The Oberon Glossary of Theatrical Terms

Theatre Jargon Explained

Colin Winslow

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781849437103
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Acting & Auditioning

'Caution: this book could seriously jeopardise your amateur status' - Robert David MacDonald Do you know your mirror scrims from your mirror balls? Or your get-outs from your get-ins? Or indeed your get-offs? The Oberon Glossary of Theatrical Terms includes explanations of over 1, 300 technical, backstage, acting, musical, dance and showbusiness terms in common usage. Completely revised and updated, this concise glossary explains all theatre jargon. From amateur dramatics fans to West End directors, this new edition is a must have addition to the bookshelves of all theatre and performing arts aficionados.

Ss

Sadler’s Wells make-up Crude or badly applied stage MAKE-UP. The dressing rooms at the old Sadler’s Wells Theatre in North London were reputed to supply all the ingredients necessary for free make-up: Flakes of the ochre distemper and brown paint could be scraped from the walls into a tobacco tin with a coin, then ground with water to form a base. A finger-tip run along the dusty ledges provided a substitute for eye-shadow.

Safety chain/cable/bond Short length of chain or cable with a spring hook at each end, used as a mandatory safety device wherever LUMINAIREs are hung overhead.

Safety curtain Alternatively known as the FIRE CURTAIN or IRON.

Not a curtain as such, but a large fireproof shutter, usually of metal, situated immediately behind the PROSCENIUM ARCH, to be lowered in the event of fire, sealing off the stage area from the AUDITORIUM. First installed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1794. Use of the safety curtain is strictly governed by law: it must not be obstructed by SCENERY, and must be lowered in the presence of the audience at every performance. Sometimes used as a projection screen for advertisements in place of an AD-RAG.

Salads, The Collective name for Salerio and Solanio: minor, and more or less interchangeable characters in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

Sammie See SAMOILOFF EFFECT.

Samoiloff effect Trick lighting technique developed by Russian refugee Adrian Samoiloff in the 1920s, by means of which he created amazing costume and scenic effects based upon the principle of complementary colours, (e.g. A green object appears black under a red light, and vice versa,) combined with UV light. The LIGHTING BATTENs specially produced by Strand Electric for use in these effects became known as Sammies.

Sand Frequently selected code word for use in the event of fire to avoid possible panic caused by the use of the word ‘fire’ itself. e.g. ‘Mr. Sand is in the ORCHESTRA PIT.’ Probably chosen in reference to the sand used to douse flames. (See FIRE and FIRE BUCKETS.)

Sandbag Small but sturdy canvas bag filled with sand, with a metal ring at the top for ease of handling, intended to be used to weight unused FLY LINEs to prevent them from running back over their pulleys in the GRID, but with a multitude of other uses.

Sand dance Similar in style to a SOFT SHOE dance, but executed on a floor sprinkled with sand, producing a rhythmic ‘swishing’ sound as the dance is performed.

Sandwich batten Double BATTEN (usually made from two lengths of 3 × 1 timber,) supporting or weighting a CLOTH at top and/or bottom, the fabric being trapped between the two battens.

Sash cord Strong, thin rope intended for use in sash windows, but used for many purposes on stage, particularly in connection with the FLYING SYSTEM and for CLEAT LINEs. (See BRAIL and BREAST.)

Saturation rig LIGHTING RIG using every available LUMINAIRE in every possible position, to cover every area of the stage. Not considered an efficient way to light a show.

Satyr play Obscene farce, usually satirising TRAGEDY, performed in the theatres of ancient Greece.

Sawing a lady in half Popular stage illusion in which the magician’s assistant, usually an attractive female, is placed in a box and, apparently, sawn in half. (See ILLUSIONIST.)

SBTD See SOCIETY OF BRITISH THEATRE DESIGNERS.

Scaff (abbr. for Scaffolding.) Multipurpose 48mm. diameter steel tube. (See BAR.)

Scatter (n.) Accidental spread of light outside the main beam from a LUMINAIRE.

Scene One of the sections into which an ACT is sub-divided. A stage SET.

The actual location represented by a stage SETTING.

Scène à faire (Fr.) Crucial scene to which preceding scenes build.

Scene dock Storage area for SCENERY adjacent to the stage.

Scene painter One who paints SCENERY of any kind, either built, three-dimensional pieces or pictorial work on CLOTHs etc., enlarging the designer’s scale MODELs or renderings to full size.

Scenery Any element(s) of a stage SETTING or the complete SET. Not necessarily a literal representation of a location.

Scene shifter One who assists with scene changes during a performance.

