Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Short trousers worn historically by men; also refers to roles in which women dressed as men, common in older theatrical traditions.
A transitional section in music or story structure that connects two themes or scenes, adding emotional or narrative flow.
A type of flat or scenery wall that is built with the framing running horizontally, often covered with muslin and used on proscenium stages.
A character who negotiates deals or exchanges, sometimes used in political or business-themed dramas to represent corruption or ambition.
The financial plan for a production, essential to managing resources, hiring, and staging a play or musical.
A comedic bass singer in opera, often playing a humorous or bumbling character.
A traditional Korean barrel drum used in theatrical music and ritual performance, central to Korean folk and court music.
A fictional persona invented to escape social obligations, coined from Oscar Wilde’s play *The Importance of Being Earnest*.
A traditional Japanese puppet theatre form involving large, intricately operated puppets accompanied by music and narration.
A system of administrative procedures often satirized in theatre to expose inefficiency and impersonality.
A theatrical genre mixing parody, music, and often sensuality, originating in the 19th century as satirical entertainment.
Exhaustion caused by overwork or stress, frequently portrayed in contemporary drama to explore modern mental health issues.