playwriting

monologue

Uninterrupted solo address

• soliloquyDramatic speech to oneself
• linesStrokes connecting two points
• subtextImplicit meaning beneath words
• banterPlayful, teasing exchange

exchange · speech · wordplay · diction · vernacular · aside · repartee · exposition

plot

Storyline or land parcel

• actDeed or performance
• sceneDramatic unit or locale
• expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
• climaxPoint of greatest intensity

denouement · resolution · conflict · subplot · arc · beat · rising action · falling action

motif

Recurring thematic element

• symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
• allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
• ironyMeaning opposite to words
• pathosPity-evoking quality

catharsis · tragedy · comedy · tragicomedy · farce · satire · melodrama · absurdism

director

One who leads

• rehearsalPre-performance practice session
• castingShaping through liquid form
• auditionTrial performance for selection
• understudyBackup actor, ready nightly

dramaturg · producer · premiere · staged reading · run-through · opening night · repertory · ensemble

protagonist

Story's central figure

• antagonistOne who opposes another
• arcCurved line segment
• motivationImpetus toward a goal
• backstoryCharacter's past narrative

development · traits · transformation · foil · archetype · depth · complexity · dynamic

draft

Preliminary version of text

• revisionAltering to improve
• outlineSummary of key elements
• treatmentCare for an ailment
• synopsisCondensed version of content

logline · workshop · table read · cold reading · dramaturgy · adaptation · collaboration · commission

stage directions

Instructions within a script

• blockingImpeding forward progress
• entrancePoint of access
• exitWay to leave
• asideBrief theatrical digression

set · props · costumes · offstage · onstage · upstage · downstage · wings