Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Units of action in a scene that reflect changes in objective or emotion; used in acting to structure performance.
A powerful, resonant singing technique used in musical theatre to project high notes with chest voice.
A powerful singing technique that uses chest voice in higher pitches, common in musical theatre for dramatic emphasis.
A vocal technique blending chest and head voice to create a strong yet flexible sound for higher pitches.
To plan and rehearse the movement of actors on stage, essential for effective staging, composition, and storytelling.
The precise staging of actors’ movements and positions onstage, typically directed during rehearsals.
A genre of American roots music featuring banjos and harmonies, sometimes used in theatre to evoke rural or regional identity.
A transitional section in music or story structure that connects two themes or scenes, adding emotional or narrative flow.
A form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, and drama, often performed in a nightclub or pub-style venue.
Camp is a performance style that celebrates exaggeration, theatricality, and deliberate bad taste for comic or satirical effect. Often marked by irony, flamboyance, and over-the-top characterizations, camp turns the absurd into entertainment. In theatre, it invites audiences to laugh both at and with the performance’s outrageousness.
A short-term training course in theatre or performance without conferring a degree.
A fictional persona portrayed by an actor, constructed through background, traits, objectives, and transformation throughout the play.