Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Concerned with or acting through opposing forces.
A bamboo flute.
The largest Butoh ensemble in Japan.
Lady of rank, mistress; Also, traditional character in British pantomime when female characters are performed by male actors in drag. They are either very camp, or extremely ‘butch’.
The female roles in Peking Opera, further subdivided into Qing yī (gentle maidens), hua dan (loud and vivacious women), wu dan (female warriors), and lao dan (old women). Also, the female roles in Zaju.
A man overwhelmingly concerned with looking stylish and fashionable.
Also called “black comedy,” takes a pessimistic view of the world.
DAW: Digital Audio Workstation. Software applications used by sound designers to record, create and mix sounds and music. Some examples include Ableton, Logic Pro and Garageband.
The first appearance of something, such as a first performance onstage.
A unit of measurement for volume, abbreviated as Db. Zero Db is the threshold of human hearing, and 140 Db is about as loud as a gunshot at close range.
Another name for the stage.