What I Learned as a Theater Minor! Quiz

Answer: Green Room

The "Green Room" is the waiting room or lounge used by actors and performers who are preparing to go on stage. In the early years of theater the green room was literally a green-painted room. One story suggests that the Blackfriars Theater in 16th century England had a green room and thus the name stuck through future generations.

Some theaters often had multiple green rooms catering to actors of different seniority and status. Another oft-cited reason for the term green room relates to medieval dramas being performed on the grass of the village green. One other suggestion is that "green room" is actually a corruption of the term "scene room" which is a place backstage where scenery and props were held and also perhaps a waiting place for actors offstage.

Answer: Stage Manager

The humble stage manager has become a highly respected role among theater companies. Indeed, there are some theater personnel who make attractive livings from serving as professional stage managers. This role serves as the coordinator of a wide variety of backstage functions.

The stage manager is often responsible for coordinating costumes, props, scene changes, sound board and lighting, ticket office, show promotion, helping actors with lines, and a whole host of administrative functions. Although the term stage manager was not used until the 18th century, stage managers were often a part of Shakespeare's shows.

Answer: Props

A property, often shortened to the word prop, is any moveable and portable commodity utilized in the execution of a theatrical performance. For example, costumes, furniture, accessories, household goods, and even food are all considered as property in a theater production. The "Oxford English Dictionary" used the actual term "props" for the first time in 1841. However, the earliest accepted use of props in theater were likely the Onkoi hand-held masks used in Greek drama productions. The onkoi (comedy and tragedy masks) remain a symbol of the performing arts even today.

Answer: Mime

Mime is a theatrical medium or level of performance art characterized by acting out a story through body action and no speech. In England a mime was called a mummer, and the practice of miming was called mummery. Mime first evolved in Greek theater and the early mime was likely to have been a descendent of pantomimus, a single-masked dancer. Arguably the greatest mime ever was Marcel Marceau who played the part of Bip the clown for over 50 years in the late 20th century.

Answer: Break a leg

The origin of the phrase "break a leg" is not actually known. However, it is generally accepted that it is bad luck to wish somebody good luck before they go on stage. Some of the more popular suggestions for why this term is used include how the audience responds to a performance.

In Greek times, audience members would stomp their feet to show appreciation. In English theaters, audience members would bang chairs up and down to celebrate a particularly good show - often breaking the chair leg. Another suggestion is that to break a leg is another way to say "take a bow".

Some theatergoers attribute the term to John Wilkes Booth, an actor who literally broke his leg when jumping onto the stage after shooting President Abraham Lincoln back in 1865.

Answer: Choreography

The word choreography literally comes from the Greek meaning "dance writing". In modern day circles it means the act of coordinating physical sequenced movements. More often than not, choreography is the term used to describe coordinated dance moves. However, the term can also apply to cheerleading, acting, gymnastics, synchronized swimming, marching band, and even animation.

Answer: Soliloquy

Soliloquy is translated in Latin to literally mean "talk to oneself". In terms of theater performance, the soliloquy is a dramatic device used for actors to reveal their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. A soliloquy is different from a monologue or an aside. An aside is a conversation usually directed toward the audience.

A monologue is a focused verbalization directed at other actors on stage but is usually fairly lengthy. William Shakespeare was the king of soliloquies, and actors who play Hamlet had to learn seven very lengthy soliloquies for performances.

Answer: Pit

The orchestra pit is an area located in the lowered front part of the staging. The area is usually not very large, but conducive to fitting a decent sized orchestral ensemble. Some theaters are designed specifically for opera or ballet and thus have a dedicated orchestral pit area. Still other theaters have a manipulated staging area wherein the orchestra pit can be closed in for non-musical productions. Typically the conductor is set up on a podium at the front of the pit with their back to the audience.

Answer: Ad lib

Ad libitum means literally at one's freedom or with one's pleasure. The term is used in theater to describe a situation when an actor goes off script. Sometimes this is unintentional in situations that the actor forgets their lines. Other times it is intentional and is a part of improvisational theater productions where the performance evolves rather than being planned. One of my all-time favorite shows is "Whose Line is it Anyway?", a show built almost completely on the process of ad libitum.

Answer: Understudy

My elementary school performance of "Beauty and the Beast" starred Jack Cheshire as the Beast and none other than Kate Winslet as Beauty. I remember feeling quite jealous even at 11 years of age that my next door neighbor got to kiss Kate Winslet in the play and my "understudy" self didn't. Who knew that Kate Winslet would one day become the great Oscar winning actress and star of "Sense and Sensibility" and "Titanic". An understudy learns all of the lines and blocking for a respective part and is called upon to perform in that role should another actor become sick or incapacitated.