CSCC Theatre 1100 Exam 1
Romanticism - nineteenth century dramatic movement that imitated the episodic structure of
Shakespeare, and theatrically focused on the gulf between human beings spiritual aspirations and
physical limitations
Black box - a theatre space that is open, flexible, and adaptable, usually without fixed seating. The
stage audience configuration can be rearranged to suit the individual requirements of a given
production, making it both economical and particularly well suited to experimental work
Centering - a way of pulling everything together and allowing the performer to eliminate any
blocks that impede the body or the voice
Aesthetic distance - the separation of audience member from the performance or artwork to
experience its aesthetic qualities
Affirmation - heroes and heroines meet their fates with dignity
Allegory - symbolic representation of abstract themes through characters, action, and other
concrete elements of a play
Antagonist - opponent of the protagonist in a drama
Arena - stage entirely surrounded by the audience; also known as circle theatre or theatre in the
round
Auteur - French term for author. When used to describe a director it suggests one who makes
drastic alterations and transformations to a traditional script
Balance of forces - the people or forces in conflict must be more or less evenly matched
, Blocking - pattern and arrangement of performers' movements onstage with respect to each
other and to the stage space, usually set by the director
Bourgeois or domestic drama - drama dealing with problems, particularly family problems, of
middle and lower class characters; there are serious and comic domestic dramas
Box - small private compartment for a group of spectators built into the walls of a traditional
proscenium arch theatre
Build - to create a costume from scratch in a costume shop
Burlesque - a ludicrous, comic imitation of a dramatic form, play, piece of literature, or other
popular entertainment
Casting - fitting performers into roles
Chorus - in an ancient Greek drama, a group of performers who sang and danced, sometimes
participating in the action but usually simply commenting on it; in modern times, performers in a musical
play who sing and dance as a group
Climatic structure - also referred to as the intensive structure, dramatic structure in which there
are few scenes, a short time passes, there are few locales, and the action begins chronologically close to
the climax
Climax - often defined as the high point in the action or the final and most significant crisis in the
action
Color - the shadings and contrasts of color combinations
Comedy - in general, a play that is light in tone, is concerned with issues that point out the
excesses and folly of human behavior, has a happy ending, and is designed to amuse
Romanticism - nineteenth century dramatic movement that imitated the episodic structure of
Shakespeare, and theatrically focused on the gulf between human beings spiritual aspirations and
physical limitations
Black box - a theatre space that is open, flexible, and adaptable, usually without fixed seating. The
stage audience configuration can be rearranged to suit the individual requirements of a given
production, making it both economical and particularly well suited to experimental work
Centering - a way of pulling everything together and allowing the performer to eliminate any
blocks that impede the body or the voice
Aesthetic distance - the separation of audience member from the performance or artwork to
experience its aesthetic qualities
Affirmation - heroes and heroines meet their fates with dignity
Allegory - symbolic representation of abstract themes through characters, action, and other
concrete elements of a play
Antagonist - opponent of the protagonist in a drama
Arena - stage entirely surrounded by the audience; also known as circle theatre or theatre in the
round
Auteur - French term for author. When used to describe a director it suggests one who makes
drastic alterations and transformations to a traditional script
Balance of forces - the people or forces in conflict must be more or less evenly matched
, Blocking - pattern and arrangement of performers' movements onstage with respect to each
other and to the stage space, usually set by the director
Bourgeois or domestic drama - drama dealing with problems, particularly family problems, of
middle and lower class characters; there are serious and comic domestic dramas
Box - small private compartment for a group of spectators built into the walls of a traditional
proscenium arch theatre
Build - to create a costume from scratch in a costume shop
Burlesque - a ludicrous, comic imitation of a dramatic form, play, piece of literature, or other
popular entertainment
Casting - fitting performers into roles
Chorus - in an ancient Greek drama, a group of performers who sang and danced, sometimes
participating in the action but usually simply commenting on it; in modern times, performers in a musical
play who sing and dance as a group
Climatic structure - also referred to as the intensive structure, dramatic structure in which there
are few scenes, a short time passes, there are few locales, and the action begins chronologically close to
the climax
Climax - often defined as the high point in the action or the final and most significant crisis in the
action
Color - the shadings and contrasts of color combinations
Comedy - in general, a play that is light in tone, is concerned with issues that point out the
excesses and folly of human behavior, has a happy ending, and is designed to amuse
