Stage critic idioms stentorophonic & stentor (STEN-ter) means delivering lines with loud, resonant voice & comes from a character in Homer's Illiad, Stentor the messenger.
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Early Traditions
PERFORMING: A-L
- Ad-lib
- Latin word "ad libitum", meaning "at will". Saying something you make up on the spot.
- alternative
- Sub-culture, underground, non-mainstream, cutting-edge, progressive.
- apron
- The part of the stage in front of the curtain.
- convention
- 1) A large meeting of like-minds. 2) A rule or defining aspect of an art genre, like in Readers Theatre, one convention is to read off a script, looking at the audience area instead of other actors on the stage.
- cue
- The "go ahead", time to do something, it's your turn at the podium.
- downstage
- Toward the audience, as opposed to "upstage" which is at the back of the stage. (Remember it like this: the way land slopes down to the sea, the audience is all those fishes deep down in the sea.)
- engage
- Holding their attention, first step to a long, joyful relationship with your audience.
- engagement
- The show, the gig. You're committed, no backing out with trivial affairs.
- EQ-ing
- Teckie talk for adjusting the electronic sound equipment for the size & acoustics of the room.
- feedback
- Yow! An ear-piercing electromagnetic horror. (Step back from the mic or stop pointing it at the big magnets that are inside the stage speakers or monitors.)
- fresnels
- Those big, black can lights hanging on thick rods over the stage. Pronounced fr-uhh NELLS.
- gain
- Teckie talk for "volume".
- general audience
- A group of military leaders? No, a crowd from the diverse population; usually means mainstream, conservative, all-ages.
- indie
- Independent art, artist, business or network (sub-culture slang).
- insurance
- A surefire poem, joke or story that performer keeps on hand if other material seems to be flopping.
- invoking
- Calling image into reality. Magic making, creating; words of great power.
- lime
- A follow-spot theatre lantern with very bright beam for "being in the limelight".
- Line level
- Teckie term for non-microphone inputs: effects box, CD, MIDI equipment.
PERFORMING: M-Z
- mic
- Microphone. You don't have to lean over it, yell into it, or keep fussing with it; the sound-teckie will make the adjustments- just read!
- open mic
- Sharing time for locals to read poetry/prose for an audience, often held café-style. Sign up ahead & get 5-10 minutes. Sometimes music, depending on occasion, often, a featured professional, published writer.
- oratory
- Speech, public announcement, lecture. (Often political or inspirational with speaker intent on inciting action, educating or swaying opinion). A SpokenOak genre in the Sound Waves era.
- PA system
- Public address system or sound system: mic, amp, EQ & mixing board.
- personality
- 1) A well-known performer associated with a specific genre, as in "TV personality".
- project
- Say "PRAH-jekt", it's the work; say "pruh-JEKT", it's pushing the words out of your megaphone mouth.
- publicist
- The new slang for manager, promoter or agent.
- rapport
- Developed trust with the listener. Performer's first step to success.
- Reading aloud
- A spoken word-er skill, as oppose to reading out loud which anyone with a big mouth can do.
- reverb
- A feature on most sound systems to add brightness & fullness to the sound of voice or instrument, careful not to over do it with spoken word however.
- showcase
- Special gig, highlighted performance or key placement in the show's program.
- sightlines
- The view from the audience to the performance. Make sure everyone can see what's going on!
- specs
- Pronounced "specks". Specifications. The items you tell the event producer you will need to do your act (water on stage, reading stand, amount of space, special lighting, etc.).
- star
- Icon on the dressing room door to remind you to shine for the people out there.
- trim
- Teckie talk for frequency or recording level, displayed on equipment as a "ladder" of lights.
- white label
- Promo record, demo tape or disk used for radio play to test market for new talent.
- wings
- Area offstage right & left, on-stage performers can see it but audience can't.
