Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory

Set the stage for vocabulary success by learning this list of words related to drama. You'll review the parts of a play, different dramatic genres, and much more. Break a leg!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. act
    a single division of a play, opera, or ballet
  2. action
    the series of events that form a plot
  3. adaptation
    a written work that has been recast in a new form
  4. ad-lib
    perform without preparation
  5. aside
    a line spoken by an actor not intended for others on stage
  6. audience
    a gathering of spectators or listeners at a performance
  7. backstage
    a stage area out of sight of the audience
  8. character
    a property that defines the individual nature of something
  9. chorus
    a body of dancers or singers who perform together
  10. comedy
    light and humorous drama with a happy ending
  11. complication
    a development that makes a situation more challenging
  12. conflict
    opposition in a work of fiction between characters or forces
  13. costume
    the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
  14. dialogue
    the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction
  15. director
    one who supervises the actors and action in a play
  16. ensemble
    a cast other than the principals
  17. genre
    a class of art having a characteristic form or technique
  18. intermission
    a time during which something is temporarily stopped or delayed
  19. line
    a row of text written across a page or computer screen
  20. monologue
    a dramatic speech by a single actor
  21. musical
    a play or film containing singing and dancing numbers
  22. narrator
    someone who tells a story
  23. offstage
    situated or taking place in the area of a stage not visible to the audience
  24. pantomime
    a performance using gestures and movements without words
  25. playwright
    someone who writes plays
  26. plot
    the story that is told, as in a novel, play, movie, etc.
  27. prop
    an object used on the set of a play or movie
  28. scene
    a subdivision of an act of a play
  29. setting
    the context and environment in which something is situated
  30. shadow play
    a drama executed by throwing shadows on a wall
  31. stage direction
    instruction or description written in the script of a play
  32. staging
    the production of a drama on the stage
  33. theater
    a building where performances can be presented
  34. tragedy
    drama exciting terror or pity
Created on Wed Jan 18 14:50:30 EST 2017 (updated Wed Mar 29 15:31:14 EDT 2017)

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