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.
299 terms
Catharsis
An emotional release or purging experienced by the audience during or after a dramatic performance. The concept originates from Aristotle's Poetics, where he described tragedy as achieving catharsis through the emotions of pity and fear. A play that produces catharsis leaves the audience feeling emotionally cleansed or transformed by the experience.
Dramatic StructureCentre Stage
The middle of the performance area, equidistant from the wings and from the front and back of the stage. Centre stage is the strongest position on a proscenium stage—it naturally draws the audience's eye and commands attention. The expression "take centre stage" has entered everyday language to mean becoming the focus of attention in any situation.
Venues & SpacesCharacterisation
The art of creating and portraying a believable character on stage. Characterisation encompasses the choices an actor makes—voice, posture, gesture, rhythm, emotion—to bring a written role to life. In the text itself, playwrights build characterisation through dialogue, stage directions, and what other characters say about each other. Strong characterisation makes the difference between a flat performance and a fully realised human being on stage.
Acting & PerformanceCheating Out
A subtle acting technique where a performer angles their body slightly toward the audience while appearing to interact naturally with other characters on stage. Instead of facing a scene partner directly (which would turn their back to part of the audience), the actor "cheats" their position open. Done well, cheating out is invisible to the audience but ensures facial expressions and dialogue are clearly visible from the house.
Acting & PerformanceChoreography
The art of designing and arranging dance movements and physical sequences for a stage production. In musical theatre, a choreographer creates all dance numbers, and often movement sequences for non-dance scenes as well. Fight choreography (or "stage combat") specifically designs safe but realistic-looking physical confrontations.
Musical TheatreChorus
In ancient Greek theatre, the chorus was a group of performers who commented on the action through song and dance, serving as a bridge between the audience and the main characters. In modern musical theatre, the chorus (or ensemble) refers to the group of singers and dancers who perform together in group numbers, as distinct from the principal roles.
Musical TheatreChorus Leader
The coryphaeus or chorus leader in ancient Greek theatre—the member of the chorus who spoke individual lines, interacted directly with the main actors, and led the chorus's collective movement and song. The chorus leader served as an intermediary between the chorus (representing the community) and the protagonists, often asking questions or expressing concerns that guided the audience's understanding.
Musical TheatreClimax
The point of highest dramatic tension in a play, where the central conflict reaches its most intense moment and the outcome of the story becomes inevitable. The climax typically occurs late in the play and is followed by the denouement (resolution). In a well-structured drama, all preceding action builds toward this pivotal moment.
Dramatic StructureClosing Night
The final performance of a production's run. Closing night carries a bittersweet emotional charge—the last time this particular company will perform this show together. In long-running shows, closing night may feature curtain call speeches. For the crew, closing night means strike begins. The ephemeral nature of live theatre makes every closing a small goodbye.
Industry & BusinessCold Reading
Reading a script or sides (portions of a script) aloud without any prior preparation or rehearsal. Cold readings are common in auditions, where actors may be handed pages from the script moments before performing them. The ability to deliver a compelling cold reading—making strong choices with unfamiliar material—is a valuable audition skill.
Acting & PerformanceComedy
A dramatic genre intended primarily to amuse and entertain, typically ending happily. Comedy encompasses many subgenres including romantic comedy, dark comedy, satire, farce, and comedy of manners. In classical Greek theatre, comedy was one of the two main dramatic forms (alongside tragedy), and the comedic and tragic masks remain iconic symbols of theatre.
Genres & StylesComic Relief
A humorous scene, character, or line of dialogue inserted into an otherwise serious or tense play to provide the audience with a moment of emotional release before the tension resumes. Shakespeare was a master of comic relief—the porter in Macbeth and the gravedigger in Hamlet both provide laughter amid tragedy. Used well, comic relief makes the serious moments feel even more powerful by contrast.
