The Sault Opera Legacy

Glossary of Theatrical Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Act: Subdivision between sections of a play

Acting Area: Portion of the stage, excluding the apron, that is viewable by the audience

Admission: The fee paid by a member of the audience for the privilege of entering the performance venue

Advance Box Office: The location outside of the venue where the play is performed where the box office is located, usually inside a store or shopping mall

Apron: Portion of the stage which protrudes from the proscenium arch into the audience area

Audience: Members of the general public who come to view the performance

Auditorium: The building or the portion of the building consisting of: the audience seating area, orchestra pit, lighting and sound booths, stage, wings, dressing rooms, set construction area, greenroom, and rehearsal areas.

Back to Top

B

Back Drop: A large fabric sheet that light reflects off of to create the appearance of sky

Back Light: Light falling on a performer from behind to distinguish the person from the backbround

Backstage: All areas not seen by the audience that the performers have access to including the greenroom, dressing rooms, and technical areas

Box Office: The place that members of the general public can purchase tickets and reserve seats for a performance

"Break A Leg": A superstitious and widely-accepted alternative to "Good Luck" (considered to be bad luck)

Breakaway: Props or furniture that are designed to be safely broken or shattered on stage

Broadway: The main street that winds through Manhatten in New York City renowned for its theatrical and entertainment district

Broadway musical: Commonly referred to light-hearted musical plays that featured a jazzy, upbeat score that made their debut on Broadway in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. Examples include works by composers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein ("The Sound of Music", "The King and I", "Oklahama!", "South Pacific"), Lerner and Loewe ("Gigi"), and many others

Back to Top

C

Cast: The participants in a production who act out specific characters in a play

Concertmaster: The leader of the first violin section of an orchestra who acts as an assistant to the conductor

Conductor: The person who is responsible for keeping all the singers on stage and musicians in the orchestra playing at the same tempo and key by waving a baton in time to the rhythm. Frequently, the conductor also fulfills the role as music director in a production

Costume: The garment worn by an actor to depict a certain character in a particular period

Curtain: Commonly referred to the main curtain or the proscenium curtain that is opened (curtain up) and closed (curtain down) at the beginning and end of a scene, act, or performance

Curtain Call: An acknowledgement of the applause at the conclusion of a performance, usually accompanied by a song or musical interlude with the cast members taking individual and group bows

Curtain Time: The scheduled start time of the performance

Back to Top

D

Designer: The person responsible for the visual appearance of the show. The most common types of designers in theatre are: the lighting designer who sets the colour, levels, and position of the lights; the costume designer who selects the type of fabric and colour for all the costumes; and the set designer who decides on the shape, placement, and painting of the scenic elements on the stage for each scene

Director: The person who attends all rehearsals and makes all the decisions regarding the placement and movement of the actors on stage. He/she works closely with the conductor and other production personnel such as the stage manager, set designer, and technical crew

Back to Top

E

Back to Top

F

Back to Top

G

Greenroom: The room that serves as a waiting area for actors and backstage personnel

Back to Top

H

House: The main area of the auditorium in which the audience is seated

House Box Office: The box office that is located at the same venue as the performance, usually in the the theatre lobby

House Manager: The person in charge of the overall safety and security of the audience by overseeing the ushering, traffic flow in and out of the house, and ticket collection

Back to Top

I

Intermission: A short break, usually mid-way or between acts, to give the audience, actors, and technical crew a time-out

Back to Top

J

Back to Top

K

Back to Top

L

Back to Top

M

Musical: Any type of a theatrical play where music is dominant and may or may not contain spoken dialogue. Common types of musicals are: operas, operettas, and Broadway musicals

Back to Top

N

Back to Top

O

Opera: A theatrical play where all the dialogue is sung by the actors to a musical score. Sub-types of opera include: Opera Buffa, comic Italian operas from the 18th and 19th Centruries such as "The Barber of Seville" and "The Elixir of Love"; Opera Seria, tragic or heroic operas based on mythological, noble, or royal characters such as "Don Giovanni"; and Rock Opera, operas set to a score of hard rock, soft rock, pop ballad, and semi-classical music such as "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita"

Operetta: A light-hearted classical musical play with both sung and spoken dialogue, which later became the basis for Broadway musicals. Examples include the works of Gilbert and Sullivan ("Pirates of Penzance", "The Mikado", "HMS Pinafore") and Franz Lehar ("The Merry Widow")

Orchestra: A group of musicians, under the direction of the conductor and concertmaster, who play various musical instruments to provide the musical accompaniment for the actors

Back to Top

P

Properties (or Props): Hand-held objects or pieces of furniture used by actors on stage

Proscenium Arch: The opening in the front wall of the house through which the audience views the performance

Back to Top

Q

Back to Top

R

Back to Top

S

Season's Ticket: A ticket or group of tickets entitling the bearer to be admitted to one performance of each production in the season of any given year, usually at a discount rate

Back to Top

T

Ticket: A card or coupon, usually purchased at the box office, entitling the bearer to enter the house to view the performance on a certain date

Back to Top

U

Back to Top

V

Back to Top

W

Back to Top

X

Back to Top

Y

Back to Top

Z