Advance – As in “advance the show.” The process of reviewing all show details with the artist and all relevant parties. Backdrop – A large curtain that is sometimes hung behind the stage. Backline – A band’s musical equipment requirements. Sometimes (such as when a band flys to a date) acts need you to supply drums, amps, keyboards, etc. when they can’t bring their own. Barricade – A barrier between the stage and the audience. This is usually manned by security. Bonuses / Overages – Extra monies paid to an act depending on number of tickets sold and / or revenue generated. Bid / Offer – What you offer a performer with the hopes that they will come perform for you. Bids should be made in writing and spell out all the details of your proposed show, including date, location, and money offered. When you make an offer remember the following: (1) They are binding – do not make an offer unless you are certain you want to pursue the act, and (2) Just because you make an offer does not mean the act is going to accept it. Box Office Statement / Ticket Manifest – A report of how many tickets were sold, and at what value. Break Even Point – The point at which the amount of revenue generated from ticket sales equals the amount of money spent to produce the show. Configuration – How the room is set up. Contract – The legal piece of paper that details the specifics of your show. If your bid / offer is accepted, a contract will be issued to you. Contracts are legally binding and can only be changed in writing if both parties agree. Disclaimers – Warning statements, usually printed on tickets and/or posters. Items such as “no refunds” and “no recording devices of any kind” are common. Drop – The ripped ticket stubs. These are especially important when bands are being paid bonuses. Front of House (FOH) – The area of your venue designated for an act’s mixing and lighting boards. Most often set up in the crowd (and possibly requiring some seats around it being left unsold) Fly – This relates to sound and lights; to fly means to hang sound and/or lights from the support beams of your venue’s ceiling. In-House – Applied to materials and or personnel supplied by the venue. For example, some schools have their own in house staging. Manifest – An exact and detailed account of seating and available tickets. Merch Rate – A percentage of the revenue generated by the sale of merchandise that the school gets. A split of 85 percent to artist and 15 percent to school is common, with 100 percent of recordable sales going to the artist. Middle Agent – People who work for schools. They do not represent acts or manage bands. Their job is to help you produce a show. Mixer – A control system for lights, sound, and monitors. Each group/act will typically require its own mixer console. Production Kills – Seats that are lost due to production. Often mixing boards force seats to be lost. Proscenium Staging – A permanent, curved stage often found in theaters. Rider – A rider accompanies a contract and spells out the specific requirements of a show. A rider will tell you what type of production you need, what sort of food the band wants, and various performance requirements. Rigger – The individual who climbs around your building and hangs equipment. Rigging – Suspended equipment used to “fly” sound and lights Settlement Sheet – A detailed form that lists all expenses and revenue. Will Call Window – At the box office, where reserved, comp, and pre-ordered tickets are held. Wings – Small additional stage sections that are used to hold speaker stacks.
Anatomy of a Theatre ACOUSTIC SHELL ACT DROP Victorian stretched framed and painted canvas. Used as a visual stimulation during scene changes, and to indicate that there was more to come (the end being indicated by the HOUSE TABS). There are believed to be only two operational today - an original one at Gaiety Theatre, Isle Of Man, and a 1996 reproduction at Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Term now used to refer to any front cloth or tabs lowered during intervals. Especially pantomime / musicals. In ballet, the act drop permitted pre-interval curtain calls to take place. Gaiety Theatre ACT NUMBER INDICATOR An indicator board visible to the audience on the proscenium arch of a theatre used for variety performances which showed the Act Number so the audience could tell who was on stage (after referring to their printed programme). One type of board used replaceable numbers which were replaced by hand, another type used a paper scroll containing the numbers which was advanced either mechanically or electrically. The most popular type used an array of light bulbs which were illuminated in patterns to depict the numbers. AISLE AMPHITHEATRE APRON The Apron is a section of the stage floor which projects towards or into the auditorium. In proscenium theatres, it's the part of the stage in front of the house tabs, or in front of the proscenium arch, above the orchestra pit. Also known as Forestage. If an