Theater Terms Defined (D-F)

D

Dialogue: The words spoken by the actors in a play.

Downstage: The stage area nearest to the audience.

Theater Terms Defined (A-C)

  

Hello guys, before I really get further into the study of theater, I want to define a few terms.  This will help you move along quicker and will allow you to refer back to something.  I will make sure that I constantly update this list.

A

Above:  The area farther away from the audience.  (Ex. Upstage is above the downstage area.)

Action:  Progress made in a play that the audience can see, which includes dialogue, movement, character development, and the relationship between characters. 

A Brief History of Acting

You know the old cliche, you won't know where you're going until you know where you've been.  Well, it's the same for acting.  Of course, like anything, when you talk about history, it's always a little fuzzy.  It's been passed down through history and in many theater classrooms that the first actor was Thespis of Icaria.  Thespis was a part of a dithyrambic chorus that sang in honor of Dionysus, a Greek god of wine and