MATSEC IM Theatre and Performance flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Tritagonist

The third actor in ancient Greek tragedy; Sophocles is credited with adding a third speaking actor, enabling more complex scenes and dialogue between three characters.

Commedia dell'arte

Italian improvised comedy tradition using stock characters and masks, performing scenarios rather than fixed scripts; it influenced Molière, Goldoni and later physical theatre.

Verfremdungseffekt

Brecht's alienation effect: techniques such as direct address, placards and visible lighting that interrupt illusion and prompt critical reflection in the audience.

Theatre of the Absurd

Post-war movement, associated with Beckett, Ionesco and Pinter, which rejects linear plot and logical cause, presenting cyclical action and unstable language.

Given circumstances

Stanislavski's term for the facts of a scene: time, place, relationships, social setting and prior events, from which an actor builds believable action.

Subtext

The meaning carried beneath the spoken line, revealed through action, pause and tone; actors play the subtext while the dialogue carries the surface.

Blank verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter, the default verse form of early modern drama, typically used for noble characters while prose marks comic or lower-status figures.

Well-made play

Nineteenth-century dramatic formula, perfected by Scribe, built on tight exposition, a secret, escalating complications and a climactic required scene.

Super-objective

The character's overarching aim across the whole play, which unifies the smaller objectives of each scene into a single through-line of action.

Magic if

Stanislavski's imaginative prompt asking the actor what they would do if the given circumstances were real, generating truthful behaviour on stage.

Tempo-rhythm

The pace and internal pulse of a character's thought and action; contrasting tempo-rhythm between characters creates tension and comic or dramatic energy.

Diaphragmatic support

Breath technique in which the diaphragm drives exhalation, giving sustained, controlled vocal power without strain on the throat.

Yes-and

Core improvisation rule: accept the partner's offer and add new information, keeping the scene moving rather than blocking or negating the premise.

Stimulus

The starting point for devised work, such as an image, object, question, news story or site, from which improvisation generates material.

Viewpoints

Bogart and Landau's compositional vocabulary of time (tempo, duration, repetition, kinesthetic response) and space (shape, gesture, architecture, topography) for devising.

Still image

A frozen group picture created by performers to crystallise a moment, relationship or idea; also called a tableau, it is used to explore and structure devised material.

Ground plan

A scale drawing of the stage viewed from above, showing walls, entrances and furniture positions; it is the basis for set construction and blocking.

Fresnel

A soft-edged spotlight with a stepped lens producing a broad, even wash; it is used for general cover rather than sharply shaped specials.

Gel

Coloured transparent filter placed in front of a lantern to tint the beam; warm gels suggest sunlight, cool gels suggest night or moonlight.

Prompt copy

The stage manager's master script containing blocking, cue numbers and running order, used to call the show consistently at every performance.

Key light

The main directional light on a performer or area, establishing visibility and form; fill and back light complete the stage picture.

Concept statement

The director's written articulation of the production's interpretation, period, style and design logic, used to align the creative team.

Blocking notation

A consistent shorthand in the prompt copy recording actor movement, using stage left, stage right, upstage and downstage from the actor's perspective facing the audience.

Technical rehearsal

The rehearsal integrating lighting, sound, set and costume with the acting, focused on cueing and safety rather than on refining performance.

Actioning

A rehearsal technique in which each line is given a transitive verb describing what the speaker does to the listener, clarifying intention and playing energy.

Contingency

A budget line reserving a percentage of total costs for unforeseen expenses; it protects the production from overruns before opening.

Gibbs reflective cycle

A six-stage model of reflection: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan, often used to evaluate rehearsal and production process.

Formative evaluation

Assessment during the process, giving feedback that shapes the work in progress, as distinct from summative judgement of a finished performance.

Manoel Theatre

Valletta theatre opened in 1732 under Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena; it is among Europe's oldest working theatres and a key Maltese venue.

Il-Karnival

Maltese carnival tradition featuring masked and costumed performance, parades and communal celebration in the days before Lent.

Intercultural theatre

Work drawing on performance traditions from different cultures, raising questions about authenticity, power and who has the right to represent whom.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Founded in 1947, the world's largest arts festival, open to self-produced companies without selection, making it a major platform for new work.