# Theater & Performance

**Type:** Topic
**Words:** 81

## About

Stagecraft, dramatic writing, acting, rehearsal, and live performance.

## Words by Level

### A1
- play — A story written to be performed by actors on a stage.; frequency rank 326
- dance — To move your body in time to music.; frequency rank 621
- actor — a person who performs in plays, films, or television; frequency rank 2480
- theater — A building where plays or films are shown.; frequency rank 2638

### A2
- company — A business that makes or sells goods, or provides services.; frequency rank 579
- sound — Something that you hear; what is produced by vibrations and heard by the ear.; frequency rank 590
- act — to do something or take action; frequency rank 711
- scene — The place where something, especially an event or accident, happens.; frequency rank 932
- director — A person who is in charge of a department, company, or organization.; frequency rank 1178
- stage — A raised platform where actors, singers, or speakers perform in front of an audience.; frequency rank 1208
- character — A person in a story, film, or play.; frequency rank 1537
- audience — The people watching or listening to a performance, speech, or program.; frequency rank 1590
- role — The part that someone or something plays in a situation or activity.; frequency rank 2063
- performance — A show in which someone acts, sings, dances, or plays music for an audience.; frequency rank 2240
- production — The process of making or growing something, usually in large amounts.; frequency rank 2759
- drama — A play for the theater, television, radio, or film, especially a serious one.; frequency rank 2838
- entrance — A door, gate, or opening through which you enter a place.; frequency rank 2947
- script — The written text of a play, film, or broadcast.; frequency rank 3047
- expression — A word or phrase that people use in a particular situation.; frequency rank 3934
- musical — Connected with music or its performance.; frequency rank 3963
- make-up — Coloured substances put on the face to improve or change how you look.; frequency rank 6397
- scenery — The natural features of an area, such as mountains, rivers, and forests, seen as beautiful.; frequency rank 9436

### B1
- set — To put or place something in a particular position.; frequency rank 431
- applause — The sound and act of clapping the hands to show approval.; frequency rank 1268
- aside — To or toward one side so as to be out of the way.; frequency rank 2154
- dramatic — Sudden, large, and very noticeable.; frequency rank 2289
- movement — The act of moving or changing position.; frequency rank 2550
- delivery — The act of taking goods, mail, or other items to a place or person.; frequency rank 2727
- exit — A door or passage for leaving a place.; frequency rank 3124
- costume — A set of clothes worn to look like someone or something else, often for fun.; frequency rank 3209
- actress — a woman who performs in plays, films, or television; frequency rank 3389
- producer — A person or company that makes goods or grows food to be sold.; frequency rank 3527
- tragedy — A very sad event, especially one involving death or great loss.; frequency rank 3565
- comedy — Entertainment, such as films or shows, that is meant to make people laugh.; frequency rank 3897
- tragic — Very sad, especially because it involves death or suffering.; frequency rank 4220
- curtain — A piece of cloth hung over a window to keep out light or give privacy.; frequency rank 5260
- gesture — A movement of the hands, head, or body to express something.; frequency rank 5685
- performer — A person who acts, sings, dances, or plays music for an audience.; frequency rank 11084
- interval — a period of time between two events.; frequency rank 19316
- spectator — A person who watches an event, especially a sport or show.; frequency rank 19755
- intermission — a short break between the parts of a play, concert, or other performance.; frequency rank 21970

### B2
- cast — To choose an actor for a role in a film or play.; frequency rank 2301
- mask — A covering for the face, used for protection or to hide who you are.; frequency rank 2765
- opera — A dramatic play set to music in which the words are sung rather than spoken.; frequency rank 3757
- audition — A short performance to show whether an actor, singer, or musician is suitable for a role.; frequency rank 4301
- rehearsal — A practice session to prepare for a public performance such as a play or concert.; frequency rank 4534
- ballet — A graceful, classical form of dance, often performed to tell a story with music.; frequency rank 5645
- lighting — The lights in a place, or the way a place is lit.; frequency rank 5735
- cue — A signal or event that tells someone to do something.; frequency rank 6139
- rehearse — to practise a play, piece of music, speech, or other performance before presenting it publicly; frequency rank 8354
- playwright — A person who writes plays for the theatre.; frequency rank 21950
- soliloquy — A speech in a play in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, alone on stage.; frequency rank 56067
- auditorium — a large room or hall where an audience gathers for performances, lectures, or meetings

### C1
- spotlight — Public attention or the center of attention.; frequency rank 8972
- prop — An object used by actors on a stage or film set.; frequency rank 9840
- debut — A person's first public performance or appearance.; frequency rank 10353
- farce — A situation that is absurd or ridiculous, often because it is so badly handled.; frequency rank 13072
- theatrical — Relating to the theatre or acting on a stage.; frequency rank 13326
- cabaret — live entertainment consisting of songs, comedy, dance, or short acts presented in a restaurant, nightclub, or intimate theater; frequency rank 13396
- encore — an extra or repeated performance given after the scheduled program, usually in response to applause; frequency rank 14078
- protagonist — The main character in a story, film, or play.; frequency rank 24326
- stagecraft — the practical skills and techniques used to create and manage a theatrical production

### C2
- improvise — To make something up or invent it as one goes on; to proceed guided only by imagination, intuition, and guesswork rather than by a careful plan.; frequency rank 12696
- choreography — The art of arranging the steps and movements of a dance.; frequency rank 16815
- melodrama — a sensational dramatic work with exaggerated emotions, clear moral oppositions, stock characters, and an eventful plot; frequency rank 22413
- ovation — an enthusiastic public reception, especially a sustained burst of applause; frequency rank 25425
- pantomime — in Britain, a comic musical stage show based on a traditional story and performed especially around Christmas; frequency rank 30483
- amphitheatre — An open, outdoor theatre (which may be a theatre in the round, or have a stage with seating on only one side), especially one from the classical period of ancient Greece or Rome, or a modern venue of similar design.; frequency rank 54877

### C2+
- dialogue — A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals.; frequency rank 5514
- antagonist — a person who actively opposes or is hostile to another
- mime — acting using gesture and movement without speech; to perform thus
- diction — the choice and use of words, or clarity of speech
- monologue — a long speech by one speaker, especially in a play or performance
- premiere — the first public performance or showing of a work
- acting — the art of performing a role, or serving temporarily in a position
- burlesque — a comic, exaggerated parody; to mock by such caricature
- ensemble — a group performing together, or a coordinated set of things
- proscenium — the part of a theatre stage in front of the curtain, or its framing arch
- puppet — a figure moved by strings or hands, or a person controlled by another
- satire — the use of irony or ridicule to expose folly or vice
- understudy — an actor who learns a role to substitute for the regular performer