Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A group of (typically three or more) notes sounded together, as a basis of harmony.
The sequence of steps and movements in dance, also the orchestrated and rehearsed movements for actors, based on the script.
Based in Ancient theatre, a set of characters that work together as a single group, often commenting on the action of the play.
Clown roles in Zaju and Peking Opera.
Chords that build on or include notes that aren't part of the key.
Zaju consisted of 4 acts (“chu”), consisting of a set of songs following a crucial moment in the plot.
A type of comedy popular in the English Renaissance, set within London with middle-class characters and domestic conflicts.
A civil war in the United States fought between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865.
A symbol at the beginning of the staff to determine the pitch of a particular line. It also provides reference for the pitch or key of all the notes to follow.
Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, either natural or human-induced.
The moment of the plot in which the obstacle is confronted, and the action is turned to falling action and denouement.
The clear end of the rehearsal, designed to help actors leave intimate moments on the stage.