Acoustics
The study of sound and sound waves. The acoustics or fidelity and audibility of a stage and auditorium depend on their size, their shape and the amount & location of sound-absorbing and/or reflecting materials.

Act
(1) n. A major division of a play or opera. Often there are intermissions between acts.
(2) A short performance by one or more entertainers as a part of a vaudeville show, a revue, etc. Also called a Variety Act.
(3) The personnel of such a vaudeville or revue act, such as its singers, jugglers, etc.
(4) v. To perform in a play, most notably a dramatic stage production.

Act Curtain
A curtain for closing the proscenium opening between acts or scenes. This can be the main curtain or a secondary curtain of a different color and/or type.

Act Drop
A stretched framed and painted canvas, often in a Victorian pastoral style, used for a scene change or as an olio during a vaudeville show or musical. Later in many vaudeville theaters, act drops were often replaced by or repainted to be advertisement curtains for the additional revenue.

Ad-Lib
Improvised spontaneous line or lines that are not a part of the script. While ad-libs can be funny in a comedy, they can be fatal to a drama.

Advertisement Curtain
A gaudy painted drop used to advertise the wares or services of local merchants. Also known as a vaudeville drop or olio curtain because it was used extensively in vaudeville shows.

Agitprop Drama
A propaganda based drama, often informal, which supports socially or politically motivated leftist and/or communist ideology. Coined from a combination of the words 'agitate' and 'propaganda'.

Aisle
A passage or walkway through the auditorium's seating area. An aisle down the middle of an auditorium is called the center aisle.

Allegory
A play in which characters and/or events symbolizes abstract or spiritual concepts. For example: In Everyman, Death and Worldly Goods are speaking characters rather than an event in one's life or a physical accumulation of wealth.

Alley-Oop
A vaudeville/circus slang term for an acrobatic or tumbling act, especially those that have acrobats climbing onto each other. From the French allez meaning go on and the English word up.

Ambience
See Atmosphere.

Amphitheater
A large, usually round space with raised tiers of seats around a stage. Originally outside, in Ancient Greek and Roman times they were also used as arenas for everything from performances to gladiatorial games. Today, amphitheaters can be located inside or outside, with many outdoor ones forming a semicircle facing a modified modern stage. See Arena Theater.

Anti-Rake
Furniture or props modified by shortening their upstage legs etc. so that they can be level on a raked stage

Apache Dance
A exhibition dance which represents an Apache male handling his woman in a brutal, masterful way. This includes slapping, hitting and throwing the woman about who crawls back for more. More popular in early 20th Century Europe than America, it fell out of favor with the rise of feminism. A serious dancing form of knockabout.

Apron
The constantly exposed area of the stage between of the curtain/proscenium arch and the stage edge/pit. Also called a Forestage.

Arc Lamp
See Arc Light.

Arc Light
(1) A lamp in which high-intensity light is produced by an electric arc between two electrodes. Also know as an Arc Lamp.
(2) The light such a lamp produces.

Arena Theater
A central stage without a proscenium which is surrounded by the audience on at least three sides. A theatrical production on such a stage is called Theater-in-the-Round.

Asbestos Curtain
An asbestos or steel curtain directly behind the proscenium wall which rode up and down in metal grooves that could separated the stage from the auditorium (house) in case of fire. Asbestos curtains have became unnecessary since theater lighting evolved from candles, burning oil lamps and lit gas jets to modern electricity. Many fire codes, though, still require some form of asbestos curtain. Also known as a Steel Curtain, Fire Curtain or Safety Curtain.

Aside
Lines said by an actor to the audience which are (supposed) not heard by the others on stage. In a serious drama, they often relay that character's inner thoughts.

Atmosphere
(1) The normal background noise found at any theater.
(2) The artificially produced background sounds used to indicate environment or setting. Also called Ambience.
(3) The prevailing mood (calmness, mystery, sadness, humorous, etc.) of a play.

Auditorium
The room, hall or building used for performances, specifically the area in which the audience is seated. Also known as the House.

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Glossary Index - Main Menu - Overture

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