apron stage extension is added to an existing traditional proscenium arch theatre, this often results in poor sight lines from seats that are higher in the auditorium, leading to audience members having to lean forward in an attempt to see. German: vorbühne (literally, forestage). ARENA Form of stage where the audience are seated on at least two (normally three, or all four) sides of the whole acting area. See END ON, THRUST, IN THE ROUND. AUDITORIUM BACKSTAGE The part of the stage and theatre which is out of the sight of the audience. The service areas of the theatre, behind, beside or underneath the stage. Also refers to the personnel who work in the technical departments that work to create the performance, alongside the actors and musicians. German: Hinterbühne BALCONY BASTARD PROMPT CORNER BLACK BOX A kind of flexible small studio theatre where the audience and actors are in the same room, surrounded by black tabs (curtains). Doesn't necessarily describe the audience layout, which can be easily reconfigured.The stage can be defined by a change of flooring (e.g. black dance floor), or a raised platform. If actors leave the stage, they do so through gaps in the curtains. A black box type of venue is easy to set up in non-theatre spaces, and can be found occupying hundreds of spaces around cities such as Edinburgh during their Fringe Festivals. BOX OFFICE (UK) Part of the theatre front of house area where audience members can buy tickets. Most Box Offices are now computerised, and offer phone reservations. Some offer online (internet) bookings also. Also known as the Ticket Booth (USA). See also WILL CALL. BRIDGE 1) A walkway, giving access to technical and service areas above the stage or auditorium, or linking fly-floors. See also CATWALK. 2) A lighting position above the auditorium, commonly with a catwalk above it to access lighting equipment and electrical systems is known in Dutch as a Zaalbrug. 3) A section within a song which provides a break from the previous verse / chorus, to prepare for the final chorus or climax, and can also provide a contrast with the previous lyrical tone or style.BRIDGE LIFT CABARET SEATING CARPET CUT CATACOMBS Originally an underground cemetary, with spaces for tombs, built by the ancient Romans. Most widely known now in reference to the tunnels and cellars underneath the Paris Opera House, in The Phantom of the Opera. The theatre by which the musical was inspired, the Palais Garnier, has an underground lake which inspired the original story of the Phantom of the Opera. Paris Opera / Palais Garnier at Theatrecrafts.com CATWALK CIRCLE CLOAKROOM CONTROL ROOM Room at the rear of the auditorium (in a proscenium theatre) where lighting and sometimes sound is operated from. Known in the US as the BOOTH. The stage manager calling the cues is very often at the side of the stage (traditionally stage left) but in some venues he/she may be in the control room also. The control room is usually soundproofed from the auditorium so that communications between operators cannot be heard by the audience. A large viewing window is obviously essential, as is a show relay system so that the performance can be heard by the operators. Obviously if sound is being mixed, the operator should be able to hear the same as the audience, so some control rooms have sliding or removable windows, or a completely separate room for sound mixing. Where possible, the sound desk is moved into the auditorium so that the operator can hear the same as the audience. Also known as the BOX. CYCLORAMA Usually shortened to just cyc (pronounced sike). The Cyclorama is a curved plain cloth or plastered wall filling the rear of the stage or TV studio. Often used as a sky backing to a traditional set, or as the main backing for a dance piece etc. The term is often loosely applied to a blue skycloth, or any flattage at the rear of the stage. Although strictly a cyc should be curved, most cycs are flat with curved wraparound ends. A more effective backing can be obtained by hanging a sharkstooth gauze just in front of the plain white cyc which gives a hazy effect of distance. See also BOUNCE, ISORA. The German equivalent term is operafolie. DEUS EX MACHINA Latin for God in the Machine. A mechanical device used in Greek classical and medieval drama to lower an actor playing God from the flies above the stage to resolve the conflict in a play. The mechanical crane that carried the DEUS EX MACHINA was known as MECHANE. The term sometimes refers to a character which has a similar function in a more modern drama. DRENCHER DRESSING ROOMS Rooms containing clothes rails and mirrors (often surrounded with lights) in which actors change into their costumes and apply make-up. Dressing Room doors have a list of the actors contained within. See also GREEN ROOM. END ON Traditional audience seating layout where the audience is looking at the stage from the same direction. This seating layout is that of a Proscenium Arch theatre. FLY FLOOR(S) FLY TOWER FORESTAGE FOYER FRONT OF HOUSE (FOH) 1) Every part of the theatre in front of the proscenium arch. Includes foyer areas open to the general public. 