Drama and Theatre Arts (and Film)

Items

• dress rehearsal

  A rehearsal with full costumes and make-up typically takes place shortly before the opening.
• dress rehearsal (final)

  The final rehearsal, with full costumes, makeup, and technical elements, typically takes place the day before the first performance.
• dressing

  Decorative (or practical) props and furnishings added to the set.
• dry run

  A technical run of the show without the actors, as a practice run for the technical crew.
• Dutch tilt (canted angle)

  The camera is tilted sideways, creating a slanted horizon to suggest unease, tension, or psychological imbalance.
• editing

  The process of selecting, arranging, and joining shots to construct a film’s narrative and rhythm. (only in film)
• ensemble

  A group of performers who work together as a unit, often sharing focus rather than featuring a single star.
• entrance (n) (v)

  The part of a set through which the actors can walk onto the stage / the act of an actor walking onto the stage.
• epic film

  Large-scale cinematic narratives with historical or mythical scope, emphasising spectacle.
• Epic Theatre

  Developed by Bertolt Brecht / it aims to provoke critical thinking rather than emotional identification, emphasising social and political commentary through fragmented narratives and alienation / often breaking the “fourth wall”.
• establishing shot

  A wide shot, used at the beginning of a scene, aiming to show the location or context.
• Existentialism

  A philosophical movement that explores the apparent meaninglessness of our existence and our individual choices, freedoms, anxieties, and responsibilities that emerge as a consequence.
• exit (n) (v)

  The part of a set through which the actors can leave the stage / the act of an actor walking off the stage.
• experimental film

  Non-commercial films challenging narrative conventions, focusing on form and abstraction.
• exposition

  The opening material in a play that provides background information and establishes the situation.
• Expressionism

  An early 20th-century movement in the arts that uses distortion of reality, exaggeration, and symbolism to express inner emotions rather than external reality.
• extra

  A member of the cast with no speaking role, who provides background interest in a crowd scene / the term was initially derived from the film industry.
• extreme close-up (ECU)

  Focuses on a specific detail (eye, mouth, hand, object). Creates heightened drama or symbolic emphasis.
• eye-level shot

  The camera is positioned at the subject’s eye level, creating a neutral and balanced perspective.
• fade in / fade out

  Gradual transition between images and sound, often used to open or close scenes.
• false proscenium arch

  A frame formed by scenic canvas or vertical flat scenery within the proscenium arch / used to reduce the size of the proscenium opening when placing a small set on a large stage.
• Feminism

  A movement, ideology, or theory in philosophy and critical studies that holds the belief in full social, economic, and political equality for women.
• Feminist Theatre

  Performances critiquing gender roles and patriarchy, often by women’s collectives. It examines how gender roles, identity, and representation impact theatre and film, seeking to challenge patriarchal narratives and amplify women’s voices.
• film noir

  A cinematic style with dark themes, emphasising cynical attitudes and motivation, with an underlying existentialist philosophy.
• fire curtain

  A steel-encased, concrete wall-like structure that can be lowered onto the stage floor just behind the proscenium arch in case of a fire breaking out.