Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Refers to the middle class, often used in theatre to critique social status, capitalism, or material values.
Relating to the theatrical style of Bertolt Brecht, emphasizing social critique and distancing the audience from emotional immersion.
A character who negotiates deals or exchanges, sometimes used in political or business-themed dramas to represent corruption or ambition.
A system of administrative procedures often satirized in theatre to expose inefficiency and impersonality.
An economic system often critiqued in epic and protest theatre, examining exploitation, class, and power structures.
A theatrical style emphasizing chaos, inversion, and grotesque humor, often seen in folk or political performance.
A modern global crisis increasingly represented in socially conscious theatre to challenge audiences and inspire action.
A period of political tension between the US and USSR, dramatized in theatre to reflect fear, ideology, and espionage.
A political ideology often depicted or explored in 20th-century epic or protest theatre for social critique.
An early 20th-century avant-garde movement rejecting logic and embracing absurdity, influencing experimental theatre.
A political identity occasionally explored in American drama to depict partisanship, policy conflict, or civic ideals.
A collaborative form of theatre where the script is developed by the ensemble through improvisation and group input.