While some language that is used
when talking about theatre is common, other things that a Theatre enthusiast,
or simply someone who works in theatre are very different. Different terms,
phrases, and words are used to describe things that other people would probable
label in a very different way.
Firstly, the word Theatre in itself
is controversial because there are two different ways of spelling it. It is not
something that a person who is involved with theatre would take lightly. If you
are involved in the dramatic forms of theatre (i.e. not a movie theater) then
it is a well-known fact that the way to spell theatre is with an ‘re’ and not
an ‘er’. Most Americans have been taught from childhood to spell it with an ‘er’,
however when you are in the field of the dramatic arts, one begins to
differentiate the two. Some say that “a theater
is a venue while theatre is an art form, or that a theater is a movie
theater while a theatre is a drama venue.” Any way of saying it is
not wrong, it is just more commonly accepted in the theatre community if it is
spelled with an ‘re.’
There are also many different terms
that describe the stage that date back to the way a stage was set up throughout
history. If I were to say that a chair is placed ‘Upstage Right,’ what would
that mean? To someone who does not understand theatre or the workings of it,
they may say that upstage right means ‘On the right side of the stage toward
the front.’ Well to someone in theatre it is exactly the opposite. Theatre used
to be performed on a raised stage, like on a ramp. The stage would raise from
the front up to the back. Anyone maneuvering on the stage would be walking up
the ramp to get further up the stage. Hence ‘upstage.’ Therefore, upstage, is
toward the back of the stage, while downstage is the front. Also when taking
blocking and giving stage directions it is done from the viewpoint of the
actor. So, someone who is sitting in the audience, and sees a chair on stage to
their right, would label that chair as being Stage Left, because to an actor on
stage, it is to their left.
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| Above is how to properly describe the different areas on a stage. teendrama.org |
Other terms used by people in
theatre are foreign to other people. Words like strike, tech, spiking,
blocking, and on-book might be words that other people would find difficult to
understand before it is explained to them. Strike means to take down or away. Meaning
you strike a set after a show is over, or you strike a table off stage during a
scene change. Tech is all of the technical aspects surrounding a show, like
lighting, sound, construction. All shows go through a Tech weekend or, more
commonly, a tech week, where all of the technical aspects are touched up and
finished for the performances. To spike something means to mark where a prop or
set piece is on the ground with tape. Blocking is the act of knowing where you
are going on stage and when and the different actions you do on stage during a
scene. And to be on-book means that someone is reading along in a script during
a rehearsal so that if someone forgets their line, they simply have to call out
“line” and the person on-book will tell them the line they have forgotten.
