Items

• aside

  A short remark by a character to the audience or to themselves, not heard by other characters.
• aspect ratio

  The ratio of the width to the height of a film frame or screen image.
• assessment (module assessment)

  The methods used to evaluate student learning, including exams, practical assessments, and portfolios.
• assistant stage manager (ASM)

  The assistant stage manager is the most junior member of the stage management team and is often responsible for sourcing and running properties during the run of a show, and is also a member of the stage crew.
• audience etiquette

  Expected behaviour of audience members during a performance (silence, phones off, applause conventions, etc.).
• audition

  A short performance by an actor to demonstrate their suitability for a role.
• auditorium

  The area in the theatre designated for audience seating, facing the acting area / stage. Also referred to as “the house”.
• auteur theory

  This theory views the film or theatre director as the primary creative “author” whose personal vision shapes the film or theatre production.
• avant-garde

  Experimental or innovative work or artistic movements that challenge conventions of mainstream theatre, film, and visual art. Most often associated with innovations in Western art-making in the early 20th century.
• beat

  A small unit of action or a shift in intention within a scene / also, a pause for effect.
• beginners

  The actors who appear on stage at the beginning of a play, or in the act following an interval.
• black box theatre

  A simple, flexible performance space, usually a square room with black walls, allowing varied seating and staging arrangements.
• black comedy

  A comedy play that makes light of subject matter generally considered taboo, particularly subjects usually regarded as severe or painful to discuss, aiming to provoke discomfort / often with a distinctly disturbing quality, such as a macabre theme related to the more unpleasant aspects of life.
• blackout

  A sudden, complete darkening of the stage used for transitions or dramatic effect.
• blacks (costume)

  Black clothing worn by stage management and technical crew during production.
• blacks (décor)

  Any black curtains or tabs, permanently or temporarily rigged, used for masking backstage or technical areas.
• blocking

  The planned movement and positioning of actors on stage, usually set and noted by the director in the prompt script.
• blues

  Blue safety lights are used to illuminate backstage areas, providing sufficient light for actors and crew to see / safety lighting.
• boom microphone

  A microphone attached to a long pole (boom) used to record sound close to the actors while staying out of the frame.
• border

  A narrow horizontal masking piece (flattage or curtain), generally of neutral colour (black), to mask the lighting rig and flown scenery from the view of the audience and to provide an upper limit to the scene.
• bounce

  Diffused light that is reflected from the stage, walls, flats, cyclorama, etc.
• box set

  Naturalistic setting of a three-walled room built from flats, with the nearest side to the audience (the fourth wall) being open.
• bridge

  A narrow walkway above the stage crossing from one side of the stage to the other, providing access to equipment, as well as a method of crossing the stage out of view of the audience.
• budget

  The financial plan for a production covering sets, costumes, rights, personnel, actors, and technical costs.
• business

  A piece of unscripted or improvised action to establish a character, fill in a pause in dialogue, or establish a scene. A director might tell an actor to find some business to do if their character is on stage, but not part of the scene.