Items

• proscenium arch

  A stage format where the stage opening is framed, separating the audience and performers. The audience faces one side of the stage framed by an arch.
• Psychoanalytic Theory

  The theory of the innate structure of the human soul and the dynamics of personality development relating to the practice of psychoanalysis, a method of research and treatment for mental disorders (psychopathology). Laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th-century.
• Queer Theory

  A field of Post-structuralist Critical Theory that is broadly associated with the study and theorisation of gender and sexual practices that exist outside of heterosexuality, and which challenge the notion that heterosexuality is what is normal.
• rack focus

  Shifting focus during one camera shot from one subject to another to direct the audience’s attention.
• radio drama

  Audio-only storytelling using voice, sound effects, and music.
• Realism

  A 19th-century style in art- making aiming to depict everyday life and ordinary people truthfully and objectively.
• Realism in film

  Cinematic style mimicking everyday life, often with long takes and natural lighting, emphasising authenticity and minimal manipulation.
• rehearsal

  A practice session where performers and crew prepare the production under the director’s guidance.
• rehearsal report

  A written note, usually by the stage manager, summarising what happened in a rehearsal and what’s needed next / sent to the entire cast, crew, and production teams.
• representation

  How people, ideas, and cultures are portrayed and understood in performance and film – what stories get told and by whom.
• resolution

  The final part of a play, or the ending of a story, where all conflicts are resolved.
• reverse shot

  A film shot showing the opposite view of a previous shot, often used in dialogue exchanges.
• rider

  (Technical rider) Information sent ahead to a venue detailing lighting, sound, staging, and dressing room requirements.
• Ritual Theatre

  Performances drawing from ceremonial traditions for communal or spiritual purposes.
• rostrum (plural: rostra)

  A portable platform, to give a person prominence / usually in the form of a collapsible hinged framework (called the gate) and a separate top (called the lid).
• run

  A sequence of performances of the same production at a certain locality / A rehearsal of a scene, an act, or the complete play without interruption by the director, e.g., the stage manager might inform the cast that they will “run” Act 2. (A walk-through of a scene would be done slowly, to make changes or take notes.)
• scene

  A unit of action within a play or film, often in one location or time.
• scenography

  The integrated design of scenery, lighting, costumes, and sound which creates the performance world.
• screenplay

  The written script of a film, including dialogue, character actions, and camera directions.
• script

  The written text of a play, including dialogue and stage directions.
• Semiotics (in theatre / performance)

  The study of signs and symbols in performance – how meaning is created through visual and auditory elements, like costumes, gestures, lighting, and staging.
• set / scenery

  The physical constructions onstage that represent locations and environments.
• set design

  The creation of the physical environment on stage to represent the world of the play.
• shot

  A continuous piece of filming between two cuts.
• show report

  A written report by stage management noting problems, running times, show staff, and audience numbers for the previous days’ performances / it is circulated to the technical and management teams.