Items

• tableau tableau vivant

  A frozen, pictorial staged picture where actors hold still and pose to convey a moment or theme.
• tabs

  Shortened version of “tableaux curtains”, which initially drew outwards and upwards. It is now used to refer to any stage curtain that extends across the entire stage. The main tabs would refer to the curtains positioned directly against the proscenium arch (usually red velvet). There are also centre tabs (which cut the stage in half) and back tabs (lining the rear end of the stage, creating a back border to the acting area).
• tallescope

  A vertical ladder with a platform at the top, mounted on a wheeled base, used to focus lights. The Wynand Mouton Theatre has one but has recently upgraded to the “cherry picker”, a similar device that is motorised and uses a scissor lift instead of a vertical ladder.
• technical rehearsal

  A practice run or rehearsal focused on integrating technical elements (lights, sound, set changes) with the performance.
• Technical Theatre

  The behind-the-scenes disciplines in theatre production, including crafts such as lighting, sound, scenery, and costumes.
• Theatre of Cruelty

  A theory for theatre- making developed by Antonin Artaud, focussed on utilising theatre / performance to bombard the senses and dismantle the "oppressive facades" of apparent civilised behaviour in favour of pure impulse and cathartic, visceral, and emotional experiences.
• Theatre of the Absurd

  A post-World War II movement in playwriting and theatre-making which refers to a specific style of theatre that explores the absurdity of existence in both form and content, exemplified by the works of Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco.
• 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).