Short Glossary of Theatrical Terms

This page is provided to give a brief explanation of a few of the theatrical terms you are likely to come across elsewhere on this site.

Click this link to access a seperate page discussing Dramatic Forms (Opera, Burlesque, Tragedy etc.)


Aria	A solo vocal piece in an opera or operetta usually of a melodic and reflective nature.
Auditorium	The part of a theatre wherein the audience is housed. Often segregated into different standards of accomodation by luxury of seating and/or quality of view.
Backcloth	A flat painted canvas which hangs at the back of the scene.
Backstage	The parts of the theatre which are behind the stage, eg. the dressing rooms, and inaccessible to the paying public.
Bar-bell	A warning bell which is rung in the theatre bars to warn theatre patrons that the curtain is about to rise.
Beginners	Those members of a theatrical company who appear on stage at the beginning of the first act. The preparatory warning 'Overture and Beginners' is a signal for the ochestra to start the introductory music and the 'beginners' to get into their opening positions.
Boards	The wooden planks or boards which make up the floor of the stage, hence the expression "to tread the boards" meaning 'to act'.
Border	A narrow strip of painted cloth fastened above the stage to mask the top of the stage as viewed from the auditorium (masking lighting and stage machinery etc.).
Box-Office	The administrative unit of the theatre which is devoted to the selling of tickets. The name derives from a time when the only tickets sold in advance were for the boxes, all other patrons paying on entry.
Broadway	A major thoroughfare in New York city on which, and its connecting side-streets, many theatres are/were located. Synonymous with theatre in the USA.
Catwalk	A narrow raised walkway suspended above the stage area to enable the stage technicians to access and adjust the hung scenery.
Curtain Raiser	A short extra piece, unrelated to the main performance, put on to entertain the early arrivals whilst waiting for the theatre to fill.
Dress Rehearsal	The final rehearsal of a play prior to its first live performance. All actors are in full costume and and all props in place, the play being performed exactly as the audience will see it.
Footlights	An array of lighting mounted to the front of the stage floor and directed back to illuminate the cast. Used today only for special effects due to more powerful overhead lighting.
Green Room	A room adjacent to the stage where performers could relax and confer. Why it was called the 'Green Room' is something of a mystery.
Ingenue	A juvenile female lead. Probably derived from 'ingenous' ('innocent') and indeed normally implies a character of unreproached virtue.
Legitimate Theatre	This term dates back to a period of time in England when theatres had to be licensed (then being 'legitimate'). Later, the term began to be used as a reference to pure drama (ie. without music or dance) and then to mean the stage in general (ie. as opposed to film).
Libretto	The written words of an opera [1], ie. the part of an opera score that is spoken or sung. An Italian word meaning literally 'little book'.
Lead	The most important role in a play, or the actor/actress playing that role. Often defined seperately as male/female lead (meaning the principal male and female parts).
Limelight	A kind of theatrical lantern invented in the mid 19th Century. A blowtorch fed with a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen (producing a very hot flame) was focused on a block of lime causing it to incandesce with a brilliant white light which could be focused through a lens to create a spotlight. The term is now applied to anyone/thing which has become a major focus of attention, ie. to be 'in the limelight'.
Matinee	An early (usually afternoon) performance of a play, often with the lead roles being played by understudies.
Private Box	Small enclosed compartments within the auditorium, each holding a small group of paying patrons sequestered privately from the remainder of the audience.
Props	Any physical item (excluding costumes, scenery, and furniture) which is essential to the action of the play. Abbreviated form of 'Stage Properties').
Repertory Company	A theatrical company which stays together (often at a fixed location) performing a succession (repertoire) of different plays, each for a short period.
Thespian	1. Of or about acting - more specifically a term applied to a tragedic style of acting. 2. An actor. Derived from Thespis, the name of the first Greek actor-dramatist.
Understudy	A performer who learns a part in a play in order to be able to take over at a moments notice if the principal is for any reason unable to perform. Talented newcomers would often be made understudy to established stars so that they might learn from studying their performances.

Some interesting theatrical phrases

Skin Off Your Nose - A once popular theatrical greeting which originated in the 19th century when make-up was coarse and crude and its removal would tend to peel the skin off your face. The greeting was intended as a wish that the other person would remain in work and so keep using the makeup leading to more loss of skin. Has since become a common saying outside of theatrical circles but with a reversed meaning, ie. 'thats no skin of my nose' means 'I am no worse off because of that' - in the original theatrical meaning you would have been worse off since not losing skin off your nose was to be out of work!

The Scottish Play - An allusion to Shakespeare's MacB*th, a play which in theatrical tradition it is the very epitomy of bad luck even to refer to by name. The tradition dates from the very first public performance of the play in 1606 when the boy actor playing Lady Macbeth (all female parts were then played by boys) died backstage during the show.

[1] - Burgess & Bowes Midget English Dictionary.

Author: Don Gillan, www.stagebeauty.net.

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