Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
An “I Want Song” is a number, usually placed early in a musical, where a main character expresses their deepest desire or ambition. This song sets the character’s journey in motion and gives the audience a clear emotional stake in the story. It has become one of the most recognizable and enduring conventions of musical theatre structure.
A poetic meter consisting of five iambs per line, widely used in English Renaissance drama by playwrights like Shakespeare.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union representing backstage workers. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A boastful yet cowardly soldier archetype in Commedia dell’arte, representing pompous authority and false bravado.
A technique from Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed where actors create tableaux to explore social issues.
A style of performance where the audience becomes part of the story environment. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
Spoken or performed without preparation. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
A performance technique in which dialogue and action are created spontaneously. This term plays a vital role in understanding theatrical structure and is commonly encountered in stagecraft or performance settings.
Sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other.
The event or decision that sets the main story in motion, introducing the central conflict and prompting the protagonist to act. This pivotal moment often appears early in a play or script and is essential for driving the plot forward. It marks the point of no return for the characters and helps establish the story's stakes.
The practice of ensuring representation of diverse identities in casting, storytelling, and creative decision-making.
Refers to the original peoples of a region; their performance traditions often include ritual, storytelling, and dance.