Robert Cohen - Theatre, Brief Version-McGraw-Hill Education (2016)

Glossary G-9
surrealism An art movement of the early twentieth century, in
which the artist sought to go beyond realism into superrealism.
symbolism The first major antirealistic movement in the arts
and in the theatre. Symbolism, which emphasizes the symbolic
nature of theatrical presentation and the abstract possibilities
of drama, flourished as a significant movement from the late
nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, when it broke
into various submovements: expressionism, surrealism, theatricalism,
and many others.
tableau A “frozen moment” onstage, with the actors immobile,
usually employed at the end of a scene, as the curtain falls
or the lights dim.
technical rehearsal A stop-and-start rehearsal, in which a
play’s technical elements—mainly scene shifts, lighting, and
sound cues—are precisely timed and integrated with the acting.
See also cue sheet.
tech run-through A nonstop rehearsal of the play with all
technical elements called by the stage manager and executed.
See also call; cue sheet.
tetralogy Four plays performed together in sequence. In
ancient Greek theatre, this was the basic pattern for the tragic
playwrights, who presented a trilogy of tragedies, followed by
a satyr play.
text A play script. This term is sometimes used to indicate the
spoken words of the play only, as apart from the stage directions
and other material in the script.
theatre—and drama These words are often used interchangeably,
yet they also have distinct meanings. “Theatre” is
the broader term and can denote all of the elements of theatrical
production (plays, scenery, staging, acting). “Drama” mainly
focuses on plays performed in a theatrical environment. This
difference in meaning reflects the words’ separate etymologies:
theatre is that which “is seen,” and drama is that which
“is done.” So “theatre” can mean a building, but “drama” cannot.
And “dramatic” suggests actions, in both plays and life,
that are compelling; but “theatrical,” when referring to real-life
behavior, implies overly showy or sensationalistic.
theatre—and theater Theatre is the French and British spelling;
theater the German. Both spellings are common in the
United States.
theatre of alienation See distancing effect; epic theatre.
theatre of cruelty A notion of theatre developed by the
French theorist Antonin Artaud (1896–1948). Artaud’s goal
was to employ language more for its sound than for its meaning
and to create a shocking stream of sensations rather than a
coherent plot and cast of characters. Although Artaud’s practical
achievement was slight, his theories have proven extraordinarily
influential.
theatre of the absurd A theatrical style, named by Martin
Esslin in his 1961 book of that title, that has been applied to the
post–World War II plays of Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco,
Jean Genet, and others, mostly Europeans. Esslin employed the
term, derived from an essay by Albert Camus (see absurd), to
describe plays with unrealistic and illogical plots, repetitious
and disconnected language, and unclear themes, reflecting a
world in which humans “absurdly” seek meaning but never
find it.
theatre-in-the-round See arena stage.
theatricalist A contemporary style that boldly exploits the
theatre itself and calls attention to the theatrical contexts of the
play being performed. This term is often used to describe plays
about the theatre that employ a play-within-the-play. See also
metatheatre.
theatricality A quality of particularly vivid and attentiongrabbing
showmanship, either on stage or in daily life.
theatron The original Greek theatre; from the Greek for “seeing
place.”
thespian Actor; after Thespis, the first Greek actor.
thrust stage A stage that projects into the seating area and is
surrounded by the audience on three sides.
tragedy From the Greek for “goat song,” originally meaning
a serious play. Tragedy was later refined by Greek playwrights
(Thespis, sixth century b.c., being the first) and subsequently
the philosopher Aristotle (384–322 b.c.) into the most celebrated
of dramatic genres: a play that treats, at the most
uncompromising level, human suffering. The reason for the
name is unclear; a goat may have been the prize, or the chorus
may have worn goatskins.
tragic flaw See hamartia.
tragicomedy A play that begins as a tragedy but includes
comic elements and ends happily. Tragicomedy was a popular
genre in the eighteenth century but is rarely employed, at least
under that name, in the modern theatre.
traveler A curtain that, instead of flying out (see fly), moves
horizontally and is usually opened by dividing from the center
outward.
trilogy Three plays performed in sequence; the basic pattern
of ancient Greek tragedies, of which one—Aeschylus’s
The Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The
Eumenides)—is still extant.
trope A written text, usually in dialogue form, incorporated
into the Christian worship service. In the tenth century a.d.
tropes became the first liturgical dramas.
troupe A group of actors who perform together, often on tour.
See also company.
unit set A set that, by the moving on or off of a few simple
pieces and perhaps with a change of lights, can represent all the
scenes from a play. The unit set is a fluid and economical staging
device, particularly useful for Shakespeare productions.
unities The unity of place, unity of time, unity of action, and
unity of tone were the four “unities” that neoclassic critics
of the seventeenth century claimed to derive from Aristotle;
plays said to “observe the unities” were required to take place
in one locale, to have a duration of no more than one day (in
an extreme interpretation, in no more time than the duration of
the play itself), and to concern themselves with no more than a
single action. Aristotle made no such demands on playwrights,
however, and very few authors have ever succeeded in satisfying
these restrictive conventions.
upstage (noun) In a proscenium theatre, the part of the stage
farthest from the audience; the rear of the stage, so called
because it was in fact raised (“up”) in the days of the raked
stage. (verb) To stand upstage of another actor. Upstaging is
often considered rude, inasmuch as it forces the downstage
actor to face upstage (and away from the audience) in order to
look at the actor to whom she or he is supposed to be speaking.
Figuratively, the term may be used to describe any sort of
acting behavior that calls unwarranted attention to the “upstaging”
actor and away from the “upstaged” one.