Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A heavy oil-based stage makeup used before the advent of modern foundations. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A historic economic crisis dramatized in plays to explore poverty, resilience, and social upheaval.
A historical movement of African Americans northward that shaped cultural and theatrical narratives in the 20th century.
A group in Ancient Greek theatre that commented on the action, represented the public, and provided narrative insight.
A backstage lounge area where performers wait before going on stage. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
West African storytellers and oral historians who preserve culture and history through performance, music, and theatre.
Grotesque refers to a style of theatre that blends the bizarre, distorted, or monstrous with comic or sympathetic elements. It often exaggerates physical or emotional traits to provoke both laughter and discomfort in audiences. In drama, the grotesque highlights the strange or unsettling while still revealing human vulnerability and truth.
A Korean string instrument played vertically, often accompanying traditional dance and theatre performances.
A very admiring book about someone or a description of someone that represents the person as perfect or much better than they really are. For example, biographies of saints or visionary figures.
A note held for two beats in common time, forming part of the rhythmic structure of music in musical theatre.
A sensory experience that appears real but is created by the mind; often portrayed in drama for psychological effect. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A tragic flaw leading to the downfall of a hero in classical tragedy. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.