| A | B |
|---|
| rising inflection | the voice modulation used when one is surprised, shocked, or asking questions |
| falling inflection | the voice modulation that signals the end of a statement |
| sustained inflection | the voice modulation that suggests calmness, decisiveness. or steadiness of purpose |
| circumflex inflection | the voice modulation in which a vowel is stressed to sound like two vowels to change the meaning of a word or to stress a particular meaning |
| whole-part memorization | the method for learning lines in which the actor begins by reading through the whole play several times |
| part-whole memorization | the method for learning lines in which the actor learns each lines separately until the actor's entire part is learned |
| subtext | the hidden meaning that lies "between the lines" |
| "forgetting what you know" | purposefully appearing ignorant of any information from later in the play |
| fade-off lines | lines that trail off rather than finishing |
| cut-off lines | lines interrupted by another speaker |
| key lines | extremely important lines that everyone in the audience must hear |
| milk | to extract the maximum response from the audience |
| paraphrasing | stating the meaning of a line in your own words |
| topping | delivering a line that surpasses the hilarity of the line just spoken |
| laugh curve | the swelling and fading of the audience's laughter |
| dialect | Cockney is an example of this |
| arena stage | the type of stage completely surrounded by the audience |
| clock reference | downstage is 6 o'clock; upstage is 12 o'clock; stage left is 9 o'clock; stage right is 3 o'clock |
| quadrants | for example, NE, NW, SE, SW; or 1, 2, 3, 4; or A, B, C, D |
| thrust stage | the type of stage that is surrounded on three sides by the audience and has a back wall |
| "pitch up" character | the type of character that lacks confidence and tends to be fearful, intimidated, or confused |
| "pitch down" character | the type of character that is self-assured, dominating, authoritative, and overbearing |
| substitution | a technique in which an actor recalls a personal experience in order to capture the emotional response called for in a scene |
| improvisation | the impromptu portrayal of a character without any preparation |
| "cut-in" line | a line stated in order to silence the audience's laughter |
