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
Overture
An instrumental musical introduction played before the curtain rises on a musical theatre production. The overture typically weaves together the show's major musical themes, setting the mood and building audience anticipation. While classic musicals nearly always featured overtures, many contemporary musicals have shortened or eliminated them in favour of jumping straight into the action.
Musical TheatrePacing
The speed and rhythm at which a performance unfolds, encompassing the tempo of dialogue delivery, the duration of pauses, and the flow between scenes. Good pacing keeps the audience engaged—too slow and attention drifts, too fast and emotional beats are lost. Directors shape pacing throughout the rehearsal process, and it often shifts once a live audience is present.
Acting & PerformancePantomime
A form of theatrical entertainment primarily found in the United Kingdom, traditionally performed during the Christmas season. Pantomimes (or "pantos") are based on fairy tales and feature audience participation, slapstick comedy, songs, cross-dressing roles (the "pantomime dame" played by a man, the principal boy played by a woman), and topical humour. The tradition is distinct from silent mime.
Genres & StylesPaper Tech
A planning meeting held before technical rehearsals begin, where the director, stage manager, and design team sit together with the script and walk through every cue, transition, and technical element on paper. Paper tech establishes the sequence and timing of all technical cues before anyone enters the theatre, making actual tech rehearsals significantly more efficient.
Directing & ProductionPeripeteia
A sudden reversal of fortune in a dramatic plot—the moment when circumstances swing from good to bad (in tragedy) or bad to good (in comedy). Aristotle identified peripeteia as a key element of compelling drama, especially when it occurs simultaneously with anagnorisis (recognition). The discovery that transforms everything—the letter that arrives too late, the identity revealed—is peripeteia in action.
Dramatic StructurePhysical Theatre
A broad term for performance styles that prioritise the body as the primary means of storytelling, rather than relying primarily on spoken text. Physical theatre draws on mime, dance, acrobatics, clowning, and other movement traditions. Companies like DV8 Physical Theatre, Gecko, and Frantic Assembly have developed distinctive physical theatre vocabularies.
Genres & StylesPlaces
The stage manager's final call before a performance or rehearsal begins, signalling that everyone must be in their starting positions immediately. "Places" is preceded by time-based warnings—typically "half hour," "fifteen minutes," "five minutes," and then "places, please." When you hear "places," the show is about to start and there is no more time to prepare.
Directing & ProductionPlaywright
A person who writes plays. The word uses "wright" (meaning maker or craftsman, as in wheelwright) rather than "write," emphasising that playwriting is a craft of construction. Playwrights create the dramatic text that forms the foundation of theatrical production. The role carries specific legal rights including copyright and approval over productions of their work.
Industry & BusinessPractical
A prop or scenic element that actually functions on stage rather than being purely decorative. A practical lamp really lights up, a practical tap runs water, a practical door opens and closes. Practicals require coordination between the props, scenic, and electrical departments. They add realism but also add complexity—a flickering practical lamp might need its own dimmer circuit and cue in the lighting plot.
Stagecraft & TechnicalPreview
Public performances that take place before a show's official opening night. Previews allow the creative team to make adjustments based on audience response—lines may be rewritten, songs cut or added, and staging refined. Preview tickets are often sold at reduced prices. Critics traditionally refrain from reviewing preview performances, though this convention has eroded.
Industry & BusinessProducer
The person or organisation responsible for the business and financial aspects of a theatrical production. Producers raise funding, hire the creative team (including the director), secure the theatre, manage the budget, and oversee marketing. In commercial theatre, producers take financial risk; in subsidised theatre, the producing organisation fulfils this role.
Industry & BusinessProjection
The technique of using the voice powerfully and clearly so that it carries to every seat in the theatre without shouting or straining. Good vocal projection relies on breath support, resonance, and articulation rather than sheer volume. Before amplification was common, projection was the most essential skill an actor could develop. Even in miked productions, strong projection creates presence and clarity.
