NYSTCE Theater 166 key terms

The planned placement and movement of actors onstage, set by the director during rehearsal and recorded so it can be repeated consistently in performance.

The overall visual composition formed by actors, scenery, and properties at any given moment, judged for balance, focus, and clarity of story.

The use of different heights onstage, such as standing, sitting, kneeling, or platforms, to create visual variety and to establish dominance or status among characters.

An actor's move that forces another performer to turn away from the audience or that steals focus, weakening the scene's intended emphasis.

Angling the body or turning the face slightly toward the audience so expression remains visible while the actor appears to address a scene partner.

A body orientation that keeps the actor's face and torso visible to the audience, avoiding closed or profile-only stances that hide expression.

A small unit of dramatic action within a scene, marked by a change in objective, tactic, or emotional circumstance; actors and directors use beats to shape pacing.

The specific want that drives a character's action in a scene, phrased as an active pursuit such as to persuade, to protect, or to escape.

The particular strategy a character uses to pursue an objective, such as pleading, threatening, or charming; shifting tactics keeps a scene active.

The facts of a play's world that shape character behavior: time, place, relationships, prior events, and social conditions established by the script.

The meaning beneath the spoken words, including unstated feelings, intentions, and conflicts that actors convey through delivery and behavior.

Physical action chosen because it arises from a character's thought, emotion, or objective, rather than being added for decoration or convenience.

Performing a script with little or no preparation, used in auditions and classwork to assess instinct, sight-reading skill, and responsiveness to direction.

Short excerpts of a script supplied to actors for an audition or rehearsal, often limited to the scenes the auditors wish to hear.

A second or later audition to which selected performers are invited so the creative team can see them again, often paired with other actors.

The master production script containing blocking, cues, notes, and timing information, maintained so the show can be reproduced and later handed to a stage manager.

A signal for a technical or performance action, such as a light change, sound effect, or an actor's line, called by the stage manager during performance.

A technical rehearsal that skips most dialogue and runs only the moments surrounding cues, allowing lighting, sound, and scene changes to be set safely.

A rehearsal integrating scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and properties with the actors, usually held after blocking is set and before dress rehearsal.

A full run-through in costumes with all technical elements, intended to approximate performance conditions and to identify remaining problems.

A performance given before the official opening, often with critics absent, allowing the company to test audience response and refine timing and comedy.

The framed opening that separates the stage from the auditorium in a picture-frame theater, through which the audience views the action.

A stage projecting into the auditorium with audience seated on three sides, requiring staging that keeps sightlines open and avoids long turns away from viewers.

A performance space surrounded by audience on all sides, also called theater-in-the-round, demanding careful blocking and entrances through the aisles.

The lines of vision from audience seats to the stage; blocking and scenery must preserve clear views for every section of the house.

A scaled overhead drawing of the stage showing walls, platforms, doors, and furniture placement, used to plan blocking and to build the set.

A scaled drawing showing a scenic unit or wall as seen straight on from the front, indicating heights, moldings, and construction details.

A lightweight framed scenic panel covered with canvas or other material and painted to resemble a wall, often braced behind and joined to other flats.

A horizontal length of pipe or wood from which scenery, drops, or lights are hung above the stage.

The rigging of ropes, pulleys, and counterweights that raises and lowers drops, borders, and scenic pieces above the stage.

A large painted cloth or canvas hung from a batten, often used as a backdrop or to suggest a distant location.

A low platform on casters used to move a set piece or furniture unit quickly and quietly during a scene change.

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

A metal or glass template inserted in a lighting fixture to project a pattern, such as foliage, windows, or abstract texture, onto the stage.

The process of aiming and shaping each lighting instrument to illuminate a specific area of the stage and to support the production's visual plan.

A chart listing every character, scene, and required costume piece, used to coordinate fittings, quick changes, and laundry schedules.

A fast costume alteration between scenes or within a scene, planned in advance with dressers and hidden fastenings to avoid delays.

A backstage station where hand props are laid out and checked before and after each performance, helping actors find and return items reliably.

A small object handled or carried by an actor, such as a letter, cup, or fan, tracked and maintained by the properties crew.

The person who coordinates rehearsals and performances, calls cues, maintains the prompt book, and serves as the communication hub between actors and technicians.