FTCE Drama 6-12 key terms

The facts a script supplies about a character's world: time, place, relationships, social position, and prior events. Actors analyze these before rehearsing so choices grow from the play rather than from guesswork.

What a character actively wants in a scene, phrased as an action the other character can satisfy or refuse. Playing a playable objective gives dialogue purpose and keeps the actor engaged with a partner.

The specific action a character uses to pursue an objective, such as pleading, threatening, or charming. Actors change tactics when one stops working, which creates variety and momentum inside a scene.

Anything that blocks a character from achieving an objective, whether another person, a circumstance, or an internal fear. Strong obstacles raise stakes and force characters into revealing behavior.

A small unit of dramatic action in which a character pursues one objective before something shifts. Directors and actors divide scenes into beats to track changes in intention and energy.

The meaning beneath the spoken words, revealed through tone, behavior, and context. Actors play subtext so lines carry unstated feelings, such as politeness masking resentment.

The inner reason a character behaves as they do, rooted in needs, history, and desire. Identifying motivation helps actors justify choices and keeps performances consistent from scene to scene.

The planned pattern of stage movement and positions set by the director. Blocking keeps actors visible, balances the stage picture, and supports the story's focus and pacing.

Angling the body or face slightly toward the audience while appearing to face a scene partner. This convention keeps the actor's expression readable without breaking the illusion of the scene.

A body orientation that lets the audience see an actor's face and torso rather than the back. Directors adjust positions so key reactions stay visible during dialogue.

Standing upstage of another actor or drawing focus improperly, forcing a scene partner to turn away from the audience. Good blocking distributes focus deliberately instead of letting one performer dominate.

The visual composition formed by actors, set, and properties at a given moment. Directors arrange levels, spacing, and grouping so each moment reads clearly and pleasingly from the house.

The use of different heights in staging, such as standing, sitting, kneeling, or platforms, to create visual variety. Varying levels clarifies relationships and prevents monotonous staging.

A picture-frame stage where the audience faces one direction and views the action through a structural opening. Scenery and blocking are designed to be read from the front.

A stage that extends into the seating area so the audience surrounds it on three sides. Blocking must account for sightlines from multiple angles and avoid long periods with the back turned.

A theatre space with the audience seated on all sides of a central playing area. Actors enter through aisles, must share focus among all directions, and cannot rely on scenery for concealment.

The lines of vision from audience seats to the stage. Designers and directors check sightlines so scenery, actors, and key actions remain visible from every paying seat.

A dramatic form in which a protagonist of stature suffers a downfall, often through a fatal flaw or fate. The action typically moves from order through crisis to recognition and catastrophic consequence.

The error, flaw, or misjudgment in a tragic protagonist that contributes to the downfall. Aristotle identified it as a key element of tragedy, distinguishing the hero from a merely villainous figure.

The emotional release, especially of pity and fear, that Aristotle associated with tragic drama. Audiences experience it as a purging of feeling produced by witnessing the protagonist's suffering.

A dramatic genre that treats human folly with humor and typically ends in reconciliation, marriage, or restored order. Its devices include mistaken identity, wit, exaggeration, and incongruity.

A comedy built on improbable situations, rapid physical action, and escalating complications. Stock devices include slamming doors, disguises, and coincidences, all demanding precise timing.

Broad physical comedy involving exaggerated pratfalls, collisions, and props. It relies on precise timing and safe execution, since performers risk injury if routines are not carefully rehearsed.

A speech in which a character alone on stage voices inner thoughts aloud. It gives the audience direct access to private reflection that other characters cannot hear.

An extended speech delivered by one character, either to others or to the audience. It can reveal backstory, advance argument, or display character, and is a common audition requirement.

A brief remark spoken to the audience that other characters on stage are not meant to hear. It creates intimacy and can undercut the surface conversation.

A gap between what characters know and what the audience knows. It generates tension, suspense, or humor because the audience anticipates consequences the characters do not.

The series of complications and discoveries that build tension after the inciting incident. It raises stakes and drives the protagonist toward the play's central crisis.

The event that disrupts the initial situation and sets the story's central conflict in motion. It usually occurs early and gives the protagonist a problem that demands action.

The point of highest tension where the central conflict reaches its decisive turn. After it, the action resolves and the consequences of choices become clear.

The concluding section in which conflicts settle and the new situation is established. It answers remaining questions and releases tension built through the climax.

A single scenic design that remains unchanged for the whole play, often with movable pieces. It suits plays with many locations because it keeps transitions fast and the budget manageable.

A lightweight scenic panel, usually a wooden frame covered with canvas or plywood, used to build walls and backdrops. Flats are braced and painted to suggest architecture or landscape.

A top-down drawing showing the stage, set pieces, doors, and furniture placement to scale. Directors use it to plan blocking and designers to coordinate sightlines and traffic patterns.

A large, curved white backdrop at the rear of the stage that can be lit in any color. It is used for sky effects, silhouettes, and smooth washes of light.

A colored transparent filter placed in front of a lighting instrument to tint the beam. Lighting designers choose gels to establish time of day, mood, and location.

A signal for a technical or performance action, such as a light change, sound effect, or an actor's entrance. Cues are recorded in the prompt book and called in sequence during performance.

The production script marked with blocking, cues, and notes, maintained by the stage manager. It is the authoritative record for running rehearsals and calling the show.

The person who coordinates rehearsals, records blocking and cues, and calls the technical performance. The role links director, cast, and crew and protects the production's consistency.