70 terms

Terms	Definitions
Mantle	a sleeveless garment like a cloak but shorter
Book of Job	The most challenging portions of the Old Testament. It's main subject is the problem of righteous suffering, also studies the questions of goodness, evil, justice, and how they relate to human life. Divided into 2 major sections.
Skene	small hut like building behind the stage used as a dressing room and later as a backdrop for painted settings
Thespian	actor
Hieroglyphics	an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds
Claque	a group of followers hired to applaud at a performance
Pacify	to make peaceful or calm; to soothe
Closet Drama	a play that is written to be read rather than performed onstage.
Interpetive Dance	Dance that tells a story
Greenroom	a room where actors relax before and after performances
Kabuki	a form of Japanese drama developed in A.D. 1600s, featuring melodramatic singing and dancing, heavy makeup, and elaborates costumes.
Bunraku	Japanese drama that features wooden, elaborately costumed marionettes that are about four feet tall; also called Doll Theater
Morality Plays	Dramas—originally under church control—didactic allegories in which characters had names of virtues, vices, or other qualities
Passion Play	a genre of medieval drama based on the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus
Groundlings	those who purchased the standing room only tickets to an Elizabethan play; unruly section of a Shakespearean audience
Miracle Play	a type of religious drama in the Middle Ages based on stories about saints
Soliloquies	speeches in which one actor speaks aloud revealing his or her inner thoughts
Commedia Dell Arte	A form of theatrical improvisation developed in the 1500s which includes stock characters and farcical situations
Legitimate theater	When the restoration period ended the Licensing Act only permitted the play house to two. All other theaters were illegal thus creating the term.
Tiring House	dressing room, provided actors a variety of entries to the stage: windows, balconies, and two or more large doors.
Mystery Plays	plays based on stories from the Bible
Realism	literature that attempts to represent life as it really is
Romanticism	a literary movement with an emphasis on the imagination and emotions
Minstrel Shows	white actors wearing black face mimicked and ridiculed African American culture, became increasingly popular.
Vaudeville	A type of inexpensive variety show that first appeared in the 1870s, often consisting of comic sketches, song-and-dance routines, and magic acts
Absurdism	the idea that the universe is without meaning or rational order that human beings, in attempting to find a sense of order, conflict with it
Epic Theater	A type of theater, invented by Brecht, in which major social issues are dramatized with outlandish props and jarring dialogue and effects, all designed to alienate middle-class audiences and force them to think seriously about the problems raised in the plays.
Impressionistic	Settings that used color and line to evoke the mood of a place rather than realistic painting
Regional Theatres	theaters in major American cities other than NY
Rehearsal	a practice session in preparation for a public performance
Posture	the way one holds one's body; a pose or position
Warm-ups	are light exercises that send warm blood flowing to your muscles,raising the temperaturee of the muscles that are are used
Stage Fright	the nervousness felt by a speaker or performer in front of an audience
Vocalizing	singing without words, a vocal warm up
Ensemble	a group, esp. of performers, working as a unified whole
Improvise	to compose or perform without preparation; to construct from available materials
Collaboration	the act of working together
Plot	the sequence of events in a story
Character	a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work
Visualize	to form a mental image of; imagine.
Subconscious	not fully aware; occurring below your level of thinking and awareness
Observation	use of one or more of the senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and sometimes taste—to gather information
Memory	the persistence of learning over time through the storage and retrieval of information
Sense Memory	tapping into memories in order to recapture an experience
Project	to increase voice or actions so they will carry to the audience
Inflection	variety of vocal pitch
Audible	able to be heard
Larynx	the part of the throat that contains the vocal chords
Diaphragm	the muscle below the rib cage
Pitch	the relative highness or lowness of a voice
Articulation	clearly announcing words
Pronunciation	knowing how to say each word you speak
Aristophanes	Wrote biting, bawdy satires
Menander	Wrote about lampooned domestice or private life
Aeschylus	invented the trilogy and the use of a second actor
Sophocles	added a third actor and had a sense of the dramatic
Euripides	He questioned orthodox ideas and could combine the tragic and comic
Stanislavski's System	1. To make the external behavior movement and voice natural and convincing 2. To know and carry out the objectives or inner needs of the character 3. To make the life of the character onstage continuous, with a past, and a future and a life between the scenes onstage 4. To commit to he action and reaction
"The Method"	Lee Strasberg invented as a new technique from the Stanislavski's System
body language	communicating thoughts and feelings through body movements
clown white	white makeup often used by mimes and clowns
mime	an actor who communicates entirely by gesture and facial expression
pancake makeup	a powder makeup foundation that is water-soluble.
pantomime	body movements and expression without dialouge
Marcel Marceau	French mime famous for his sad-faced clown (born in 1923)
collaboration	working with others toward a common goal
dialogue	conversation amoung characters
ensemble	a group of actors working together to create an artistic whole
etiquette	appropriate conduct
set	established definite movements and lines

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