Scenic gauze Fine net of small hexagonal mesh used for special atmospheric effects. Often hung before a CYCLORAMA or painted BACKCLOTH to create a sense of distance by diffusion. (See GAUZE, BOBBINET and cf. SHARKSTOOTH GAIZE.)

Scenic groundrow See GROUNDROW.

Scenographer and Scenography Academic terms for a stage designer and stage design: rarely heard in the professional theatre.

Scissor move Two actors crossing past each other by moving across the stage at the same time in opposite directions. Generally considered undesirable.

Scissor stage Method of changing SCENERY by means of two TRUCKs carrying scenic elements and/or PROPS, pivoted at either side of the stage in such a way that one may quickly and smoothly replace the other by being swung into position.

Scoop Large FLOODLIGHT with dome-shaped reflector creating a wide, soft-edged pool of light. (See ELLIPSOIDAL REFLECTOR FLOODLIGHT.)

Score Music for an OPERA or other musical show written down in musical notation. (cf. LIBRETTO.)

Scottish Play, The Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth (c.1605). Euphemism used to avoid bad luck supposed to be brought about by quoting or even mentioning this play by name. (See APPENDIX B.)

Scratch wig Unfitted stock wig.

Scrim (n.) Thin, loosely-woven fabric.

(vb.) To cover PROPS or SCENERY, especially those made from polystyrene, with glued scrim or other suitable fabric, for protection and to provide a surface suitable for painting.

(American) (n.) GAUZE.

Script See PLAYSCRIPT.

Script editor One who prepares a SCRIPT for a particular production, cutting when required, sometimes transposing scenes or sections of dialogue, or even interpolating new sections.

Script reader See PLAY READER.

Scroller Automatic colour change device attached to a LUMINAIRE, consisting of a strip of around sixteen colour filters moved electronically to select the colour desired.

Scruto Flexible SCENERY consisting of wooden laths glued to CANVAS, making it capable of being easily rolled up. Sometimes used in SPECIAL EFFECTS and TRANSFORMATION SCENEs. (See TRANSFORMATION FLAT and GHOST-GLIDE.)

Scumble Scene painting technique of applying painted texture using short strokes in all directions with very little paint on the brush.

Seaside show PRODUCTION presented at a seaside resort primarily as entertainment for holiday-makers. (See PIERROT SHOW and CONCERT PARTY.)

Season Number of PRODUCTIONs presented at the same venue over a period of predetermined length.

Second cast Performers replacing all or part of the CAST of a long-running show usually because the original performers have left for other work, or to allow them to rest during a long RUN of a particularly strenuous show.

Section (or Cross section) Scale drawing showing a structure as if sliced through to demonstrate construction. A section of a SET on stage is particularly useful to the LIGHTING DESIGNER for checking SIGHT-LINES from lighting positions.

Segue (vb. pron. seg-way.) To continue from one section to another without a break. Originally a musical term, but now applied generally, especially in LIGHTING and SOUND PLOTs.

Sell it (vb.) To perform the final section or REPRISE of a song or dance routine in a rhythmically emphatic and energetic manner to attract maximum applause. (See also SOCK IT TO THEM.)

Sensation scene Spectacular scene exploiting elaborate stage machinery, such as a shipwreck or a train crash, particularly popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The term was coined by the actor/playwright Dion Boucicault (1822-1890) who wrote many plays containing such scenes, the most famous of which is The Whip (1909) containing a train crash and a horse race actually run on stage.

Sensation Smith SCENE PAINTER/DESIGNER Bruce Smith (1855-1942), so-called for the many spectacular SENSATION SCENEs he created, particularly at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.

Serge Thick wool fabric, usually black when used on stage, with a ‘dead’, non-reflective surface often used to cover MASKING FLATs and TORMENTORs.

Set (or Setting) (n.) Complete SCENERY for whole or part of a production. (See also COMPOSITE SET.)

(vb.) To place PROPS or SCENERY in their predetermined positions for a performance.

(n.) Group of FLY LINEs, usually three, but sometimes five on very wide stages, spaced horizontally across the stage and operated together to FLY a single item such as a scenic element or LIGHTING BAR. (See LONG/CENTRE/SHORT LINE.)

Set designer See DESIGNER.

Set dressing See DRESSING.

Set model Accurate, coloured scale model of a stage SETTING produced by the DESIGNER to demonstrate his design scheme to DIRECTOR, CAST, LIGHTING DESIGNER, SCENE PAINTERs, set builders, st...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Editor’s Note
• Foreword to the Second Edition
• Foreword to the First Edition
• List of Abbreviations used in the Glossary
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z
• APPENDIX A
• APPENDIX B