| A | B |
|---|
| cue | words, actions, or technical effects that are signals to all onstage that something is about to happen or be said |
| down or downstage | the front of the stage |
| up or upstage | the back of the stage |
| cover | to ad-lib when smoothing over a mistake or to obstruct the audience's view |
| stage business | for example, picking up a book or opening a letter on stage |
| feeding | supplying lines or actions that can be used as fuel for laughs or to make a point |
| C | the symbol that represents the center of the stage |
| ad lib | any improvised stage business or conversation |
| scene-stealing | diverting attention from the character that the audience should be watching |
| tempo | the speed at which a play moves along |
| emotional or subjective acting | an approach to acting in which actors actually weep, suffer, or struggle emotionally |
| technical or objective acting | an approach to acting that relies heavily on acting technique and analysis of the play and character's personalities |
| Konstantin Stanislavski | the director who developed a theory of acting known as "The Method" |
| "magic if" | This term refers to the question, "What would I do if the events in this play were happening to me?" |
| leading roles | a play's main characters |
| supporting roles | roles that are slightly less prominent than the leading roles but no less important |
| set props | items placed onstage for use by the actors |
| hand props | items carried onstage by an actor |
| typecasting | repeatedly casting someone in the same type of role |
| straight part | a role played by an actor who resembles the character being portrayed |
| character part | a role played by an actor who does not necessarily resemble the character being portrayed |
| foil | a role used for comparison with another character, usually the protagonist |
| ingenue | a young female lead between the ages of sixteen and thirty |
| juvenile | a young male lead between the ages of sixteen and thirty |
| building a scene | using increased tempo, volume, and emphasis to bring a scene to its climax |
