Glossary
The language of the set
Stage, screen, self-tape and the business of acting, defined in plain English. Where British and American usage differ, the entry says so.
Showing 200 of 200 terms.
A
- AccentAn accent is the way a person pronounces a language, which usually signals where they come from or their social background.Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- ActionAction is the call, usually given by the director, that tells the cast to begin performing the take.Screen acting · Production and set
- ActioningActioning is a rehearsal technique in which an actor gives each line or thought a transitive verb that says what the character is doing to someone else.Technique and methods
- Ad-libTo ad-lib is to say or do something unscripted during a performance, often to cover a mistake or keep a scene moving.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- ADRADR is the re-recording of dialogue in a studio after filming, to replace or improve the sound captured on set.Screen acting · Production and set · Voice and movement
- AgentUK / USAn agent is a person or agency that represents an actor, puts them forward for work and negotiates their contracts.Industry and business
- Alexander TechniqueThe Alexander Technique is a method of noticing and releasing habitual tension in posture and movement, and many actors learn it.Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- AsideAn aside is a remark a character speaks to the audience that the other characters on stage are not meant to hear.Stage · Technique and methods
- Assistant directorAn assistant director (AD) manages the practical side of a shoot, keeping to schedule and getting everyone where they need to be.Screen acting · Production and set
- AuditionAn audition is a short performance or reading an actor gives so that the people casting can judge whether they suit a part.Auditions and casting
- Availability checkAn availability check is an early enquiry from casting asking whether an actor is free on the dates a project would need.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
B
- BeatA beat is a short pause in speech or action, and the word is also used for a small unit of a scene where a character's intention shifts.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- BeginnersUK / USBeginners is the stage-management call, given about five minutes before the start, that summons the actors who open the show to the stage.Stage
- BillingBilling is how an actor's name is placed and ranked in credits, posters and publicity, with top billing going to the most prominent performer.Industry and business
- BlockingBlocking is the planning and fixing of where actors stand and move during a scene, on stage or on camera.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- BoomA boom is a microphone on a long pole, held above the actors and out of shot by the boom operator, that records their voices.Screen acting · Production and set
- BreakdownA breakdown is the description of a role, and the type of performer wanted, that casting sends to agents and posts for actors to see.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- BriefA brief is what casting sends out to describe the performer they want and, for a self-tape, what to prepare and how to deliver it.Auditions and casting · Self-tape
- BusinessBusiness is a small piece of physical action, often with a prop or costume, that an actor adds to build character, fill a pause or set a scene.Stage · Technique and methods
- BuyoutA buyout is a single payment that covers the use of a performance, in place of repeat fees or further usage payments.Industry and business
C
- Call sheetA call sheet is the daily schedule for a shoot, listing who is needed, when, where, and which scenes will be filmed.Screen acting · Production and set
- Call timeA call time is the time an actor is due to report for work, whether on set, at the theatre or at rehearsal.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- Casting directorUK / USA casting director finds, auditions and shortlists actors for a production, liaising with the director and producers over who suits each role.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Casting typeAn actor's casting type is the kind of role the industry most readily sees them in, based on age, look, personality, skills and sometimes voice.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Cheat outTo cheat out is to turn your body or face slightly towards the audience or camera while still appearing to play to your scene partner.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- Chemistry readA chemistry read is an audition in which actors up for closely linked roles read together, so casting can see how they work as a pair.Auditions and casting
- Close-upA close-up is a tight camera shot that fills the frame with an actor's face, or with another single detail.Screen acting · Self-tape
- Cold readA cold read is a reading of a scene with little or no preparation, most often given in an audition.Auditions and casting · Technique and methods
- ContinuityContinuity is keeping everything in a scene consistent across shots and takes, including props, costume, hair and an actor's actions.Screen acting · Production and set
- CorpsingUK / USCorpsing is when an actor breaks into laughter, or loses composure, in the middle of a scene during rehearsal or performance.Screen acting · Stage
- CoverageCoverage is the full set of shots and angles filmed for a scene, so the editor has different material to choose from.Screen acting · Production and set
