Mastering Theatre Lingo Trivia Quiz

Answer: To the actor's left when on stage, facing the audience

Keeping this little piece of information in mind can be a big help when reading scripts and blocking scenes.

Answer: To the back of the stage

Most theatres today have the auditorium seats slanted (each row is higher up than the rows in front of it) to ensure all audience members have a good view. However, it used to be that the audience sat all at one level and the stage was slanted. If an actor walked to the back of stage, he or she walked on an upward slant. Hence the name, upstage.

Answer: The audience

A full house refers to a sold-out show.

The house lights are the lights in the theatre not projected on stage. These lights are on before and after the show, as well as during intermission (if there is one). Dimming of the house lights generally signals that the show is about to begin.

Answer: Deciding each actor's position on stage for scene 6

It is important to know to where each actor should be on stage. Certain positioning is crucial for a smooth performance.

Answer: Taken the set off the stage

It's courteous to strike your set after you have finished rehearsing. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to have a stage all to yourself...

Answer: All actors on stage should improvise lines

Ad libbing is generally used in scenes that involve a crowd of people all talking at once. For example, if a character had just made a controversial speech, the other characters may then "ad lib" with lines such as "Has he gone mad?", "Of course that makes sense!", "What is he thinking?".

Answer: The show has just finished and the actors are coming back onstage for a bow

This is the time for an audience to truly show their appreciation for the talent on stage. If the performance was especially well done, the actors may receive a standing ovation, which is when the audience not only claps but stands as well as claps. However, these are not to be tossed out freely. I once had a very good drama teacher who said, "We don't clap for crap". Therefore I am quite selective in determining whether a performance is worthy of a standing ovation.

The "second audition" I referred to is called a callback. Typically, when trying to cast a few roles from a large number of people, a director will narrow down the choice in steps. He or she will ask only those that stood out to come back for another audition. This process may repeat several times until the choice becomes clear.

Answer: A break or pause for effect

Beats generally occur frequently throughout a play. After a beat the energy tends to build until the next beat. For example, two characters may be in an argument. They get more and more angry at each other and the volume of their voices steadily increase. Their lines continue to pick up speed and they cut off each other's sentences. Suddenly, one of them yells out "I wish you were dead!". Both characters fall silent. This is a beat.

"Beat" in theatre can also have much the same meaning it does in music - a unit of time, which can be used to manage tempo.

Answer: Downstage left

Downstage left is an important position on stage because it is where the audience's attention is most drawn to. Downstage is the part of the stage closest to the audience and left is actually to the audience's right. Most people read from left to right so their eyes tend to briefly pause at the end of a line (the farthest right side).

This is why the audience's eyes tend to skim over to the right (stage left). Most people when reading would not like to stop in the middle of a line. They subconsciously want to keep their eyes moving until the end of the line. Thus, downstage left is a natural resting point for the audience's eyes.

Answer: The character's thoughts at that time (not spoken aloud)

To really explore your character, it is fun to do a subtext run. This is when after each line the actor says his or her character's subtext.
For an example of subtext, a character may say "Could you take out the garbage?". However, at the same time that character was thinking "It smells worse than you do." This was the character's subtext.