Theater production glossary

Act

A major division of a play or musical, typically separated by an intermission. Most musicals are structured in two acts. Plays may have anywhere from one to five.

ASM (Assistant Stage Manager)

The stage manager's primary assistant. Responsibilities typically include tracking blocking, managing props, running rehearsal paperwork, and covering the stage manager's duties when needed.

Audition

The tryout process through which performers present material to a director or panel for evaluation. May include singing, dancing, cold reading, or a combination. The format and evaluation criteria should be established before any auditionee is invited to participate.

Blackout

A lighting state in which all stage lights are extinguished simultaneously, typically used to mark the end of a scene or act. Blackouts require precise cueing and actor coordination to execute cleanly.

Blocking

The planned movement and positioning of actors on stage during a scene. Set by the director and recorded in the prompt book by the stage manager using a notation system that maps positions to stage coordinates.

Book

The script of a musical, including all spoken dialogue. Distinct from the score (the music) and the lyrics. Off-book refers to actors having fully memorized their lines without needing the script.

Build

The process of constructing scenic elements, costumes, or props for a production. Going into build typically refers to the technical production period when construction is actively underway.

Callback

A second audition held after the initial audition to gather additional information about specific candidates, typically for principal roles. Callbacks should be designed to answer specific casting questions, not to repeat the initial audition.

Call Sheet

The daily schedule distributed to cast and crew listing who is called, at what time, and for what purpose. A complete call sheet includes location, scene, costume or prop requirements, and any special notes.

Conflict Calendar

A schedule submitted by each auditionee or cast member listing all dates and times when they are unavailable during the production window. Should be collected at audition registration, before casting decisions are made.

Crew

All production personnel working backstage or in a technical capacity, including stage crew, wardrobe crew, lighting and sound operators, and running crew. Distinct from cast, who perform in front of the audience.

Cue

A signal indicating that a technical element should execute, such as a lighting change, a sound effect, or a scenic shift. Cues are numbered sequentially in the prompt book and called by the stage manager during performance.

Cue-to-Cue

A technical rehearsal format in which the production is run from one technical cue to the next, skipping the scenes in between, to focus specifically on the execution of lighting, sound, and scenic transitions. Abbreviated as Q-to-Q.

Curtain Call

The sequence of bows taken by the cast at the end of a performance. The order and staging of the curtain call is planned and rehearsed, typically during dress rehearsals.

Dark

A night when no performance is scheduled. Going dark refers to a production taking a night off during its run. Also used to describe a theater that has closed, either temporarily or permanently.

Deck

The stage floor. Deck crew manage scenic and prop elements on the stage during performances. Distinct from the fly space above and the orchestra pit below.

Downstage

The area of the stage closest to the audience. The term originates from raked stages in which the downstage area was literally lower. Downstage center is typically the most prominent position on a proscenium stage.

Dress Rehearsal

A full run-through of the production with all technical elements, costumes, makeup, and props in place. Typically the final rehearsals before opening night. The first dress is expected to have stops; the final dress is expected to run as a performance.

Ensemble

The chorus or group performers in a musical, as distinct from the principal cast. Ensemble members often perform in multiple scenes and numbers and are essential to the production's scale and energy.

Equity

Short for Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the union representing professional stage actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity productions operate under specific contractual requirements governing pay, working conditions, and rehearsal hours.

Fly Space

The area above the stage where scenic pieces, lighting instruments, and soft goods can be raised out of the audience's view. Productions designed for fly space require a theater with sufficient height and rigging infrastructure.

Focus

The process of aiming and adjusting lighting instruments to illuminate the correct areas of the stage. Focus is conducted by the lighting designer and electrics crew, typically during the load-in period before technical rehearsals begin.

Front of House (FOH)

All areas of the theater accessible to the audience, including the lobby, house, and box office. Also refers to the staff managing these areas. Distinct from backstage operations.

Ghost Light

A single light on a stand left illuminated on stage when the theater is dark and unoccupied. Serves both a safety function (preventing falls on an unlit stage) and, in theatrical tradition, a symbolic one.

Grand Drape

The main curtain separating the stage from the audience. Also called the house curtain or main drape. Opening and closing the grand drape is typically a stage manager cue.

House

The seating area of the theater where the audience sits. Opening the house refers to allowing the audience to enter. House is open is a signal from front of house to the stage manager that the audience is being seated.

House Manager

The person responsible for all front-of-house operations during a performance, including ushers, lobby management, and audience safety. Communicates with the stage manager before the show begins and during intermission.

Load-In

The process of bringing all production elements into the theater and installing them on stage. Load-in typically precedes the first technical rehearsal and can take one day to several weeks depending on production complexity.

LX

Abbreviation for electrics or lighting, used in production schedules and cue scripts. LX cues refer to lighting changes. The LX department handles all stage lighting design, focus, and operation.

Milestone

A production planning deadline marking the target completion of a specific phase of work. Common milestones include off-book date, choreography set date, first stumble-through, and first dress rehearsal. Milestones anchor the rehearsal calendar and define forward progress.

Music Director

The person responsible for all musical elements of a production, including vocal preparation, pit orchestra direction, and musical pacing. In school productions the music director may also serve as the pit conductor. Distinct from the director, who leads the dramatic interpretation.

Off-Book

The point at which actors are expected to perform without consulting the script. The off-book deadline is one of the most important milestones in the rehearsal calendar and marks the transition from blocking work to more refined scene development.