- CueA cue is a signal, such as a line, an action or a technical change, that tells an actor or technician when to do something next.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- Curtain callA curtain call is the point after a show when the cast return to the front to bow and be applauded.Stage
- CutCut is the call that ends a take, telling the actors, camera and sound to stop.Screen acting · Production and set
- CVUK / USA CV is a summary of an actor's credits and skills, kept up to date for agents and casting directors.Industry and business
D
- Day playerA day player is an actor hired to work for a single day on a production, rather than for its whole shoot.Screen acting · Industry and business
- Deputy stage managerIn UK theatre, the deputy stage manager, or DSM, keeps the prompt book and usually calls the show's cues from it.Stage · Production and set
- DevisingDevising is when a company creates a new piece of performance together, usually without a finished script to start from.Stage · Technique and methods
- Dialect coachA dialect coach helps an actor learn the accent or dialect a role needs and, on a shoot, listens for slips so the actor can concentrate on performing.Production and set · Voice and movement
- DictionDiction is how clearly an actor pronounces and articulates words, so that an audience can follow every line.Voice and movement
- Direct addressDirect address is when a performer speaks straight to the audience, or on screen straight into the camera, instead of to the other characters.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- DoubleA double is a person filmed instead of the actor in some shots, for example stunts, shots from behind, or close views of hands or the body.Screen acting · Production and set
- DownstageDownstage is the part of a stage closest to the audience, and moving that way is called going downstage.Stage
- Dress rehearsalA dress rehearsal is the final full run of a production in costume, with lighting and other technical elements as they will be for performances.Stage
- DryTo dry is for an actor to forget their lines, and a dry is the moment when it happens.Stage
E
- Emotion memoryEmotion memory is an acting technique in which the actor recalls a real experience that carried a similar feeling and uses it to inform a moment in the role.Technique and methods
- EnsembleAn ensemble is a group of performers who work together as one unit, in theatre often the company members who play many smaller roles beside the leads.Screen acting · Stage
- EquityUK / USEquity is the trade union for performers and other creative workers in the UK, representing actors, stage managers, directors, designers and audio artists.Industry and business
- ExpositionExposition is dialogue or action that tells the audience what they need to know about past events, relationships or the situation.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- Eye-lineAn eye-line is the direction in which an actor's gaze is aimed during a shot, set by what or who they are looking at.Screen acting · Self-tape · Technique and methods
F
- Featured artistIn UK practice a featured artist is a performer whose own role is essential to the story, ranking above a walk-on and a supporting artist.Screen acting · Industry and business
- Fight directorA fight director choreographs staged violence and works with the actors to rehearse it so that it tells the story convincingly and nobody is hurt.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- Fill lightA fill light is a softer secondary light, often placed opposite the key light, that lifts the shadows the key light creates on the face.Screen acting · Self-tape · Production and set
- First positionsFirst positions are the starting places that actors and camera return to at the beginning of each take of a scene.Screen acting · Production and set
- FittingA fitting is an appointment before filming or a run at which wardrobe try costumes, and sometimes wigs or prosthetics, on an actor to adjust the fit and look.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- FluffUK / USTo fluff a line is to stumble over it, hesitate or get the words wrong while performing or recording.Screen acting · Stage
- Fourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary barrier between performers and audience, which lets the actors behave as though nobody is watching.Screen acting · Stage · Technique and methods
- FramingFraming is how the camera positions and crops the subject within the edges of the shot, deciding what the audience sees and how it is composed.Screen acting · Self-tape
- FringeUK / USFringe theatre is small-scale, often experimental work staged outside the major commercial and subsidised theatres, often in studios, pubs and pop-up spaces.Stage · Industry and business
- Front of houseFront of house is every part of a theatre that the public uses, such as the foyer, box office, bar and auditorium, and the staff who work there.Stage
G
- GafferThe gaffer leads the lighting team on a film or TV set and carries out the lighting plan agreed with the director of photography.Screen acting · Production and set
- Get-inUK / USThe get-in is the stage of a production when the set, props and equipment are brought into the theatre before the show is built and tested there.Stage · Production and set
- Given circumstancesGiven circumstances are the facts the script supplies about a character and the world of the play, which an actor uses as the starting point for a role.Technique and methods
- Green roomThe green room is a room near the stage or studio where performers wait and relax before and after they go on or are called to set.Screen acting · Stage