2) All lanterns which are on the audience side of the proscenium and are focussed towards the stage. The backstage areas of the theatre are known as Rear of House (ROH). FRONT TABS GALLERY 1) One or more raised seating platforms towards the rear of the auditorium. 2) See LOADING GALLERY. GANTRY GODS GRAND CURTAIN GRAND DRAPE GREEN GREEN ROOM GRID 1) The support structure close to the top of the fly tower on which the pulleys of the flying system are supported. Constructed from metal or wooden beams. (Italian: gratticia / graticciata / graticcio) 2) Arrangement of scaffolding from which lanterns are hung in a performance space with no flying facilities. Grid is short for GRIDIRON. HEAVENS HIPPODROME HOUSE 1) The audience (eg 'How big is the house tonight ?') 2) The auditorium (eg 'The house is now open, please do not cross the stage') HOUSE CURTAIN Same as HOUSE TABS. The house curtain is the main set of curtains ('tabs') in the venue. Not every show will use the tabs, but it's often nice to save the audiences' first view of the set for a special moment as the show starts, not as 'wallpaper' while they're coming into the auditorium. However, this entirely depends on the nature of the show. Known as GRAND CURTAIN in the US. See also TAB WARMERS. Spanish: Bambalinón HOUSE TABS The main set of curtains ('tabs') in the venue. Not every show will use the tabs, but it's often nice to save the audiences' first view of the set for a special moment as the show starts, not as 'wallpaper' while they're coming into the auditorium. However, this entirely depends on the nature of the show. Known as GRAND CURTAIN or HOUSE CURTAIN in the US. See also TAB WARMERS. Spanish: Bambalinón Dutch: voordoek (front curtain) IN THE ROUND Theatre in the Round is a form of audience seating layout where the acting area is surrounded on all sides by seating. There are often a number of entrances through the seating. Special consideration needs to be given to onstage furniture and scenery as audience sightlines can easily be blocked. Stage managers and directors often use the idea of a clock face to describe actor positions on stage (e.g. the aisle nearest the technical point is described as the 12 O'clock position, with other aisles described as 3, 6 and 9 O'clock.) See also ARENA, THRUST, END ON, TRAVERSE. ISOPTIC LIFT LOGE LOGGIA MARQUEE MEZZANINE O.P. OPERA 1) European terminology meaning Opera House - lavishly decorated proscenium theatre with orchestra pit. See TOSCA. 2) Musical form. Highly dramatic and stylised form where the text is completely sung. See also OPERETTA, OPERA HOUSE. ORCHESTRA 1) In Greek Theatres, the central performance area used by the Chorus or for dancing. 2) Refers to the main seating area of the auditorium at floor level. 3) Colloquially known as 'the band' the musicians who perform from the orchestra PIT. PAC PAINT FRAME PARODOS PARTERRE PASS DOOR PASSARELLE PERCH 1) A lighting position (often on a platform) at each side of the stage, immediately behind the proscenium. Some theatres use the term for vertical boom positions in front of the proscenium in the house. The plural is PERCHES. They may be named by position (e.g. Front Perch, Rear Perch, SL Perch etc). 2) An ancient unit of measurement, used since the 9th century, and abolished in the UK in 1963. One perch is equal to 16.5 feet, or 5.03 metres. PIT Short for ORCHESTRA PIT. The area housing the orchestra or band. Originally, a lower section between the front of the stage and the audience, although now describes any area around the stage housing the musicians. The term was used in the Globe Theatre in London for the lower area immediately in front of the stage where the 'groundlings' watched the performance. This area was also known as the YARD. PLASTER LINE PORTA REGIA PROMPT CORNER PROMPT SIDE (PS) PROP ROOM PROS.ARCH PROSCENIUM ARCH The opening in the wall which stands between stage and auditorium in some theatres; the picture frame through which the audience sees the play. The "fourth wall". Often shortened to Proscenium or Pros Arch. In some older theatres, the Proscenium Arch is ornate and painted to contrast with the surrounding walls, to really make it stand out. Nothing outside the Proscenium Arch was part of the show. However, as there are many different audience layouts now, many theatres (particularly multi-purpose studio theatres) have no Proscenium Arch at all, or it may not be decorated as such. See END ON. Italian: Boccascena French: cadre de scène RAKED AUDITORIUM RAKED STAGE A sloping stage which is raised at the back (upstage) end. Many theatres with a 'stalls' seating area used to be built with raked stages as a matter of course. Today, the stage is often left flat and the auditorium is lifted to stage level and above to improve the view of the stage from all seats. A rake is expressed as a ratio (eg a 1:25 rake rises by 1cm vertically over 25cm horizontally). See also ANTI-RAKE. REAR OF HOUSE (ROH) 1) The backstage areas of the theatre. See also FOH (Front of House). Also sometimes known as Back of House. 