Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A kind of comedy that jokes about serious or depressing topics, such as hopelessness, suffering, or death.
Text in verse that does not rhyme.
The script of a musical.
A literary style or mode that subverts normal or dominant society, and may be playful or dark.
A term from Ancient Greek tragedy, meaning the purging of pity and fear.
The journey and development of a character throughout the course of their story.
A character who contrasts with another character, intended to better reveal certain qualities of these characters.
Based in Ancient theatre, a set of characters that work together as a single group, often commenting on the action of the play.
A type of comedy popular in the English Renaissance, set within London with middle-class characters and domestic conflicts.
The moment of the plot in which the obstacle is confronted, and the action is turned to falling action and denouement.
A type of comedy, popular in the English Restoration, that made fun of social norms and mores.
Anything that creates additional problems for the characters. Usually always found throughout the rising action.