- Green screenA green screen is a plain green backdrop that actors perform in front of so it can be replaced in post-production with a different background.Screen acting · Production and set
H
- HalfUK / USThe half is the backstage call to the company, in the UK 35 minutes before curtain up, so named because the actors are half an hour from going to the stage.Stage
- HeadroomHeadroom is the vertical gap between a subject's head and the upper edge of the frame.Screen acting · Self-tape
- HeadshotA headshot is a professional photograph of an actor's face, cropped from about the shoulders up, used on casting profiles and sent to agents and casters.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- HoldingHolding, or the holding area, is where supporting artists wait on a shoot until they are called to set.Screen acting · Production and set
- Hot setA hot set is a set that is still being used for filming, so nothing on it may be touched or moved.Screen acting · Production and set
- HouseIn a theatre the house is the audience, or the auditorium where they sit, as in 'the house is open' or 'a full house'.Stage
I
- IdentAn ident is the short piece to camera at the start of an audition recording, where the actor gives their name, their agent and sometimes a few other details.Auditions and casting · Self-tape
- ImprovisationImprovisation is acting or speaking without a script or plan, making up words and action in the moment.Technique and methods
- InflectionInflection is the rise and fall of pitch in the voice as someone speaks.Voice and movement
- IntervalUK / USAn interval is the break between the parts of a play, musical or concert, when the audience can leave their seats.Stage
- Intimacy coordinatorAn intimacy coordinator is a trained professional who choreographs scenes of nudity or physical intimacy and helps keep the actors safe and comfortable.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
J
- JibA jib is a counterweighted camera arm, a small crane, that lets the camera move smoothly over and around a scene.Screen acting · Production and set
- Jobbing actorUK / USA jobbing actor is one who takes a run of short engagements from different employers instead of holding one regular post.Industry and business
- Jukebox musicalA jukebox musical is a stage or screen musical built around existing, well-known songs rather than a score written for the show.Stage
- Jump cutA jump cut is an edit that interrupts one continuous shot so that time or position seems to leap forward.Screen acting
- JuvenileJuvenile is a casting word for a young role, most often in the phrase juvenile lead, and juves is company slang for the child performers in a show.Stage · Industry and business
K
- Key gripThe key grip leads the grip department, the crew who build and run the equipment that supports and moves the camera.Screen acting · Production and set
- Key lightThe key light is the principal light on a subject, usually set to one side and at an angle, and the other lights are placed in relation to it.Screen acting · Self-tape · Production and set
- KillTo kill something is to switch it off or take it away, as in killing a light or a sound effect, or removing a prop.Screen acting · Production and set
- KinesphereThe kinesphere is Laban's name for the sphere of space around the body that a performer can reach without taking a step.Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- Kitchen sink dramaKitchen sink drama is British social-realist drama that began in the late 1950s and shows the cramped, everyday problems of working-class life.Screen acting · Stage
L
- LabanLaban refers to Laban Movement Analysis, a way of describing movement by its effort, space and shape, which actors use to build a character's physicality.Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- LandscapeLandscape means filming with the camera or phone held horizontally, so the frame is wider than it is tall.Screen acting · Self-tape
- LavalierA lavalier is a very small microphone clipped or hidden on an actor's clothing to record dialogue without showing in shot.Screen acting · Self-tape · Production and set
- LeadThe lead is the principal role in a production, or the actor cast in it.Screen acting · Stage · Industry and business
- LecoqLecoq is the physical-theatre training developed by Jacques Lecoq in Paris, built on movement, play and improvisation.Technique and methods · Voice and movement
M
- Magic ifThe magic if is Stanislavski's device of asking what you would do if you were in the character's situation, which prompts truthful action.Technique and methods
- ManagerUK / USA manager, or personal manager, is a representative who guides an actor's career and may negotiate contracts, alongside or instead of an agent.Industry and business
- MarkA mark is the exact spot an actor must reach and stop on, usually shown by a strip or cross of tape on the floor, so the shot or scene works as planned.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- Master shotA master shot is a wide view of an entire scene's action, with closer angles filmed separately and cut in around it.Screen acting · Production and set
- MCU (medium close-up)A medium close-up, abbreviated MCU, shows a person from about the chest up: closer than a medium shot, looser than a close-up.Screen acting · Self-tape
- Meisner techniqueThe Meisner technique is actor training devised by Sanford Meisner that teaches actors to respond truthfully to a scene partner in the moment.Technique and methods
- Method actingMethod acting is an approach to preparing a role where the actor draws on their own experiences and feelings to live through what the character feels.Technique and methods
