Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
Historically, a medieval performer of songs and tales; in the U.S., associated with racist 19th-century blackface performance.
Medieval religious dramas that portrayed the lives and miracles of saints, often performed in churches or public squares.
A character or theme reflecting a distrust or dislike of humanity, explored in comedic and philosophical dramas.
Mise-en-scène is a theatrical term describing the arrangement of everything visible on stage, including sets, lighting, costumes, and actor positioning. It shapes the visual atmosphere and emotional tone of a production. Directors use mise-en-scène to convey mood, symbolism, and relationships without relying solely on dialogue.
Hatred or prejudice against women, a theme often critiqued in feminist and realist plays to explore gender roles and oppression.
A common plot device in which one character is confused for another, often leading to comedic or dramatic consequences. This trope is widely used in English Renaissance and Commedia dell’arte theatre.
A vocal technique that blends chest and head voice registers to create a powerful, balanced tone for singing.
The process of adjusting and blending audio levels during a performance or recording. Mixing ensures that dialogue, music, and effects are balanced and intelligible.
An electronic device used to control audio inputs and outputs in a live or recorded setting. Mixing boards are central to theatre sound design and live operation.
Mock-Heroic is a literary and theatrical style in which trivial or absurd subjects are treated with the elevated seriousness and grandeur usually reserved for epic or classical heroes. By exaggerating tone and form, it creates comic contrast between lofty language or music and the silliness of the actual situation. For example, in Princess Ida, Gilbert & Sullivan use mock-heroic style in Ida’s Shakespearean speeches and her brothers’ bombastic trio “We Are Warriors Three.”
A term of affection or address found in English Renaissance plays, often used colloquially or humorously. It reflects character relationships and period diction.
An old-fashioned term meaning half or portion, often used in classical texts to express inheritance or division. Its usage adds historical tone and formality to dialogue.