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a cappella: without instrumental accompaniment

 

accepting: in improvisation, embracing each offer made by other players to advance a scene, or move it forward.

 

allegory: an extended metaphor, a story which has a literal and symbolic meaning

 

backstage hands: the people who work behind the scenes to keep the production running smoothly

 

beat: A unit of action in a scene.

 

bias: a preference, inclination or prejudice which may inhibit or prevent objectivity

 

 

blacks: the non-definitive black clothing which takes the place of specific character costume in a performance piece

 

block: in improvisation, it refers to not accepting other players’ offers, and actually destroying these offers.

 

block: in staging, the planning and carrying out of groupings and stage movement

 

character biography: a description of a character’s life, giving information which leads to realistic character development

 

climax: the emotional highpoint in the plot; a point at which the tension peaks

 

 

composition: the arrangement of all the components in the frame, on the page, or on stage

 

configuration: the way the space is arranged between audience and actors

 

conflict: the opposition of people or forces giving rise to dramatic action

 

conscious: what the character is aware of at any given moment

 

context: the background and specific circumstances within which something occurs

 

conventions: the commonly accepted devices, principles and guidelines that influence the structure and style of a particular play text or genre

 

designer: the person/people responsible for the visual and/or aural elements of the drama performance

 

director: the person who is responsible for putting a performance together, co-ordinating all elements of a production to express a unified vision

 

dubbing: The practice of replacing the voices of the original artists in a movie with those of artists speaking another language. It is a highly skilled field requiring the matching of the new language to the lip movements of the actors.

 

ensemble: a group of actors working together

 

etiquette: the rules governing acceptable behaviour

 

floor plan: a view of the set from above; used to locate the set on the stage floor; also known as a ground plan

 

focal point: that part of the composition that your eye is drawn to first

 

focus: The center of the attention of the audience. Focus should be in one place at any time. Less experienced improvisers often tend to steal the focus (i.e. upstage one another or split the focus of the audience).

 

freeze: complete stillness of every muscle of the body

 

gestures: form of non-verbal communication made with a part of the body, refers to a discernable movement

 

given circumstances: the clues given by the playwright as to who, where, what, when and why; these will need to be selected by the actors when improvising

 

intention: what you are trying to achieve; your purpose or objective

 

improvisation: making something up on the spot, creating a scene spontaneously

 

isolation (of muscles or body parts):  separating one part out from the others; being able to use a part of the body independently of other parts

 

justify: to find a solution and/or reason for every offer and every element introduced in the scene.

 

juxtaposed: two contrasting things placed next to each other

 

marketer: the person who markets or sells the performance to an audience

 

milieu: setting; locale; situation; environment

 

monologue: a long speech spoken by a single character

 

motivation: what the character wants at any given moment

 

objectives: what a character wants

 

obstacle: whatever is preventing the character from getting what they want at any given moment; obstacles may be internal, created by other characters or the environment.

 

offer: in improvisation, any action or dialogue that may advance a scene. Offers should be accepted by the other actors in an improvisation.

 

pace: the speed at which the dialogue or action is delivered

 

perspective: a way of arranging shapes and lines so that they appear to get smaller in the distance

 

philosophies: a set of theories which explore the beliefs, accepted norms and mood of a specific time

 

Pierrot: a sad-faced clown character, based on Pedrolino from Commedia dell’Arte, see p. xx

 

play text: also known as a script; the written record of a drama used as the basis for creating the performance

 

point of focus: a Viola Spolin term; the single most important thing in any game, upon which the game depends if it is to be successful

 

protagonist: a principle or main character in a play; the leading character whose actions are of primary concern

 

resolution: the final tying up of loose ends; also known as the denouement, where we see questions answered and order restored

 

set: or stage setting; the phyical elements used to create the scene design or scenery, for example, flats, rostra, curtains, etc.

 

side-coaching: a Viola Spolin term; someone outside the game or improvisation speaks to those engaged in the improvisation helping them to solve the problems of the game they are playing or providing them with additional information about the scene or the character

 

sightlines: the line of sight between a spectator and what is on stage

 

slang: highly informal and non-standard use of words by a group of people

 

status: position in society, importance in relation to other people and the relative power held in a particular situation; often based on a character’s sense of self-esteem. 

 

stereotype: something or someone that conforms to a conventional, unchanging and over-simplified image or type

 

subconscious:  that part of the mind of which the character is not consciously aware

 

suspend disbelief: the audience willingly accepts what they are viewing as real, or willingly overlooks anything which might get in the way of their accepting the illusion, in order to be entertained

 

synopsis: a summary or an outline of events

 

tableau: a silent and motionless depiction of a scene by actors, a frozen picture rather like a photograph

 

Theatre of the Absurd: theatre which points out the meaninglessness and absurdity of life, highlighting the illogical and irrational elements through aspects of plot, character, themes and dialogue

 

theatre practitioner: one who is actively involved in the theatre; one who practices a craft in the theatre; generally refers to the director or designer rather than to the actor

 

theme: the central idea being explored or conveyed in the play; the message or doctrine that play conveys

 

tone: closely linked to the subtext, the tone expresses the sentiment or mood

 

township musical: a musical form that fuses African and Western styles to reflect on township life, usually for a township audience