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Theatre Terminology

Theatre, like any profession, has some very specific terminology that is important to master so that you understand what is going on around you and also what you are being asked to do. Some of these terms, can be quite odd.

The purpose of this page and module is to provide you with some major terms to start. 

Important Note

In both the textbook and future modules, you will find bold words that indicate a specific term or name that is important to remember. There are thousands of terms in the world of theatre, making it difficult to cover them all in a single semester. So if you ever come across a word or term that you do not understand, I encourage you to look it up!

There is a fantastic glossary in the back of the textbook and others that I will link to you at the bottom of the page. I am also happy to point you to more resources if you need.

Stage Directions

These words are how we in the theatre give moment instructions to each other. They refer to zones on the stage, using the perspective of the actor on-stage looking out at the audience as the reference point. These are the most vital terms to know as you get started.

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To tell someone on-stage to go to the stage left corner closest to the audience, we would say, "Go down-left."

Center-Line

The imaginary line that runs down the center of the set and the acting area, running from the back wall of the audience to the back wall of the stage. Abbreviated as C/L , the center-line is the basis of all measurements in theatre space.

Heads

You will normally hear this one shouted loudly in the theatre. "Heads" is what you should say as loud as you can if you drop something or see something dropping from above other people's heads. It is short for "cover your head and try to get out of the way now because something is falling."

There are times where the phrase "Heads up" will be said calmly but at a decent volume by a stage manager or fly line operator to alert everyone onstage of an overhead pipe, backdrop, curtain, or scenic piece being lowered down from above the stage.

Read This Additional Glossary Resources