Dramatic StructureCommedia dell'Arte
A form of improvised Italian comedy that flourished from the 16th to 18th centuries. Performers used stock characters (like Harlequin, Colombina, and Pantalone), masks, physical comedy, and loose plot outlines (scenarios) rather than fixed scripts. Commedia dell'arte had an enormous influence on pantomime, vaudeville, and physical theatre traditions worldwide.
History & TraditionsCompany Manager
The administrative professional responsible for managing the day-to-day logistics and welfare of a theatre company during rehearsals and the run of a show. Company managers handle contracts, travel arrangements, accommodation, payroll, insurance, and serve as a liaison between the production company and the venue. They ensure the practical machinery of a production runs smoothly.
Directing & ProductionControl Booth
An enclosed area, typically at the back of the auditorium, from which the stage manager calls cues and the lighting and sound operators run their equipment during a performance. The booth provides a clear view of the stage and houses communication systems connecting to backstage. In some theatres, the booth is a windowed room; in others, it's an open desk at the back of the house.
Stagecraft & TechnicalCorpsing
When an actor breaks into uncontrollable laughter during a performance or rehearsal, disrupting the scene. The term possibly derives from the idea of an actor playing a corpse who cannot stay still, or from "ruining" a scene (making it a corpse). Corpsing is contagious—once one actor starts, others often follow. While audiences sometimes enjoy these moments, directors rarely do.
Acting & PerformanceCostume Design
The art of creating the clothing, accessories, wigs, and makeup worn by performers in a production. Costume designers research period styles, develop colour palettes that support the story, and create designs that allow for movement and quick changes. Costumes communicate character, status, mood, and time period to the audience at a glance.
DesignCostume Parade
A pre-performance review in which actors walk across the stage in their costumes under stage lighting so the director and costume designer can assess how everything looks. Costume parades check for fit, colour, movement, and how costumes read from the audience. Adjustments are made before the first dress rehearsal. This is sometimes called a dress parade.
Directing & ProductionCounterweight System
The mechanical system used to fly scenery, curtains, and lighting bars above the stage. Steel counterweights (stored in a frame called an arbor) balance the weight of whatever is hung on the batten, allowing a single operator to raise and lower heavy scenic elements smoothly and safely. The counterweight system replaced the older hemp rope system and remains the standard fly system in most proscenium theatres.
Stagecraft & TechnicalCrew
The team of people working behind the scenes to make a production happen, including stagehands, lighting and sound operators, wardrobe assistants, props handlers, and fly operators. The "running crew" works during performances, executing set changes, operating equipment, and managing backstage logistics. Crew members are essential collaborators who rarely receive the visibility they deserve.
Directing & ProductionCross
A stage movement where an actor walks from one area of the stage to another during a scene. Crosses are planned during blocking rehearsals and noted in the script with shorthand like "X DSL" (cross to downstage left). A well-motivated cross feels natural—the character moves because they need to, not because the director told them to. In stage notation, a cross is typically abbreviated as "X."
Venues & SpacesCross Fade
A lighting or sound transition where one state fades out while another simultaneously fades in, creating a smooth, overlapping shift. In lighting, a cross fade might transition from a warm interior scene to a cool moonlit exterior. In sound, it might blend one piece of music into another. Cross fades avoid the abruptness of a snap change and can suggest the passage of time, a shift in mood, or a change of location.
Stagecraft & TechnicalCrossover
A backstage passageway that connects the two sides of the stage (stage left and stage right), allowing actors and crew to move from one wing to the other without being seen by the audience. In theatres without a dedicated crossover behind the back wall, performers may need to use corridors beneath or behind the stage, which can be a significant logistical challenge.
Stagecraft & TechnicalCue
A signal that triggers a specific action during a performance. Cues can be lines of dialogue, physical movements, musical phrases, or calls from the stage manager. Light cues trigger lighting changes, sound cues trigger audio effects, and actor cues signal entrances or specific actions. The stage manager "calls cues" from the prompt corner during performances.
Stagecraft & Technical