theater

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. stage, arena, field [of action]; drama; playhouse, motion-picture house, studio. See amusement.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A building intended for theatrical productions]

Syn. playhouse, concert hall, coliseum, hippodRome, circle theater, round theater, Greek theater, odeum, theater in the round, house, opera house, amphitheater, assembly hall, movie theater, cinema, drive-in, multiplex, movies; see also auditorium .

2. [The legitimate stage]

Syn. stage, drama, Broadway, the boards, theatrics, footlights, legit*, the oak*, the deck*; see also comedy , movies 2 , show 2 .

3. [Any place of military action]

Syn. arena, combat area, battleground, sphere of operations, field, sector, terrain, bridgehead, front, salient, objective, target area, no-man's-land; see also battlefield .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. playhouse opera house, auditorium, ampitheater, theater in the round, boards, odeum, dinner theater, hall, arena, movie house, cinema, drive-in.

2. stageperformance dramatic arts, drama, show business, the stage. ''An escape from reality.''— George Nathan. ''A tradition of villains and heroes.''—George Bernard Shaw. ''A window open on the life of our fellow creatures.''—Mario Fratti.

WORD FIND

• above stage, walk or platform for lights: fly

• actor’s emergency fill-in: understudy

• advertisement at front of theater: marquee

• afternoon show: matinee

• alcove in center of stage where prompter hides from audience: prompt box

• allegorical drama illustrating Christian teaching: morality play

• anxiety, performance: stage fright, *flop sweat

• award: Tony

• background scenery: backdrop, olio, ground row, cyclorama

• backstage area: wings

• box in front of balcony or mezzanine: loge

• Broadway, play not produced on: off-Broadway production

• brochure of cast and description: program, playbill

• comedy featuring wit: high comedy

• comedy of exaggeration: farce

• comedy on morbid subject: black comedy

• comedy satirizing manners of fashionable society: comedy of manners

• comedy, slapstick or physical: low comedy

• comedy that spoofs: send-up, parody

• company producing several shows with same performers: repertory company

• company production of plays in summer: summer stock

• cues a song, line of dialogue that: dakota

• dim lighting used for effect: pool hall lighting

• district of theaters: white light district, Great White Way, Broadway, Rialto

• draw attention away from another actor: upstage, steal the show

• dress rehearsal before an audience: audience dress

• emotions are exaggerated, play in which: melodrama

• exaggerated acting or overacting: histrionics

• explosion or flash, device that creates: flashpot

• falling in love with theater: stagestruck

• financier, backer: angel

• hit show: boffo

• horrifying, macabre or gruesome drama: Grand Guignol

• Japanese, all-male: Kabuki

• large-scale act or musical number: production number

• lights: footlights, limelight, *ace, *ashcan, baby spot, bon-bon, flood, house lights, *keg light, klieg light, pin spot

• list of characters: dramatis personae

• makeup: grease paint, pancake

• makeup mark the stage to direct actors where to stand, move: block

• musicals, theater that specializes in: lyric theater

• musical with sketches: revue

• musician’s area: orchestra pit

• narrator to audience: raisonneur

• object used in show: prop

• open audition: *cattle call

• outfit a stage with scenery: dress

• pack theater by distributing free tickets: paper the house

• rehearsal, rough: walk-through

• religious play centering around suffering of Christ: passion play

• remember lines during show, helps actors: prompter

• sad or heartbreaking play: tragedy

• segment: act

• serious performances as opposed to vaudeville: legitimate theater

• set, take down a: strike

• set that is real, as opposed to that of facades: practical set

• skyline or horizon scenery piece: ground row, cyclorama

• sound effects made from offstage: noises off

• SRO: standing room only

• stage, front of: proscenium, apron

• stage props, functioning: practicals

• talk with audience, actor’s solo: soliloquy

• top balcony for lowerclass patrons: peanut gallery

• union for actors: Actors Equity Association

• unsuccessful play: *flop, *bomb, *turkey, *dog

• variety show, old time: vaudeville, burlesque

• waiting room, performer’s: green room, dressing room

• wardrobe assistant: dresser

• worker: stagehand

• writer of plays: playwright

• written music: score

see movie, television