Drama and Theatre Arts (and Film)

Items

• Theatre of the Grotesque

  A theatre style that mixes the strange, funny, and disturbing to show exaggerated or dream-like versions of reality.
• theatre-making

  The collaborative process of creating original theatre pieces, often devised rather than scripted.
• third cinema

  Latin American, African, and Middle Eastern filmmaking, which resists Hollywood and European models, focuses on anti- imperialism.
• tilt

  Vertical movement of the camera from a fixed position.
• tracking shot

  A shot where the camera moves alongside or follows the subject, often using a “dolly” or “Steadicam”.
• tragedy

  A dramatic genre that depicts the downfall of a noble protagonist due to fate or a flaw.
• tragicomedy

  A unique blend of elements from both comedy and tragedy, often referred to as “laughing with a tear”.
• traverse stage

  A form of staging where the audience is seated on opposite sides of the acting area.
• Ubuntu

  A Southern African philosophy associated with the dictum "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" (isiZulu / isiXhosa) or "motho ke motho ka batho babang" (Sesotho), popularly translated as “I am because we are, and we are because I am.” Ubuntu emphasises community, human relationality, and the collective good.
• understudy / stand-in

  An actor who studies one (or more) of the principal roles and can take over the role should the original actor cast in the role not be able to perform.
• upstage

  The part of the stage furthest from the audience.
• verisimilitude

  Having the appearance of being true or being believable.
• visual cue

  A cue taken by a technician straight from the action on stage, rather than being cued by the stage manager.
• voice

  The use of vocal techniques – pitch, tone, and volume – to convey character and emotion.
• voice acting

  Performing characters through voice alone, for animation, radio, or dubbing.
• voice-over (V.O.)

  Narration spoken by an unseen voice over the film’s images, usually by a character or narrator.
• wagon stage

  A mechanised stage where the scenery is moved into position on large sliding platforms from large storage areas on the sides and rear of the stage. The platform is moved into position and then lowered to be level with the stage floor. This allows for complex scene changes to be done instantly.
• walk-on

  A small acting role with no lines (not the same as an extra).
• wardrobe

  The general name for the costume department, its staff, and the accommodation they occupy. (The room / area used to store costumes is called the garderobe.)
• well-made play

  A 19th-century French form with tight plots, surprises, and resolutions, exemplified by Eugène Scribe. Its aim is not naturalism, depth of character, or intellectual substance.
• wide shot

  A camera shot that captures a large area or complete setting, showing context and environment.
• wing flats

  Flats that are used in the same capacity as legs, to create wings in a theatre that has no curtains, like a black box theatre.
• wings

  The spaces in between the legs where actors can wait before entering the acting area.
• working lights

  High-wattage fluorescent lighting used to illuminate the stage and backstage areas when working in the theatre or rehearsing without stage lights / also referred to as workers.
• worm’s-eye view

  Extreme low angle from ground level, exaggerating scale and power.