Acting & PerformanceProjection Design
The use of projected images, video, and digital content as a scenic and storytelling element in theatrical production. Projection designers create visual environments using projectors, LED screens, and mapping technology to display everything from realistic backgrounds to abstract imagery, live camera feeds, and animated effects. Once a novelty, projection design has become a standard discipline in modern theatre production.
DesignPrologue
An introductory section at the beginning of a play, preceding the main action. Prologues may establish setting and context, introduce themes, or directly address the audience. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet famously opens with a prologue that reveals the entire plot ("star-cross'd lovers"). The device dates back to ancient Greek drama.
Dramatic StructurePromenade Theatre
A form of performance where the audience moves through different locations following the action, rather than sitting in fixed seats. Similar to immersive theatre but with a more guided, processional structure, promenade performances lead audiences through spaces—indoor or outdoor—where scenes unfold around them. The walking itself becomes part of the theatrical experience.
Genres & StylesPrompt Book
The stage manager's master copy of the script, containing all technical cues (lighting, sound, set changes), blocking notation, timing notes, and other production information needed to run the show. Also called "the book" or "the bible," the prompt book is the definitive production document and sits at the stage manager's desk during every performance.
Directing & ProductionPrompt Corner
The position, usually in the wings at stage left (or occasionally stage right), from which the stage manager runs the show during performances—calling cues for lighting, sound, and fly changes, and following the script to ensure nothing is missed. The prompt corner contains monitors showing the stage, communication headsets to all departments, and the prompt book. It is the nerve centre of every performance.
Stagecraft & TechnicalProps
Short for "properties"—any objects handled or used by actors on stage, from weapons and letters to food and furniture. Props are managed by the props department, headed by the props master. "Hand props" are carried by actors, "set props" are larger items like furniture placed on stage, and "personal props" are items associated with a specific character.
Stagecraft & TechnicalProscenium
The architectural frame surrounding the stage opening in a traditional theatre, creating a "picture frame" through which the audience views the performance. Proscenium theatres (or "proscenium arch" theatres) are the most common Western theatre configuration. The proscenium establishes a clear separation between the world of the play and the audience.
Venues & SpacesProtagonist
The central character of a play around whom the main action revolves. From the Greek "first actor" (protagonistes), the protagonist drives the story forward and is typically the character the audience follows most closely. The protagonist is not necessarily heroic—they can be morally complex, flawed, or even villainous—but they are the primary lens through which the story is experienced.
Dramatic StructureQueer Theatre
Theatre that centres LGBTQ+ experiences, identities, and perspectives, both as subject matter and as a creative practice. Queer theatre encompasses a vast range—from pioneering works like The Boys in the Band (1968) and Angels in America (1991) to contemporary explorations of gender, sexuality, and identity. It has been instrumental in challenging heteronormative narratives and creating visibility for LGBTQ+ communities.
Genres & StylesQuick Change
A rapid costume change that takes place during a performance, often in the wings or just offstage, typically in under a minute. Quick changes require carefully prepared costumes (with velcro, snaps, and strategic layering), dedicated dressers, and rehearsed choreography. Some productions feature dozens of quick changes per show. The most impressive ones happen so fast the audience barely notices the performer left the stage.
DesignRaked Stage
A stage floor that slopes upward from the front (audience side) to the back, improving sightlines for audiences seated at ground level. Raked stages were standard in European theatres from the Renaissance through the 19th century—this is why the area nearest the audience is called "downstage" (literally down the slope) and the area farthest away is "upstage." Some modern productions still use raked stages for dramatic visual effect.
Venues & SpacesRead-Through
An early rehearsal in which the entire cast sits together and reads the complete script aloud from beginning to end. The first read-through (or "table read") typically takes place on the first day of rehearsals, giving everyone a shared understanding of the full story. It's often the first time actors hear the entire play with their cast partners.
Directing & Production