theatricalism
Showy performance style
Theatricalism is exaggerated dramatic behavior or style, especially when it feels artificial or excessive.
The term applies to performance that calls attention to its own staginess, or to behavior in everyday life that seems calculated for effect: His theatricalism made every minor setback into a crisis.
In drama criticism, theatricalism describes productions that emphasize artifice over naturalism.
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- histrionicsExaggerated emotional behavior
- grandstandingPerforming to impress onlookers
- overactingExcessive theatrical performance
bombast · flamboyance · embellishment · ostentation · grandiosity · pompousness · showiness · dramatization
Temporarily holding position
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- auditionTrial performance for selection
- curtain callPost-show audience acknowledgment
- troupeTraveling group of performers
ensemble · understudy · cast · blocking · improvisation · stage presence · delivery · timing
Visually striking event
- pageantryElaborate ceremonial display
- tableauStriking pictorial arrangement
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
avant-garde · kabuki · vaudeville · burlesque · naturalism · stylization · minimalism · grotesque
Disastrous or sorrowful event
- comedyWork meant to amuse
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- playwrightAuthor of stage dramas
- soliloquyDramatic speech to oneself
monologue · dialogue · catharsis · protagonist · antagonist · denouement · climax · conflict
Visible natural surroundings
- propsTheater accessories or praise
- backdropRear stage scenery
- lightingArt of illuminating spaces
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
makeup · rigging · set design · stage manager · cue · dress rehearsal · stagehand · wings
hyperbole
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- histrionicsExaggerated emotional behavior
- grandstandingPerforming to impress onlookers
overacting · bombast · flamboyance · embellishment · ostentation · grandiosity · pompousness · showiness · dramatization · affectation
acting
Temporarily holding position
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- auditionTrial performance for selection
- curtain callPost-show audience acknowledgment
troupe · ensemble · understudy · cast · blocking · improvisation · stage presence · delivery · timing · projection
spectacle
Visually striking event
- pageantryElaborate ceremonial display
- tableauStriking pictorial arrangement
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
expressionism · avant-garde · kabuki · vaudeville · burlesque · naturalism · stylization · minimalism · grotesque · operatic
tragedy
Disastrous or sorrowful event
- comedyWork meant to amuse
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- playwrightAuthor of stage dramas
soliloquy · monologue · dialogue · catharsis · protagonist · antagonist · denouement · climax · conflict · plot
scenery
Visible natural surroundings
costumes · makeup · rigging · set design · stage manager · cue · dress rehearsal · stagehand · wings · proscenium
theatricalismsubtlety
Fine distinction, easily missed
understatement · restraint · reserve · minimalism · quietness
theatricalismnaturalness
Unaffected, uncontrived quality
genuineness · sincerity · authenticity · artlessness · unaffectedness
theatricalismnaturalism
Worldview excluding the supernatural
realism · minimalism · austerity · starkness · spareness