Actor’s Glossary
Act A logical division in a script, comprised of scenesAd lib unplanned improvisation by an actor to cover a goof or forgotten lineAside spoken words unheard by other characters on stageCheating Unrealistic stage positions that cater to increased audience viewClear the Stage instruction to all actors and stagehands to leave the stage area given prior to the beginning of a performanceCue The indicative final phrase or action that proceeds an actor’s line or actionCurtain Call the reappearance of actors on stage after a play’s final scene to receive an audience’s applauseDiction The ability of an audience to discern words spoken by an actor on stageGiven Circumstances the who, what, when, where, why, how scenario facing an actor in characterMonologue A long speech by one character not interrupted by another, said to one’s self, the audience or another characterOpen Up Shading the body towards the audience so an actor is more in full viewPantomime – Exclusively nonverbal communication relying entirely on lip-reading/body languagePlaces a command for actors to move to their starting position at the onset of a sceneRun Through a full rehearsal of a performance or selected part of a performance, complete and unabridgedScene A shorter division in a script usually with less interval time betweenSoliloquy A long speech said by a single actor either as an aside or to the audience, but not audible by other character’s on the stageStrike orders to get rid of or take down somethingTake the stage an actor intentionally seizing the focus of an audience and diverting their attention towards his or her action
