Theatre Week 7 Vocabulary

The term for the system of techniques or rules that help an audience understand a play. An example is the audience's belief that an aside is not heard by the characters on stage.

• Slapstick

• Soliloquy

• Stage Business

• Stage Conventions

A speech spoken by an actor at a point in the play when the character believes himself or herself to be alone; the technique frequently reveals a character's innermost thoughts.

• Slapstick

• Soliloquy

• Stage Business

• Stage Conventions

A kind of farce involving pratfalls, fistfights, pie throwing, and other boisterous action; term comes from commedia dell'arte who slapped others with a stick.

• Slapstick

• Soliloquy

• Stage Business

• Stage Conventions

Nonverbal action that engages the audience's attention; it frequently is a way to reveal to the audience, through action, the inner thoughts of a character.

• Slapstick

• Soliloquy

• Stage Business

• Stage Conventions

A stereotypical character that occurs frequently, such as a mad scientist, a battle-scarred veteran, or a strong-but-silent cowboy.

• Stichomythia

• Stock Character

• Theatre-in-the-Round

• Theatre of the Absurd

• Verbal Irony

A technique in which several alternating lines are given to alternating characters—often, it displays wit and quick thinking.

• Stichomythia

• Stock Character

• Theatre-in-the-Round

• Theatre of the Absurd

• Verbal Irony

A post-World War II drama that shows the absurdity of the human condition in an irrational and meaningless world; a famous example is Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot.'

• Stichomythia

• Stock Character

• Theatre-in-the-Round

• Theatre of the Absurd

• Verbal Irony

Another term for an arena theatre, in this kind of theatre, the audience sits on all sides of the stage (which can be round, square, or any shape).

• Stichomythia

• Stock Character

• Theatre-in-the-Round

• Theatre of the Absurd

• Verbal Irony

There were three: time (events depicted on stage should take less than 24 hours), place (the setting was one unchanging locale), and action (no subplots, and no mixing of genres.

• Thrust Stage

• Tragedy

• Tragic Comedy

• Tragic Flaw

• Unities

A stage that extends into the audience, and the audience sits on three sides. The Globe Theatre is the most famous example. Also called an apron stage.

• Thrust Stage

• Tragedy

• Tragic Comedy

• Tragic Flaw

• Unities