Glossary
The theatrical world is filled with a vocabulary all its own. This glossary aims to help define some of those terms. It's under continual construction as new terms will be added as I come across them. If you have words, phrases, or anything else theatre-related you'd like to be added, let me know!
"See Also" indicates other glossary terms that can provide more insight into the topic.
"Read more" references provide links to blog posts and Wikipedia articles where you can read more about the listed topic.
Break a Leg: A saying used in place of "good luck." There are a variety of opinions about the origin of the phrase, but they all seem to be based on the idea that to wish someone good luck at something would actually be unlucky, so the desire is to wish something bad to happen in the hopes that the opposite will occur. Read more: Break a Leg
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Ensemble: The ensemble is comprised of a group of actors who have supporting roles in a production. They typically do not have spoken lines or character names, but are more readily found in "chorus" type roles such as background dancers or singers, members of an on-stage audience,
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Ghost Light: A solitary light left burning on the stage after everyone has left for the night. The light is primarily for safety reasons, so that no one will trip or fall over anything on the stage, but there are several theatre superstitions about the ghost light's origin and purpose. Read more: Ghost Light
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House Right/Left: Your right or left as you sit in a theatre seat facing the stage. See also Stage Right/Left.
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Macbeth Superstition: It has long been believed to be unlucky to refer to this particular Shakespeare play within the walls of a theatre. Several substitutions have been created over the years, including "The Scottish Play" and "Mackers." Read more: The Scottish Play
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Off-Broadway: Initially, this description meant a theatre that was on a street that intersected Broadway in Manhattan's Theatre District. Later, it was redefined to reflect how many seats a theatre holds, regardless of the theatre's location. The designation impacts factors such as actor pay scales, contracts, and such. The seating capacities for the different Broadway designations are:
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Broadway: 500 or more seats
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Off-Broadway: 100-499 seats
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Off-Off-Broadway: Fewer than 100 seats
Read more: Off Broadway
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The Show Must Go On: A phrase that means that no matter what might happen behind the curtain, nothing should get in the way of the performance the audience has been waiting to see. See also Standby, Swing, Understudy; Read more: The Show Must Go On blog post, The Show Must Go On history.
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Stage Right/Left: An actor's right or left as they are on the stage, facing the audience. See also House Right/Left.
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Standby: A substitute for an on-stage role. A standby does not necessarily perform in every show, but they are standing by to substitute for a principal role whenever necessary. Standbys are typically not members of the ensemble. See also Swing, Understudy, The Show Must Go On; Read more:
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Swing: A substitute for an on-stage role. A swing doesn’t necessarily perform in every show, but studies different ensemble roles and serves as a substitute within the ensemble when necessary. See also Standby, Understudy, The Show Must Go On
Understudy: A substitute for an on-stage role. An understudy is a member of the ensemble who studies several different principal and minor roles so they can substitute for those actors when the need arises. A swing will then be assigned to the understudy's role. See also Standby, Swing, The Show Must Go On​​
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