The area within the theatre that accommodates the audience
Complete absence of stage lighting. It can also refer to the act of turning off (or fading out) stage lighting (e.g. 'This is where we go to blackout')
The action of planning where the actor stands on stage. The Director and the actor will discuss the movements on the stage and decide on the exact place where he/she will stand at a particular line or a particular time. Once a scene is blocked the assistant stage manager will record the moves and the actor will always go to the same position in rehearsal from then on
A scaled plan (overhead) view of the theatre stage area or of a set design, to enable all technical departments to ensure that everything will fit correctly into the space available. The groundplan shows all items standing on the stage floor and any permanent items which will affect the production, and the position of any flown pieces. The set design groundplan enables the Lighting Designer to be clear about the exact location of all items, and will have the walls of the stage drawn on it so that the stage management team and production manager can plan furniture and set moves offstage
Recorded – often abbreviated to FX. There are several sources of recorded sound effects, from CDs to downloads from the internet. They may be a prominent part of what is happening (e.g. train arriving at station) or may be in the background throughout a scene (e.g. birds tweeting)
Gunshots, door slams, and offstage voices (amongst many others) are most effective when done live
On an audio cue sheet, the sound effects are denoted by these letters
A thin metal plate etched to produce a design which can then be projected by a profile spotlight. There are hundreds of gobo designs available – common examples are breakup (foliage), windows and scenic (neon signs, cityscapes etc.)
On a lighting cue sheet the lighting effects are denoted by these letters
A piece of scenic canvas, painted or plain, that is flown or fixed to hang in a vertical position. A backcloth (or backdrop) hangs at the rear of a scene. A floorcloth is a painted canvas sheet placed on the stage floor to mark out the acting area, or to achieve a particular effect. A frontcloth hangs well downstage, often to hide a scene change taking place behind. Cut cloths have cutaway open areas and are normally used as a series, painted in perspective. A star cloth (usually black) has a large number of small low-voltage lamps sewn or pinned through it, which gives a magical starry sky effect
A stage setting where several locations are represented in the same space and isolated or highlighted by lighting each area separately
When a space is divided in two, with the audience in one section facing the performance space in the other
A form of theatre 'in the round' where the audience surrounds the stage. Ancient Greek theatres were arena stages and the term suggests performances on a large scale
The audience moves around to different areas or stages in a performance space. Medieval mystery plays, performed on carts and wagons, are an early example of this /p>
Where the audience is usually on three sides of a performance space
Where the performance space has the audience on either side.
The process of recording information about each lighting state either onto paper or into the memory of a computerised lighting board for subsequent playback
Furnishings, set dressings, and all items, large and small, which cannot be classified as scenery, electrics or wardrobe. Props handled by actors are known as hand props, props which are kept in an actor's costume are known as personal props
The permanent or semi-permanent wall dividing the audience from the stage. The opening in this wall frames the stage, hence the description, proscenium arch
Cloth with a relatively coarse weave. Used unpainted to diffuse a scene played behind it. When painted, a gauze is opaque when lit obliquely from the front and becomes transparent when the scene behind it is lit
a device giving a fast series of very short, intense light flashes which can have the effect of making action appear intermittent. Because strobe lighting can trigger an epileptic attack in sufferers, the use of a strobe must be communicated to the audience before the performance begins
The type of performance space where the audience surrounds the acting space on all sides
