Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A literary and dramatic style emphasizing horror, emotion, and the supernatural. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
The front curtain that covers the stage from the audience’s view before and after performances. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
Financial support provided to individuals or organizations for theatrical projects. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
Plural of grant; funds awarded for theatre production, education, or research. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A sense of seriousness and importance in a character's presence, often demanded in tragic or leadership roles.
A heavy oil-based stage makeup used before the advent of modern foundations. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A historic economic crisis dramatized in plays to explore poverty, resilience, and social upheaval.
A historical movement of African Americans northward that shaped cultural and theatrical narratives in the 20th century.
A group in Ancient Greek theatre that commented on the action, represented the public, and provided narrative insight.
A backstage lounge area where performers wait before going on stage. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
West African storytellers and oral historians who preserve culture and history through performance, music, and theatre.
Grotesque refers to a style of theatre that blends the bizarre, distorted, or monstrous with comic or sympathetic elements. It often exaggerates physical or emotional traits to provoke both laughter and discomfort in audiences. In drama, the grotesque highlights the strange or unsettling while still revealing human vulnerability and truth.