| A | B |
|---|
| Emotional or subjective acting | the playing of a role in such a way that the actor weeps, suffers, or struggles emotionally, also called subjective acting |
| technical or objective acting | used of learned skills of acting, movement, speech, and interpretation to create roles; no emotional response is used; also called objective acting |
| leading roles | the main characters in a play |
| protagonist | the main character in a play |
| antagonist | the person or the force working against the protagonist in the play |
| supporting roles | a role in which the actor and the character portrayed are similar in appearance and personality |
| straight parts | role in which the actor and the character portrayed are similar in appearance and personality |
| character parts | role in which an actor portrays traits that differ from his or her own to produce a desired character |
| characterization | putting together all facets of a character to bring life and interest to that character |
| primary source | an individual whose posture, movements, habits, voice inflections and mannerisms are observed in order to build character |
| secondary sources | books that help in developing characterization |
| body language | communication that uses gestures, posture, and facial expressions instead of words |
| Master gesture | a distinctive action that is repeated and serves as a clue to a character's personality, such as peculiar laugh or walk |
| inflection | modulation, variety in pitch |
| subtext | the meaning between the lines that an actor must draw from the script |
| substitution | the use by an actor or a personal experience to relate to the experience of a character within a play |
| improvisation | the impromptu portrayal of a character or a scene without any rehearsal or preparation |
| paraphrasing | restating lines in one's own words |
