Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A tableau is a staged moment where performers freeze in a visually powerful pose or arrangement, almost like a living picture. Instead of dialogue or movement, the image itself communicates the meaning—whether it’s celebrating triumph, mourning loss, or showing a turning point in the story. In an opera such as Ça Ira, which dramatizes the French Revolution, tableaux are often used to symbolize big events like the storming of the Bastille or the collective spirit of the people.
A male vocal range above baritone, commonly featured in opera and musical theatre for romantic or heroic lead characters.
The vocal range in which a piece or role is most comfortably and frequently sung, as opposed to just the extreme high or low notes.
A theatrical superstition or vocalized wish for good luck, especially used in opera and European performance tradition.
A French opera genre combining serious themes with ballet and ornate staging, popular during the Baroque era.
The act of shifting music to a different key, important in opera and musical theatre for adapting vocal ranges.
A rapid alternation between two adjacent musical notes, used in vocal or instrumental performance to add ornamentation and expression.
An operatic style emphasizing realism and emotional intensity, often focusing on everyday life and working-class characters.
A slight, rapid variation in pitch used by singers to enrich tone and convey emotion.
A classification of a singer’s vocal range, weight, and timbre, such as soprano, tenor, or bass.
A Spanish form of musical theatre combining spoken and sung scenes, blending operatic and popular music traditions.