Theatre Terms
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- For example, entering the word "curtain" would display all terms whose definition includes that particular word.
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| Theatre Terms (A-Z) Sort descending | Definition |
|---|---|
| TWEETER | Part of a speaker system designed to handle the high frequency part of the signal. |
| TYPE | Typecast, typecasting, or type casting may mean: Typecasting (acting), the process by which an actor is strongly identified with a specific character, role, or trait--referred to as a "type." For example, an actor may play an outspoken senior citizen, which is a type. But if the actor plays that role routinely, they may become typecast, sought only for such a role. An actor's height, weight, hair color, nationality or ethnicity may also impact their being cast, because the director or casting director may see the actor themself as a "type," rather than an actor who can play multiple types. |
| ULTRA-VIOLET or ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT | Ultraviolet light is a type of light (actually, electromagnetic radiation) that makes black-light paint or posters glow. |
| UNDERSTUDY | A performer cast in the ensemble of a musical (or minor role in a play) who is responsible for covering a lead and/or supporting role(s) |
| UNITY | Completeness of a work of literature ("unities of form and time") The key qualities in the construction of a tragedy's plot, Aristotle said, are: it has a beginning, middle, and end (i.e., is complete); and it is of appropriate size to be "easily embraced in one view" or "easily embraced by the memory" [long enough to move a character "from calamity to good fortune, or from good fortune to calamity." For this reason, Aristotle says good plays resemble living organisms. (This idea has a rebirth in Romanticism's "organic form" theory.) An "episodic" plot is: one that moves from incident to incident without necessary or probable cause. In addition to unity of form and time, Aristotle also said a plot should be unified. |
| UP STAGE or UPSTAGE | The part of the stage furthest from the audience. |
| UPSTAGE or UPSTAGING | An actor's attempt to command the attention of the audience when the actor has no right to do so. Typically, this involves moving upstage center, forcing the other actors to turn their backs to the audience. Upstaging is not only bad manners, but detrimental to the necessary harmony of an acting ensemble. Accordingly, most directors will not tolerate such behavior. |
| USITT | United States Institute for Theatre Technology |
| VERTICAL SIGHT LINES | Imaginary lines drawn from the highest seats of the audience area, often in a balcony, and from the seats in the front row, to the lowest hanging obstructions over the stage, to determine what portions of the performing area will be visible to all of the audience. |
| VISUAL CUE | A cue taken by a technician from the action on stage rather than being cued by the stage manager. |
| VOLTAGE | The "pressure" at which electric current is available. The American standard is 110 Volts. The UK standard voltage is 240 Volts. |
| VOM or VOMITORIUM | A passageway, originally for spectators, used to clear the seating area in quick fashion. Also used to describe a ramped passage that allows actors to run onstage from below (and run back). |
| VU METER | VU - Volume Unit). Pointer and scale meter which indicates the average level of a signal. Misses any transients and spikes that lead to a clipped signal. |
| WAGON | Wheeled platform on which a scene or part of a scene is built to facilitate scene changing. |
| WAGON SET | Wheeled platform on which a complete set is built to facilitate scene changing. |
| WAGON STAGE | Mechanized stage where the scenery is moved into position on large sliding wagons as wide as the proscenium opening, from storage in large areas to the side and rear of the main stage. This system enables incredibly complex and otherwise time-consuming scene changes to occur almost instantly. |
| Wandelprobe | In opera and musical theatre, a “wandelprobe” is a musical rehearsal in which the actors and singers are free to move around on the stage while the band or orchestra plays. They still have to sing the parts they are assigned while moving. The word "wandelprobe" comes from German and technically means "convertable trial," but in the theatre it translates as a "walking rehearsal." This sets it apart from a seated rehearsal or "sitzprobe," where the focus is on giving the singers an opportunity to hear the full orchestra, and adjust their performance accordingly. It's sometimes referred to in the U.S. as a "wanderprobe," mostly due to a misunderstanding (or mispronunciation) of "wandel." The movement in a “wandelprobe” isn't free-range wandering. The performers have to move to the approximate blocking for the production, if not the exact blocking, with the music’s tempo in mind. There may be stops in order to work with the orchestra or band and the actors or singers in order to figure out how movements go together with the music. A wandelprobe is usually held before tech starts and there usually are no lighting cues. However, everything is up to the decisions of the director and conductor. A wandelprobe (or even more than one wandelprobe) takes place before the first full dress rehearsal. |
| WARDROBE | The general name for the costume department, its staff and the accommodation they occupy. |
| WARDROBE MISTRESS, WARDROBE MASTER, HEAD OF WARDROBE | Person who supervises the dressers, and wardrobe maintenance. |
| WARDROBE PLOT | Actor-by-actor, scene-by-scene inventory of all the costumes in a production, with a detailed breakdown into every separate item in each costume. |