Student Blog: Asking My Computer Science Boyfriend What Acting Terms Mean

Have you ever wondered what actors sound like to regular people? I interviewed my boyfriend, Lewis, who works in web development, about what some theatre-related terms mean. Here were his answers, followed by the actual definitions. Play along and see if you know all these terms!

Actioning

Lewis: “Going forward to do an action.”

My definition: Putting a specific action verb onto your line.

Ad lib

Lewis: “Prerecord lines and act like you're saying them.”

My definition: Saying something that’s not in the script.

Black box

Lewis: “Something that holds voice recordings.”

My definition: A small theatre with all-black walls and a black ceiling.

Blocking

Lewis: “Blocking something or stopping something or someone.”

My definition: Where you move onstage.

Breaking character

Lewis: “You stop acting how your character acts.”

My definition: That one’s actually correct!

Call time

Lewis: “Pretty much the same as showtime.”

My definition: When the actors have to show up.

Cattle call

Lewis: “When you call the cows, moo.”

My definition: An audition that’s open to everyone.

Cheat out

Lewis: “To have a substitute.”

My definition: To turn more toward the audience

Cross

Lewis: “Criss-cross applesauce.”

My definition: When you move across the stage.

Dramaturg

Lewis: “Someone that’s excessively good at drama.”

My definition: Someone on the production team who knows about the world of the play and can help actors with its history and environment.

Dropping cues

Lewis: “Dropping an object that signifies when something else starts.”

My definition: Forgetting your lines.

Equity card

Lewis: “A specific card that’s used to buy things for the set.”

My definition: Joining the union (AEA).

Fight captain

Lewis: Someone who controls actions within a set.

My definition: The cast member in charge of the fight choreography.

Ghost light

Lewis: “A very dim light.”

My definition: A light you leave on when nobody’s in the theater to appease all the ghosts that exist there.

Greenroom

Lewis: “A green screen, but it’s the whole room so you can film something. Or no, a green room could be a rest room. Not a bathroom, but a room where you can just relax.”

My definition: A room where the actors can relax when they’re not on stage.

House open

Lewis: When you leave your house open, everybody can come in

My definition: When people can start entering the audience

Intimacy director

Lewis: “Someone that teaches you how to be intimate in an acting sense.”

My definition: A trained professional that’s in charge of making sure everyone is safe during an intimate scene.

Jukebox musical

Lewis: “Old-time musical, like something from the 80s.”

My definition: A musical made with music that already exists.

Off-book

Lewis: “Do something that’s not conventional.”

My definition: Memorized and not looking at your script

Personal source

Lewis: “Something within yourself that helps you do something.”

My definition: Something from your own life that helps you connect to a character

Principal

Lewis: “Something you stand by and follow.”

My definition: A speaking character.

Props master

Lewis: “Someone that works and manages props.”

My definition: The person who’s in charge of props.

Scrim

Lewis: “A practice round.”

My definition: A thin piece of fabric that covers the back wall to create a scene.

Showmance

Lewis: “A guy doing a show.”

My definition: A romance between actors in a show.

Sides

Lewis: “Left and right”

My definition: Bits of scenes that you read in an audition or callback.

Soliloquy

Lewis: “An alibi for something.”

My definition: A monologue where you talk to the audience

Strike

Lewis: “A very powerful action.”

My definition: Cleaning up after the show closes.

Swing

Lewis: “The things they have at the park.”

My definition: Someone who covers multiple roles and can go on for any of them.

Thank you five

Lewis: “Thanking five people or thank god you get a five-minute break.”

My definition: What you say when you’re given a five-minute break.

That's it for the terms. Lewis definitely learned some things today. How many did you get right? 

Sending you good vibes and lots of love!