Stage Vocabulary for Singers
If you hope to sing live on stage, understanding the vocabulary used by the other performers, conductors, and directors is essential. The diagram shows the terms which identify specific places on and in relation to the stage. Whether you are singing in a musical, opera, or concert, the terms and phrases below will be heard in the world of theaters, night clubs, and other performance venues.
A Cappella: singing without any form of instrumental accompaniment
Accompaniment: the instrumentation that plays beneath the singing
Accompanist: a pianist who plays music beneath the singing
Ad-lib: to improvise stage actions or conversation especially when an actor has missed or forgotten lines and other actors must supply the missing information
Amplifiers: equipment that increases the sound captured by a microphone, played on an instrument, or replayed from a record, CD, or tape.
Articulation: in singing the clear production of sound such that the lyrics can be understood; part of diction and enunciation
Auditions: readings before a director to determine the casting of a play
Auditorium: part of the theater where the audience sits; also known as the "house"
Backing Flat: a flat which stands behind a window or door in the set
Blocking: the actors movements; the process of directing an actor as to where they are to move about the stage in conjunction with the progress of the play
Call: some sort of instruction given to the company an example is a rehearsal call which is an instruction to attend a rehearsal at a particular time
Call Backs: an additional audition for the final actors being considered for a part
Cast: the entire group of actors in a production
Casting: the process of determining which actors will play the parts in a play
Choreographer: devises and rehearses the dance routines
Clear the stage: everybody off; a direction given to all actors, musicians, and technicians to leave the stage area prior to the beginning of a performance
Cloth: backdrop scenery painted on fabric
Cover: a song written by someone other than the singer or band performing it: used when talking about club or event singing performances, not musicals or operas
Cross: moving from one side of the stage to the other
Curtain Call/Bows: the carefully choreographed appearance of actors on stage after the performance to acknowledge the applause of the audience
Cue Line: line of dialogue that tells an actor or crew member some action must be taken
Denouement: the resolution or falling action of the play
Dialogue: lines spoken in a play between 2 characters
Diction: to be understood; clear pronunciation of words
Discovered: already on stage when the scene begins
Down stage turn: turning so your body passes through the full front position
Drama: a play of serious nature
Dresser: one whose job is helping an actor in quick changes in costume
Dress Rehearsal: a run through of the entire production with full costume, make-up, music, lights, and sets
Encore: an additional song performed after the planned set in acknowledgement of the audience's enthusiasm for the performance
Enunciation: in singing, creating precise vowel and consonant sounds so that the audience can understand the words in the lyric
Epilogue: a bit tagged on to the end of a play to explain or excuse
Exposition: the beginning of a play used to provide background information
Falling action: the resolution or denouement of a play
Feedback: the annoying screeching sound made when microphones are in front of and too close to the speakers which creates a circular audio loop. Two easy solutions: keep microphones away from speakers and position speakers in front of microphones and facing away from the microphone.
Flats: muslin or plywood-covered frames used to build the walls of a stage setting
Focus: the intended point of interest on stage
Fourth wall: the imaginary "wall" between actors on stage and the audience
Gesture: a specific physical action that communicates emotion, information, or attitude
Green Room: a room backstage in which the performers can sit and relax before, during, and after a show
Half (the): The 35 minutes before the first actors are due on stage. All performers must be in their dressing rooms by the Half.
Hit your mark: Go to the exact position required, sometimes the stage is actually marked with tape to show you precisely where you need to be. Marks are used to coordinate your position with lighting, other performers, and stage effects.
Holding for a laugh: allowing the audience's response to die away before continuing
House: where the audience sits
House Manager: person in charge of everything that happens in the front of the house (box office, ushers, bars, cash, etc)
Inflection: change in tone or pitch during the delivery of a spoken line of dialogue
Intention: what your character wants in a scene
Interior monologue: the stream of thoughts a character thinks while he/she is on stage
Line Reading: refers to the volume, tone, and emotion which an actor applies to the performance of a line of script. The way in which this is done can completely change one's understanding of what is meant by the words.
Marking: to sing through a piece without using full power in order to preserve the voice for the actual performance
Microphones: devices for controlling the volume of different performers either singers or instrumentalists; the sound is controlled at a mixing board or desk
Monitors: equipment for providing sound back to the performer so they can hear more clearly what they are doing
Monologue: a long speech by one character
Motivation: the character's reason for doing or saying something
Musical Director: in complete control of the music for a production; rehearses the singers and musicians, conducts the orchestra or band, and arranges the music
Open: actor is visible to the audience
Open mic: for "open microphone" meaning anyone who wishes to perform can. Normally one signs in at the beginning of the session and is told in what sequence they will perform. Most open mic performances are limited to two songs each of roughly 3 and half minutes duration.
Places: the direction for all actors, musicians, and technicians to go to their proper position and be ready for the beginning of the performance or scene
Platforms: wooden units joined together to build the floors for a stage setting
Prologue: a bit attached to the beginning of a play to explain or provide background material for the audience before the start of the play
Props: small hand-held items used by actors to create the period, character, or setting
Projection: to be heard; to send the voice to the furthest reaches of the venue
Range: refers to the notes that a given performer can sing comfortably
Repertoire: the songs a singer knows and can perform well
Reprise: to repeat, in whole or part, a song which has already been sung in the show
Reverb: Short for reverberation, a term used by musicians and sound engineers. Created at a mixing desk, it gives the voice more color, tone, and presence, during studio and live performances.
Road show: when performances are given in places other than the home-base of the theater group, band, orchestra, or choir
Roadies: traveling stage hands who set up and tear down sets, lights, and sound systems during road shows
Run through: an uninterrupted rehearsal of a scene, act, or the entire play
Set: for a play it means the physical layout of the stage and the flats used to create a scene; in a nightclub or concert it means the sequence of songs which make up a 45 minute performance before a break
Sound check: a pre-performance test of all sound equipment including singers and instrumentalists
Sound engineer: person who controls the sound amplification and mixing board
Stage Banter/Patter: words spoken to the audience usually by the lead singer which provide introduction or transition time while musicians or sets are changed
Stage fright: the fear or anxiety experienced before appearing on stage
Stage manager: in charge of everything that happens backstage
Staging: deliberate choices about where the actors stand and how they move on stage; same as blocking
Strike: taking down, changing out, and putting away costumes, props, and sets after a production
Diagram of a Stage