- MonologueA monologue is an extended speech by one character or performer, usually uninterrupted, in a play, film or audition.Stage · Auditions and casting · Technique and methods
- Motion captureMotion capture, or mocap, is the recording of an actor's movements, usually with sensors on a suit, so they can drive a digital character.Screen acting · Production and set · Voice and movement
- MotivationMotivation is the reason a character says or does something, which an actor works out so that the behaviour feels believable.Technique and methods
N
- NaturalismNaturalism is a theatre style that tries to present people and events as lifelike as possible, avoiding stylisation or heightening.Stage · Technique and methods
- NDAAn NDA, or non-disclosure agreement, is a contract in which a performer promises to keep information about a production confidential.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Non-unionUK / USNon-union means work, a production or a performer not covered by a union agreement, such as one with Equity in the UK or SAG-AFTRA in the US.Industry and business
- NotesNotes are the director's comments to the cast after a rehearsal, run-through or early performance, saying what to change or improve.Stage · Technique and methods
- Nudity riderUK / USA nudity rider is a contract attachment that sets out exactly what nudity or simulated sex an actor has agreed to perform and under what conditions.Industry and business · Production and set
O
- ObjectiveAn objective is the thing a character is trying to get in a scene, found by asking what they want.Technique and methods
- ObstacleAn obstacle is anything that blocks a character from getting what they want in a scene.Technique and methods
- Off bookOff book means having your lines learned well enough to rehearse without holding the script.Stage · Technique and methods
- Off-cameraOff-camera means outside the frame of the shot, as with a voice or character the audience hears but does not see.Screen acting · Self-tape
- OfferAn offer is a production's formal invitation to an actor to take a role, after an audition or in some cases without one.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Open callAn open call is an audition that any actor can attend, without needing an agent or an invitation.Auditions and casting
- Over-the-shoulder shotAn over-the-shoulder shot looks past one character at another, so the nearer person's head and shoulder appear at the edge of the frame.Screen acting
P
- PactPact is the UK trade body for independent film and television production companies, and it agrees standard terms for performers with unions such as Equity.Industry and business
- PencilA pencil is a provisional hold on an actor's dates while a production decides whether to book them.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Per diemUK / USA per diem is a fixed payment for each day, given to cover daily living costs while working away from home, such as on tour or on location.Industry and business · Production and set
- Physical theatrePhysical theatre is performance that tells its story mainly through the performers' bodies, movement and gesture rather than through spoken text.Stage · Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- Pick-upA pick-up is a short piece of a scene that is filmed again, or filmed because it was missed, without restarting the whole scene.Screen acting · Production and set
- Pilot seasonPilot season is the traditional US period, roughly January to April, when American networks cast and shoot trial episodes of possible new series.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Playing agePlaying age is the range of ages an actor can convincingly play, which can differ from their real age and is listed on casting profiles.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Press nightPress night is the performance critics are invited to, which is treated as the official opening of a new production after its previews.Stage
- PreviewA preview is a public performance of a show before its official opening, used to test it with an audience and settle technical details.Stage
- PrincipalUK / USA principal is a performer in a main or speaking role, as opposed to background artists and extras.Screen acting · Stage · Industry and business
- ProjectionProjection is using the voice so that it fills the space and the whole audience can hear every word.Stage · Voice and movement
- PromptTo prompt is to feed an actor a line they have forgotten, and the person who does it is the prompter.Stage
- PropsProps are the objects actors use or carry in a scene, as distinct from costume and scenery.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- ProsceniumThe proscenium is the arched opening that frames the stage in a traditional theatre, with the audience watching the action through it.Stage
Q
- Quick changeA quick change is a rapid costume change during a performance, often between scenes and with a dresser's help.Stage
- Quiet on setQuiet on set is the call for silence before a take, usually given by the first assistant director just before the camera rolls.Screen acting · Production and set
R
- Read-throughA read-through is a meeting where the cast, and often the creative team, read the whole script aloud, usually at the start of rehearsals.Screen acting · Stage
- ReaderA reader is the person who reads the other characters' lines opposite an actor in an audition or self-tape.Auditions and casting · Self-tape
- RecallUK / USA recall is a second audition, held when the casting team liked the first one and would like another look.Auditions and casting
