Stage Play: Vocabulary Lessons
The Theater Vocabulary: Taught over Eight Weekly Lessons
Week 1 Acting Class: Defining The Actor, Audience, Director.....more
Acting Vocabulary taught as a call/response activity where the Instructor defines the vocabulary word and then asks a questions to which the class responds either with a definition or by showing the answer. Many subsequent vocabulary lessons are taught in a similar.
Instructor: "Director-The director tells actors what to do. The director is the boss!" WHAT IS THE DIRECTOR? Class: respond by saying "The boss!"
Instructor: "Actor- a person who performs onstage. WHAT IS AN ACTOR?" Class: respond by saying "A person who performs on stage!"
Instructor: "Audience-people who watch and listen to the actors onstage. WHAT DOES THE AUDIENCE DO?" Class: responds by saying "Watch and Listen!"
Instructor: "This is Audience Clap" (show clapping) "AUDIENCE CLAP" Class: respond by clapping.
Instructor: "This is Audience Bravo! (BRAVO!)" AUDIENCE BRAVO!" Class: respond by yelling "Bravo!"
Instructor: "This is Audience Standing Ovation. (Demonstrates standing up and clapping.) "STANDING OVATION."
Week 2 Acting Class: Stage Directions--the locations on stage.
Stage Directions Visual Support
These include center stage, stage right (from audience perspective), stage left (from audience perspective) , up stage (farther from audience) and down stage. (closer to audience)
Stan the Stage Dog
This video shown to acting students prior to Week 2 Acting Class.
Week 3: Learning to Project
Project (talking loud enough so your audience can hear you)
Stage Whisper (talking in a loud whisper so that your audience can hear you)
Ear (The person who sits at the back of the theater and listens to see if the actors are loud enough for the audience to hear)
Week 4 : Learning some new stage locations:
On Stage
Backstage
Week 5 vocabulary : Costumes and Lines
A costume is special clothing that helps the actor look like a character in the play.
Lines are the words that actors say. These words might be learned from a script or the director.
Week 6: Props and Character Research
Props are objects on stage that an actor uses to help tell a story. Sometimes, actors pretend to have objects. These are pretend props.
Character Research-this is learning something about the character that you will be pretending to be.
Week 7: Blocking
Blocking- Learning where to walk and stand when you are saying lines in a play.
Week 8 : All about Stage Lights
Stage Lighting: (The way lights are used to create a feeling or tell a story on the stage.)
Gobo (Special metal plate that slides over lights to create interesting shapes and designs on stage)
Spotlight (A large white light that is on an actor during a special moment)