ADA Acronym for Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990.

It covers similar ground to

the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) which became law in 1995 in the UK. Both Acts are designed to
outlaw any kind of discrimination against people with any form of disability. 
The acronyms ADA and DDA are used also to describe the amendments that are made to procedures,
buildings and resources to comply with the Act. 

Apple Box A small strong wooden box used as a temporary step or to lift an item (or actor) up to
make it visible. Named after the standard-sized fruit packing crate. Used in the motion picture
industry.

Bastard Side Terminology used to describe Stage Right when there is a Bastard Prompt. Stage
Left is then known as Opposite Bastard (O.B.)

Beginners A call given by Stage Management to bring those actors who appear in the first part of
a play to the stage. e.g. "Act One Beginners to the stage, please". The actors/actresses are
then called by name.
A similar call is given after the interval (e.g. "Act Two Beginners to the stage please").
The call is usually given 5 minutes before the advertised performance start time, but this may
vary depending on how long the actors take to get into position.
See also HALF, QUARTER.

CAD Computer-Aided Design. Using a computer to help with 2D plans and drawings, or
increasingly for 3D visualisation of how a set will look, and how lighting will affect it. See also
WYSIWYG.

Cast The members of the acting company. The Cast List contains the names of the actors and
the characters they'll be playing. 
Dramatis Personae is a Latin term for a list of the characters in a play.

Comedy An entertaining performance designed to make an audience laugh. 

In Greek and Roman theatre, any play with a happy ending was called a comedy, regardless of
whether it was funny. 
Sketch Comedy - a series of short unconnected scenes, with comedic and/or stylised
performances, containing jokes, which may be topical and/or satirical.  
High Comedy (also known as pure or highbrow comedy) is a type of comedy characterized by
witty dialogue, satire, biting humor, or criticism of life.
Low Comedy (also known as lowbrow humour) is more physical comedy, using slapstick or
farce, with no purpose other than to cause the audience to laugh. 
See also SATIRE.

Double Handling Moving scenery and other equipment more than necessary because it wasn't
properly sorted or positioned in the first place.
Dramatic Pause A brief pause (a few beats) in an actors' delivery of a line to emphasise a
moment or to heighten anticipation. 
It's important that the DSM does not shout out the next line, while the lead actor is pausing
dramatically. 

ENTR

Escape Stairs American equivalent of Get-Off treads

FEV Short for French Enamel Varnish, a stain which is a mixture of shellac and dye, diluted in
methylated spirit.
Fight Call A warm-up and rehearsal of fight choreography held before each performance.

GAK (US slang) Anything on stage that isn't of interest to the technical staff (e.g. music stands,
chairs, water bottles)..

Glow Tape Luminous yellow self-adhesive tape used to mark floors so that positions can be
found in blackouts. A staple is often used to secure the tape to a floor where it might move.

Gofer Colloquial name sometimes given to a junior member of the crew, who is given
instructions to fetch and carry equipment / tools etc. (i.e. 'Go For a wrench')

Greasepaint
Name refers to make up supplied in stick form, for application to the face or body. Needs special
removing cream.
Head Fly
The head of the fly crew who are responsibly for lifting scenery or other objects above the stage.
Holding for a Laugh
A risky practice, this involves the actors and director pre-planning where the audience will laugh,
and inserting suitable pauses in the action, or ensuring that nothing important will be missed if
the audience is in stitches. However, if the audience fails to laugh, the pause will slow the pace
of the performance. The actors must learn to react to the audience as they react. An even more
dangerous practice is to assume that the audience of the show tonight will laugh at the same
points as the audience of the previous show.