Key Vocabulary for Live Theatre Evaluation

Sound
Diegetic – sound which the characters can hear in the world of the play. Eg. A door banging
closed / a phone ringing / music they are dancing to.

Non-diegetic – sound which cannot be heard by the characters themselves. Eg. Incidental
music / atmospheric sounds.

Volume – Loud or quiet

Tempo – Fast or slow

Rhythm – is there a regular or irregular beat to the sound?

Live – music created onstage by actors or musicians, or in the wings /offstage but played
live.

Pre-recorded – Any sounds played through a speaker/s.

Amplified – using an amplifier to increase the sound

Texture – quality of sound eg. A thick texture might contain many layers of instruments.

Pitch – high or low

Echo – reflection of sound. An echo effect can be added electronically.

Set Design
Texture – hard, soft, rough, smooth

Material – man-made / synthetic or natural eg. Metal, wood, plastic, cotton, velvet, silk,
leather, brick etc.

Shapes / lines – sharp, curved, round, square, rectangular

Colour palette – Is there harmony between the colours used in the set? Contrasts?

Scale – Is every aspect of the set on the same scale? Naturalistic or larger than life?

Stage configuration – consider where the audience are placed and the theatre space

Props / Stage Furniture

Materials - man-made / synthetic or natural eg. Metal, wood, plastic, cotton, velvet, silk,
leather, brick etc.
Colours – Symbolic? Naturalistic? Representative of mood / atmosphere? Representative
of a character? Does the prop / furniture stand out from the colours on the set / are they in
harmony / matching?

Shape / lines - sharp, curved, round, square, rectangular

Size / Scale – naturalistic or not?

Textures - hard, soft, rough, smooth

Lighting
Instruments – fresnels, parcans, profile spotlights, flood lights

Direction – where is the light coming from? Side lights (from the sides of the stage),
downlighting (from above), uplighting (from below), backlit (from behind / upstage), front lit
(from the front / downstage)

Angles – Has the lighting been angled or positioned so as to create any shadows or to sculpt
the actor?

Intensity – high or low, dim or bright

Colour – Saturation defines the brilliance and intensity of the colour in the light. So a highly
saturated colour would be that colour in its purest form.

Fade – Does the light gradually come on or turn off?

Cross fade – Fading one lighting state up as you fade another down, so they cross-over.

Snap – Suddenly changing the lighting state

Costume
Fabric – eg. Cotton, silk, velvet, wool, tweed, denim etc. Is the fabric reflective of wealth,
class, character traits etc?

Silhouette – Does the costume create on overall shape for the character? (eg. By using
padding, over-sized clothes etc.)

Cut / Line – eg. A-Line skirt, V-neck top – are there sharp or curved lines to the costume?

Texture – Rough, smooth, fluffy, soft, hard, brittle etc. Reflective of character?

Colour – Symbolic? Naturalistic? Representational of character? Similar or contrasting to

other characters?

Acting
Physical – gesture, posture, stance, gait, facial expressions, proxemics, levels, stillness, poise
Quality of movements – heavy, light, sharp, gentle, fast, slow
Vocal – tone, pitch, pace, volume, emphasis, pause