Vocal and physical terms
- Vocal: pitch (high or low), pace (speed), pause, volume, tone (emotion in the voice), accent, emphasis and inflection.
- Physical: gesture, facial expression, posture, gait (way of walking), movement, and eye contact.
- Space: proxemics (the distance between characters, showing their relationship) and levels (height differences, showing status).
Drama techniques
- Freeze frame (tableau): a still picture made with bodies.
- Thought-tracking: a character speaks their thoughts aloud, often from a freeze frame.
- Hot-seating: a performer answers questions in character to develop the role.
- Cross-cutting: moving between two or more scenes. Flashback and flash-forward move in time.
- Monologue: a long speech by one character. Soliloquy: a character speaking their thoughts alone. Aside: a comment to the audience that other characters don't hear.
- Narration, direct address, split scene, and marking the moment.
Styles and practitioners
- Naturalism aims to be realistic; Stanislavski developed methods such as emotion memory and given circumstances.
- Epic theatre (Brecht) reminds the audience they are watching a play so they think critically: breaking the fourth wall, placards, multi-role and narration (the "alienation" or distancing effect).
- Physical theatre uses movement to tell the story, as in the work of Frantic Assembly.
- Genres include comedy, tragedy, melodrama and farce.
Key terms
- Proxemics
- The use of space between characters to show their relationship.
- Freeze frame
- A still picture created by performers.
- Thought-tracking
- A character speaking their thoughts aloud.
- Aside
- A comment made to the audience that other characters don't hear.
- Soliloquy
- A character speaking their thoughts alone on stage.
- Naturalism
- A style that aims to be realistic.
- Epic theatre
- Brecht's style that makes the audience think critically.
- Breaking the fourth wall
- Speaking directly to the audience.