Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Camp is a performance style that celebrates exaggeration, theatricality, and deliberate bad taste for comic or satirical effect. Often marked by irony, flamboyance, and over-the-top characterizations, camp turns the absurd into entertainment. In theatre, it invites audiences to laugh both at and with the performance’s outrageousness.
Likely a misspelling of 'Cadenza': a solo passage in a vocal or instrumental performance, typically improvised and virtuosic.
Refers to pre-recorded sound or music used in a production rather than being performed live.
A vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment, typically in multiple movements, used in sacred or secular dramatic contexts.
A sleeveless garment used in costuming to indicate status, mystery, or period authenticity, often worn by royalty or villains.
A lively or playful leap or dance; in drama, it can refer to light-hearted mischief or comic adventure.
An economic system often critiqued in epic and protest theatre, examining exploitation, class, and power structures.
A high-ranking church official, typically used in period or religious dramas to embody power, hierarchy, or moral dilemma.
A theatrical style emphasizing chaos, inversion, and grotesque humor, often seen in folk or political performance.
Relating to the reign of Charles I of England; Caroline theatre often featured court masques and early tragicomedies.
A professional responsible for selecting and auditioning actors for roles in a production.
Male singers castrated before puberty to preserve a high-pitched voice, common in Baroque opera.