Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Casting without regard to race or ethnicity, often discussed in theatre as a tool for diversity or as a point of critique.
In dance or musical theatre, a sequence of choreographed steps taught and performed as a unit.
A Spanish Golden Age theatrical genre mixing tragedy and comedy, introduced by Lope de Vega, rejecting classical unities.
A satirical form of comedy that critiques the manners and affectations of a social class, often with witty dialogue.
A narrative genre focusing on growth and maturation, often used in drama to explore identity and self-discovery.
An Italian theatrical form featuring masked stock characters, improvisation, and physical comedy, influential in modern comedy and clowning.
Theatre produced with the primary goal of making a profit, typically found in Broadway or West End contexts.
A request or contract for a playwright or composer to create a new work, usually accompanied by payment.
The core of performance, involving verbal and nonverbal methods actors use to convey character, intention, and emotion.
A political ideology often depicted or explored in 20th-century epic or protest theatre for social critique.
In theatre, refers to the collective of artists, audience, and supporters, or to a type of amateur or local theatre.
Events in a plot that introduce new conflict or obstacles for the protagonist, driving the narrative forward.