QCAA Drama key terms

The overall structural shape a play takes, such as tragedy, comedy, farce, documentary theatre or musical theatre, shaping how time, action and character are organised.

The distinctive manner of presentation a production adopts, such as naturalism, expressionism, absurdism or physical theatre, governing acting, design and staging choices.

A recognised category of drama defined by shared content and audience expectation, for example tragedy, comedy, thriller, verbatim or epic theatre.

An agreed rule or device that audiences accept as real within the world of the play, such as soliloquy, aside, direct address or actors playing multiple roles.

A style that presents behaviour as shaped by environment and heredity, using believable settings, everyday speech and cause-and-effect plotting to imitate ordinary life.

A style aiming for plausible, everyday representation of people and situations, with recognisable settings and dialogue, though not necessarily the scientific determinism of naturalism.

A style developed by Brecht that interrupts illusion through narration, placards, song and direct address so audiences think critically rather than become emotionally absorbed.

A technique that reminds audiences they are watching a performance, using visible lighting rigs, exposed scene changes or actors stepping out of role to prompt critical reflection.

A style presenting existence as meaningless and communication as failing, using circular dialogue, illogical plots and non-realistic characters, associated with Beckett and Ionesco.

A style in which the body, movement and gesture carry the main storytelling load, often with minimal text, ensemble devising and strong visual imagery.

A form built from edited transcripts of real interviews, performed with attention to the original speakers' words and rhythms, often to explore social or political issues.

A form drawing on historical records, reports, transcripts or testimony to stage real events, blending factual material with theatrical techniques.

How a drama is organised across its whole, including acts, scenes, turning points, climax and resolution, and the arrangement of time and action.

The point of greatest tension or highest stakes in a drama, after which the action moves toward resolution.

A storytelling order that departs from chronological sequence, using flashbacks, flash-forwards, repetition or fragmented scenes to shape meaning.

The imagined invisible barrier between performers and audience in realistic staging; to break it is to acknowledge the audience directly.

A speech in which a character alone on stage voices inner thoughts aloud, revealing private motives to the audience.

A brief remark spoken to the audience or to oneself that other characters on stage are understood not to hear.

A performance choice in which an actor speaks straight to the audience, stepping outside the fictional world or inviting them into it.

An extended speech delivered by one character, which may reveal backstory, argument or emotional state and can be performed within or outside a scene.

The meaning beneath the spoken words, carried by intention, pause, gesture and implication rather than by the literal text.

What a character actively wants in a scene, expressed as a playable action that drives choices and creates conflict with others.

The facts a performer must know about a role and situation, including time, place, relationships, history and social context, to play it truthfully.

The character an actor creates and performs, built from the script, research, directorial notes and the actor's own choices.

The process of building a believable character through voice, movement, motivation, relationships and physical or vocal traits.

The way an actor uses posture, gait, gesture, weight and spatial behaviour to communicate a character's age, status and inner state.

The use of pitch, pace, volume, pause, stress and resonance to convey meaning, emotion and character through the voice.

The controlled use of breath and resonance so the voice carries clearly to every audience member without shouting.

The clarity and precision with which words are articulated, including consonants and vowel shaping, so the audience understands the text.

The planned pattern of actors' movement and positions on stage, set by the director or devised by performers to support focus and storytelling.

The visual composition created by actors' bodies, levels, spacing and design at any moment, read by the audience as meaning.

A frozen, deliberately composed group image held on stage, often used to punctuate action or highlight a theme.

A group of performers who work collaboratively, sharing focus and supporting one another rather than privileging a single lead.

Creating original performance material through collaborative improvisation, research and workshopping, rather than staging a pre-existing script.

Spontaneous performance without a fixed script, in which performers invent action and dialogue within agreed rules or scenarios.

The relative power a character holds in an interaction, communicated through eye contact, posture, space and vocal choices.

The sense of anticipation or pressure that keeps audiences engaged, built through conflict, stakes, timing and withheld information.

The study and shaping of a drama's structure, context and meaning, including script analysis, research and the work of a dramaturg.

The analysis of signs in performance, such as costume, gesture, sound and lighting, and how audiences read them to make meaning.

The use of objects, colours, sounds or actions to stand for abstract ideas, adding layers of meaning beyond literal representation.

A recurring element such as an image, phrase, sound or gesture that accumulates meaning across a performance and signals theme.

A structured written response that describes, analyses and evaluates a live performance, using evidence and drama terminology to support judgements.

Brecht's term for a gesture, vocal or physical, that exposes a character's social attitude or relationship at a given moment.

The beliefs, histories, traditions and social conditions surrounding a drama's creation or setting, which shape how it is made and received.

A repeated, patterned performance practice with communal meaning, often linked to ceremony, storytelling or cultural identity in traditional theatre forms.

Performance created for and staged in a particular non-theatre location, where the place itself shapes the action and the audience's experience.

A contemporary form in which audiences move through and interact with the performance environment rather than sitting separately from it.

Drama practised in community, education, health or justice settings for participation and social purpose rather than commercial entertainment.

A prepared performance, often including a monologue, in which an actor demonstrates skills and suitability for a role or course.