Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A highly ornamented style of singing that requires vocal agility, common in soprano opera roles.
Comic opera is a form of opera that blends lighthearted stories with music, emphasizing humor, wit, and playful situations rather than tragedy. It often satirizes social customs or authority figures, using exaggerated characters and lively ensembles. The style contrasts with grand opera by focusing on accessibility, entertainment, and comedic resolution.
A person who writes original music for a production, including scores for musicals, operas, or incidental music for plays.
A gradual increase in volume or intensity in music or dialogue, used to heighten dramatic effect.
“from the head”; an aria in which the first part is repeated, the singer being expected to add ornamentation in the repeated section.
Declamation is a style of vocal or dramatic delivery that closely follows the rhythms of natural speech while heightening its emotional power. Instead of long melodic lines, performers use strong rhythm, emphasis, and articulation to make the words dramatic and clear. This technique is common in theatre, oratory, and certain types of opera.
A gradual decrease in volume, commonly used in vocal or instrumental music to create emotional subtlety or finality in performance.
A combination of tones that creates tension or a lack of harmony, often used for dramatic effect.
An opera genre blending serious and comic elements, commonly used by Mozart and other classical composers.
The variations in loudness and softness in speech or music, often used to convey emotion.
A casting convention where a performer plays a role of the opposite gender, especially common in opera and classical theatre.
An additional performance or musical number requested by the audience after the conclusion of a show.