2) Abbreviation for Royal Opera House, London. Royal Opera House SAFETY CURTAIN A fireproof "curtain" that can be dropped downstage of the house tabs in a proscenium theatre to separate the audience from the stage in the event of fire. A Safety Curtain is required by most UK licensing authorities for theatres of traditional design. The regulations also require that it is raised and lowered at least once in view of each audience (usually during the interval). Usually made from sheet metal and electrically operated, these curtains were originally of iron construction faced with asbestos and lowered by gravity using a hydraulic damping system. Colloquially known as the "iron". Some Safety Curtains are painted - the iron at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has a beautiful design with the text "For Thine Especial Safety". The musical Billy Elliot uses a false iron as a scenic device with a pair of doors in it, which would not be permitted for a real iron. The line on the stage where the fire curtain drops, usually a short distance from the downstage edge of the stage, is known as the FIRE CURTAIN LINE and cannot be obstructed by any fixed scenery. Also known as FIRE CURTAIN, IRON or ASBESTOS. See also DRENCHER. SCENE DOCK SETTING LINE Imaginary line running across the width of the stage, in line with the proscenium arch, which is marked on the groundplan and is used as a reference when planning set and furniture layouts etc. Usually the furthest downstage anything can be set without fouling the house tabs. Known in some theatres as the PLASTER LINE - this refers to the upstage edge of the proscenium wall. See also CENTRE LINE. SHAKESPEARE The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend and grandson Sir Matthew Brend, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named 'Shakespeare's Globe', opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre. SHOP (US) Section of the theatre where scenery is constructed (Scene Shop), or props are made (Prop Shop). Often shortened to 'Shop'. SKENE SLOAT Now obsolete term for a piece of Victorian stage machinery first mentioned in 1843. A sloat is a set of vertical rails or runners which were used to carry a platform for raising or lowering profile scenery, groundrows etc through a cut (narrow trap) in the stage floor. Believed to be a variant of 'slot'. SMOKE POCKET SPRUNG FLOOR Usually, a permanently installed wooden floor which has rubber pads underneath it to enable the floor surface to absorb the shock of a performer dancing or jumping on it. This kind of floor is common in rehearsal studios and sports venues (it's also known as a Sports Floor, and is termed 'semi-sprung' if it has rubber pads). Sections of the floor are locked together to ensure the floor surface moves without opening up gaps or creating trip hazards. A fully sprung floor is common in many theatres, and is an entirely wooden structure where the floor is supported by long joist beams across the stage, so the floor naturally flexes. These floors are especially loved by dance companies, however, there sometimes needs to be additional structural support under the floor to enable it to carry a heavy set. Padded dance floor rolls are available to provide some shock absorption if it's not possible to work on a sprung floor. Dance work on non-sprung floors is not recommended for long periods. STAGE STAGE DOOR STAGE HOUSE STAGE TOWER SUBSTAGE The under-stage area in a theatre. Depending on the complexity of the stage machinery, this may be a highly engineered area, with machines operating stage lifts, or it may be an empty room in which stage equipment is stored. In London's West End theatres, the sub stage area is configured for each show if stage automation and lifts are used. For Billy Elliot, the Victoria Palace Theatre had to be excavated to allow for the house lift to be installed. SUNBURNER THEATRON 1) Refers to the auditorium / seating area of an ancient Greek or Roman theatre. 2) Two scene preset compact manual control desk made by Century Lighting. 3) 3D model archive project for creating accurate (and amazing) VRML models of old theatre buildings. (Windows operating system only). Theatron VR website THRUST THUNDER RUN Long series of channels down which wooden cannonballs are rolled to give a realistic thunder rumble effect. Built into the roof of some older theatres, but mostly now unused (for safety reasons). The Bristol Old Vic has restored their Thunder Run in 2016 for their 250th anniversary. History of Sound Effects for the Stage TIERED SEATING TIRING HOUSE TOSCA TRAP TRAVERSE Form of staging where the audience is on either side of the acting area. Also known as ALLEY or AVENUE staging. See also IN THE ROUND, END ON, THRUST. UNDERCROFT UPPER CIRCLE USITT WING SPACE |