- Received PronunciationReceived Pronunciation, or RP, is a standard accent of southern British English long associated with education, broadcasting and higher social status.Voice and movement
- RepertoryRepertory is the system in which one theatre company performs several plays in rotation, and a rep company or rep theatre works this way.Stage
- ResidualsUK / USResiduals are payments made to performers when their filmed or recorded work is reused, for example in repeats or on another platform.Industry and business
- ResonanceResonance is the fullness and depth in an actor's voice, which gives it richer tone and helps it carry.Voice and movement
- Reverse shotA reverse shot is a camera angle from the opposite side of the scene, typically showing the other actor in a conversation.Screen acting
- RollingRolling is the call or reply that confirms the camera and sound are recording, immediately before the director calls action.Screen acting · Production and set
- Room toneRoom tone is a recording of the quiet background sound of a location, taken so sound editors can fill gaps and match edits.Screen acting · Production and set
- Run-throughA run-through is a rehearsal of a whole show, or a large section of it, played straight through without pausing to fix things.Stage
- RushesUK / USRushes are the unedited footage from a day of filming, watched by the director and senior crew to check how the shoot is going.Screen acting · Production and set
S
- SAG-AFTRAUK / USSAG-AFTRA is an American labour union representing film and TV actors, voice actors, singers and other performers.Industry and business
- Screen testA screen test is a trial on camera in which an actor performs so the production can judge how they look and sound in a role.Screen acting · Auditions and casting
- Script supervisorThe script supervisor keeps track of continuity and of script changes while filming, so that the shots cut together.Screen acting · Production and set
- Self-tapeA self-tape is an audition that the actor films themselves, usually at home, and sends to casting instead of attending in person.Auditions and casting · Self-tape
- ShowcaseUK / USA showcase is a performance put on so that actors, often drama school graduates, are put in front of agents and casting directors.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- ShowreelUK / USA showreel is a short edited video of an actor's screen work, sent to agents and casting directors to show what they can do on camera.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- SidesSides are the short extract of a script that an actor is given to prepare for an audition.Auditions and casting · Self-tape
- SightlineA sightline is the line of sight between an audience seat and the stage, which decides what each part of the audience can and cannot see.Stage
- SitzprobeA sitzprobe is a seated rehearsal where singers and orchestra work together, often for the first time, with the focus on the music.Stage
- SlateA slate is the short identification at the start of a taped audition, where the actor says their name and agent; it also means the clapperboard.Screen acting · Auditions and casting · Self-tape
- SoliloquyA soliloquy is a speech given by a character who is alone, voicing private thoughts so that the audience can hear them.Stage · Technique and methods
- SpotlightSpotlight is the UK casting directory and online platform where actors hold profiles that casting directors and agents search.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
- Stage combatStage combat is the craft of choreographing fights so they look real and threatening to an audience while nobody is hurt.Stage · Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- Stage left and stage rightStage left and stage right are the two sides of the stage as seen by an actor standing on it facing the audience, which makes stage left the audience's right.Stage
- Stage managerThe stage manager runs a production's rehearsals and performances, coordinating the backstage team and usually calling the technical cues during the show.Stage · Production and set
- StakesStakes are what a character stands to gain or lose in a scene, and they set how much urgency and tension an actor needs to bring to it.Technique and methods
- Stand-inA stand-in takes an actor's place on set while the crew lights the scene and sets the camera positions.Screen acting · Production and set
- Stanislavski's systemStanislavski's system is a collection of actor training techniques, developed by Konstantin Stanislavski, for creating truthful and believable characters.Technique and methods
- StrikeTo strike is to take a set, a prop or a piece of equipment away, and the strike is the dismantling of the whole set after the last performance or shoot.Stage · Production and set
- SubtextSubtext is the meaning beneath the words, the thoughts and feelings a character does not say aloud but which shape how the lines are played.Technique and methods
- Super-objectiveA super-objective is a character's overriding goal across the whole play, the want that all their smaller objectives in each scene work towards.Technique and methods
- Supporting artistUK / USA supporting artist is a performer cast to fill the background of a film or TV scene, such as a crowd member, usually without lines.Screen acting · Industry and business
- SwingA swing is a musical theatre performer who learns several ensemble tracks and goes on in place of whichever ensemble member is absent.Stage
T
- Taft-HartleyTaft-Hartley is the US labour law under which a producer signed to a union agreement can hire a non-union performer for a role.Industry and business
