Intermission: A designated break in a play. In cases where there is no intermission you will be warned in advance.
Italian run: a rehearsal during the dark days between performances to ensure that lines are remembered. Usually run at a warp speed with lines and dialogue said quickly.
Legs: Vertical curtains or flats used to hide the wings from view and frame the audience’s view of the stage.
Lines: What actors learn and speak on stage.
Load In: This is what happens when the set and props are moved into the theatre. The reverse is a “load out.”
Monologue: A lengthy speech by a single character delivered to other characters in a play; not to be
confused with a soliloquy.
Offstage: Technically this refers to all stage areas outside the visible acting area.
Onstage: The acting area of the stage floor.
Orchestra: In its ordinary sense this refers to a group of musicians but the term is also used in the theatre to refer to the seating area immediately behind the orchestra pit—even when there is no pit!
Orchestra Pit: This is where an orchestra will usually be placed in a musical production. It generally extends across the breadth of the stage and is called a pit because it’s at a lower elevation so that the musicians do not block the audience’s view.
Playwright: The person who writes the play.
Prompt: This is what actors get if they forget their lines. Some theatres have fulltime prompters standing by in the wings.
Props: Objects on the stage such as furniture that are not part of the actual scenery. Hand props are objects the actors actually handle such as swords, books and cups.
Run: In the theatre this refers to the total number of performances or length of time a play is being presented.