Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A Korean royal era (1392–1897) during which masked dance-dramas and court rituals shaped national theatre traditions.
A jukebox musical is a type of musical where the score is made up of pre-existing, well-known popular songs instead of original music.
A failed 1832 uprising in Paris that inspired the setting and themes of the musical Les Misérables.
A classical Japanese theatre form combining stylized movement, elaborate makeup, and historical or domestic stories.
A form of Indian string puppetry featuring colorful characters and stories rooted in folklore and local legends.
An Indian state known for Kathakali and Kutiyattam, two traditional forms blending theatre, dance, and ritual.
A musical notation indicating the key of a piece, essential for singers and musicians to maintain correct pitch.
The Keystone Cops were a group of fictional, incompetently clumsy policemen who appeared in silent film comedies produced by Mack Sennett between 1912 and 1917. Their chaotic chases, frantic energy, and visual mishaps became iconic symbols of early Hollywood slapstick humor.
A humorous or dismissive slang term for a wife, found in Shakespeare’s works and indicative of period attitudes. The term reflects both social norms and wordplay in English Renaissance comedy and can offer insight into gender roles and characterization.
A plot device involving abduction, commonly used in thrillers or moral dramas to create suspense and urgency.
A stylized movement or performance act in traditional Indonesian theatre, showcasing skill, status, or transformation onstage.
A British theatrical movement from the 1950s–60s that depicted working-class life with gritty realism and domestic conflict.