engage directly with the material. It bridges the gap between classroom learning and the emotional power of live performance.
Genres & StylesTragedy
One of the oldest dramatic genres, originating in ancient Greek theatre. Classical tragedy depicts the downfall of a noble protagonist brought about by a combination of fate, character flaws, and forces beyond their control. Aristotle defined tragedy as evoking pity and fear to achieve catharsis. Shakespeare's tragedies (Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello) are cornerstones of the Western canon.
Genres & StylesTragicomedy
A dramatic genre that blends elements of both tragedy and comedy, often featuring serious themes treated with humour or tragic situations that resolve happily. Shakespeare's late plays (The Winter's Tale, The Tempest) are often called tragicomedies. Modern playwrights like Chekhov and Beckett masterfully blend comic and tragic elements, reflecting life's tendency to mix laughter with sorrow.
Genres & StylesVaudeville
A genre of variety entertainment popular in the United States and Canada from the 1880s to the 1930s. Vaudeville shows featured a series of unrelated acts—comedy, song, dance, acrobatics, magic, animal acts—performing on the same bill. Vaudeville circuits launched many careers and influenced the development of musical theatre, comedy, and television variety shows.
Genres & StylesVerbatim Theatre
A form of documentary theatre in which the script is constructed from the exact words spoken by real people, gathered through interviews, transcripts, public inquiries, or other sources. Verbatim theatre makers like Alecky Blythe (London Road) and Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project) create dramatic works that give voice to real communities and events.
Genres & StylesWhodunnit
A mystery play in which the central question is the identity of a perpetrator—usually a murderer—with the audience following clues alongside the characters to solve the puzzle. The genre thrives on suspense, misdirection, and a satisfying reveal. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap (the world's longest-running play, in London since 1952) and her The Unexpected Guest are classic theatrical whodunnits.
Genres & Styles