| A | B |
|---|
| protagonist | main character |
| supporting role | big role supporting protagonist(s) |
| bit part | small part with few lines and/or less stage time |
| walk on role | a one time part in a show |
| exposition | beginning of play - tells where, when, why and who |
| setting | time and place of action |
| mood/atmosphere | attitude of play |
| initial incident | opens the play |
| preliminary incident | previous action prior to the opening of the play - revealed through dialogue/action |
| climax | turning point - the moment that determines what the outcome of the play will be |
| rising action | develops conflict |
| falling action | events following climax |
| crisis | decision for protagonist |
| catastrophe | unlikely event that moves the plot |
| denouement | resolution or conclusion of play |
| soliloquy or monologue | character talks or thinks aloud when he/she is alone |
| motivation | the logical reason for dialogue/action in a play |
| theme | basic message which is dramatized |
| dialogue | needs to be real, move the plot and reveal the character |
| acting | believable behavior in imaginary circumstances |
| action | what has to be done by the characters to move plot and hold audience interest |
| tactic | how a character reaches his goal |
| goal | what the character wishes to achieve with his action/dialogue |
| improvisation | impromptu acting |
| cross | movement on stage |
| aside | lines said to one other actor or the audience that the other players "can't" hear |
| dramatic irony | when the audience knows what will happen, but the character(s) don't |
| foreshadow | hint of coming action |
| tragic flaw | character trait that leads to a characters downfall or destruction |
| poetic justice | when misdeeds or wrong doings are punished |
| cue | stage signal for a character's dialogue or action |
| cut | end action or remove lines |
| set | stage furnishings |
| curtain | indicates the end of an act or show |
| stage directions | given from the point of view on stage; tells actor what to do for a certain scene |
| understudy | someone who learns a part as a backup for that part |
| upstage | away from the audience |
| downstage | towards the audience |
| wings | area off stage to the right or left (cannot be seen by audience) |
| apron | part of the stage in front of the curtain line |