Orchestra Pit

The area, typically below and in front of the stage, where the orchestra or pit band performs. Not all venues have a dedicated orchestra pit. Productions without one may use an onstage or offstage orchestra, or a backing track.

Paper Tech

A meeting between the director, stage manager, lighting designer, and sound designer to walk through every cue in the show before the first technical rehearsal. Cues are assigned and programmed during or before paper tech so the first tech can focus on refinement rather than construction.

Perusal Script

A copy of the script provided by the licensing organization for review before a production license is secured. Perusal scripts are typically watermarked and may not be reproduced or distributed to cast without a production license in place.

Principal

A cast member in a named, speaking or singing role, as distinct from the ensemble. In Equity productions, principal and ensemble are formal contract categories with different compensation and working condition terms.

Production Meeting

A regular meeting between the director and all department heads to coordinate production progress. Typically held weekly or biweekly during the rehearsal period. Tracks design build status, unresolved technical questions, and cross-departmental dependencies.

Production Program

The printed or digital publication distributed to the audience at a performance, containing cast and crew credits, show information, production notes, and sponsor acknowledgments. Also called a program. Not to be confused with the trademarked term Playbill, which refers specifically to a licensed publication.

Prompt Book

The master production document maintained by the stage manager, containing the fully annotated script with all blocking notation, cue placements, contact information, and production schedules. The single authoritative record of the production as built.

Props

All hand-held or set-placed items used by actors during the production. Props are tracked separately from costumes and scenery and are the responsibility of the props coordinator during the production period.

Proscenium

The architectural frame separating the stage from the audience in a traditional theater configuration. A proscenium stage places the audience in a single frontal position. Distinguished from thrust, arena, and black box configurations.

Read-Through

An early rehearsal in which the full cast reads the script aloud from beginning to end without blocking or staging. Typically the first time the full company hears the complete script together and helps the director assess ensemble dynamics.

Rehearsal Report

A written document distributed by the stage manager after each rehearsal summarizing what was accomplished, conflicts that arose, open questions, and notes for production departments. The official record of the rehearsal period.

Run-Through

A rehearsal in which all or part of the production is performed consecutively without stopping to work individual scenes. Used to assess pacing, line retention, and simulate the experience of performing for an audience.

Scene Breakdown

A document mapping which characters appear in each scene or number. Used to build rehearsal unit assignments and call times, ensuring only the actors needed for a given session are called to it.

Score

The complete musical notation for a show, including all vocal and instrumental parts. The score is licensed from the licensing organization and must be returned after the production closes. Unauthorized reproduction is a licensing violation.

Sides

Abbreviated sections of a script used for auditions, typically containing one or two scenes relevant to the role being evaluated. Sides allow auditionees to prepare specific material without receiving the full script before a license is secured.

Stage Left / Stage Right

Directional terms from the actor's perspective while facing the audience. Stage left is the actor's left, which is the audience's right. Stage right is the actor's right, which is the audience's left. Always referenced from the actor's point of view.

Stage Manager

The production's primary organizational and operational leader during the rehearsal period and run of the show. Maintains the prompt book, runs rehearsals, distributes call sheets, manages production communication, and calls all technical cues during performances. The organizational backbone of the production.

Strike

The full dismantling and storage or disposal of all production elements after the final performance. Includes the set, costumes, props, lighting, and sound equipment. Requires as much organizational planning as any rehearsal and should be assigned and scheduled before closing night.

Stumble-Through

An early run-through in which the production is performed from beginning to end for the first time, with expected stops and imperfections. Gives the director a first look at the full shape of the production and identifies areas requiring the most remaining work.

Table Work

Rehearsals held at a table, typically early in the rehearsal period, in which the cast and director analyze the script, discuss character motivations, and explore the text before staging begins. More common in dramatic productions than in musicals.

Tech Week

The intensive final rehearsal period in which all technical elements are integrated with the performance for the first time. Typically includes a cue-to-cue rehearsal, technical run-throughs, and dress rehearsals culminating in the final dress before opening night.

Technical Director (TD)

The person responsible for scenic construction, rigging, and technical safety. Translates the scenic designer's vision into buildable reality within the available budget and schedule, and ensures all technical elements meet safety standards before any actor uses them.

Track

The complete set of assignments for a single ensemble member across the entire show, including all scenes, numbers, costume changes, and prop handling requirements. Tracking by member enables efficient scheduling and quick identification of all elements each cast member is responsible for.

Understudy

A performer who learns one or more principal roles in addition to their own, prepared to perform those roles if the primary cast member is unable to perform. In professional theater, understudies typically attend all rehearsals relevant to their covered roles.

Unit Rehearsal

A rehearsal scheduled for a specific subset of the cast rather than the full company, organized by scene or musical number. Allows the director to work specific material efficiently without requiring the presence of cast members not needed for that session.

Upstage

The area of the stage farthest from the audience. The term originates from raked stages in which the upstage area was literally higher. To upstage another actor means to position oneself upstage, forcing the other actor to turn their back to the audience.

Wardrobe

The department responsible for all costumes during the production run, including quick changes, repairs, and laundry. The wardrobe crew works during performances to ensure every costume piece is in place and every quick change happens on cue.

Wings

The offstage areas to the left and right of the performance space, not visible to the audience. Cast members wait in the wings before their entrance. Props and scenic elements are often staged in the wings for quick access during scene changes.