- TakeA take is one recorded attempt at a shot or scene, repeated as many times as the director needs before moving on.Screen acting · Self-tape · Production and set
- TapingTaping is filming your own audition performance, usually at home on a phone or camera, and sending the video to casting instead of attending in person.Self-tape
- Technical rehearsalA technical rehearsal is a rehearsal where lighting, sound, scenery and other design elements are brought together with the cast for the first time.Stage · Production and set
- Theatre in the roundTheatre in the round is staging in which the audience sits on every side of the acting area.Stage
- Through lineA through line is the connected chain of a character's objectives running from the start of a play to its end, driving them toward their overall goal.Technique and methods
- Thrust stageA thrust stage juts out into the seating so that the audience sits on three sides of it, with the fourth side joined to the backstage area.Stage
- TurnaroundTurnaround is the rest period between being released from work one day and being called the next.Self-tape · Industry and business · Production and set
- Two-handerUK / USA two-hander is a play written for just two actors.Stage
- Two-shotA two-shot frames two people together in a single shot, usually while they talk to each other.Screen acting
- TypecastingTypecasting is casting an actor again and again in one kind of role, usually because of their look or the parts they have played before.Auditions and casting · Industry and business
U
- UnderstudyAn understudy is an actor who learns another performer's role so they can go on in their place if the principal cannot perform.Stage
- UnitIn Stanislavski's system a unit is a section of a scene in which a character pursues one objective.Technique and methods
- Unit baseThe unit base is the area near a filming location where the production parks its vehicles and trailers and runs its facilities during the shoot day.Screen acting · Production and set
- UpgradeAn upgrade is when a supporting artist is moved up to a higher category, such as walk-on or featured artist, for what they are asked to do on the day.Screen acting · Industry and business
- UpstageUpstage is the area of the stage farthest from the audience, and to upstage another actor is to draw attention away from them.Stage · Technique and methods
V
- Verbatim theatreVerbatim theatre is theatre built from the actual words of real people, usually taken from interviews, testimony or recordings and edited into a script.Stage
- ViewpointsViewpoints is an actor-training and ensemble technique that gives performers a shared vocabulary for movement, gesture, space and time on stage.Technique and methods · Voice and movement
- Vocal warm-upA vocal warm-up is a set of exercises an actor does before rehearsal or performance to ease the voice into use and avoid strain.Voice and movement
- Voice-overA voice-over is a voice heard over a film, advert or programme, spoken by someone who is not seen on screen.Screen acting · Industry and business · Voice and movement
- VoicereelA voicereel is a short recording of an actor's voice work, made up of clips that show their range and sent to casting directors, agents and producers.Industry and business · Voice and movement
- VomitoryA vomitory is a passage that runs through or under the banked seating of an auditorium, used as an entrance or exit by audience or performers.Stage
W
- Walk-onA walk-on is a very small part with few or no lines, in which the performer is still picked out as an individual and not as background.Screen acting · Stage · Industry and business
- WardrobeWardrobe is the costume department of a production, and the word also covers the costumes themselves that it looks after for the cast.Screen acting · Stage · Production and set
- West EndUK / USThe West End is the area of central London where the main commercial theatres are concentrated, and the term is shorthand for professional theatre there.Stage · Industry and business
- Wide shotA wide shot frames the performer's whole body with plenty of the setting visible, showing where they are and how they relate to it.Screen acting
- Wild trackA wild track is a separate sound recording made apart from the main take, either room atmosphere or a performer's breaths, laughs and other vocal effects.Screen acting · Production and set · Voice and movement
- WingsThe wings are the spaces at either side of the stage, hidden from the audience, where actors wait to enter and props and scenery are kept.Stage
- WorkshopA workshop is a practical session or short series in which actors explore a subject, a technique or a new piece of writing through discussion and doing.Stage · Industry and business · Technique and methods
- WrapWrap is the point at which filming ends, either for the day or for the whole production.Screen acting · Production and set
X
Y
- Yes, andYes, and is the improvisation principle of accepting what a scene partner offers and then adding to it, so the scene keeps moving.Technique and methods
- Young performerUK / USA young performer is a child or teenage actor, usually meaning anyone under 18.Industry and business
- Youth theatreA youth theatre is a regular drama group for children and teenagers, led by theatre practitioners, building acting and teamwork skills outside school.Stage · Industry and business
Z
- ZoomA zoom is a camera move that changes the lens's focal length to bring the subject nearer or push it away without the camera physically moving.Screen acting
- Zoom auditionA Zoom audition is a live audition held over a video call, where the actor performs for the casting team in real time instead of sending a self-tape.Auditions and casting · Self-tape