General Terms
Sitzprobe – the first rehearsal in musical theatre or opera where the orchestra & cast come together. The cast are normally seated, chance for everyone to get acquainted
Blocking – The precise staging of actors in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film, or opera.
Callboard – A bulletin board backstage where announcements, schedules, and other important information are posted.
Strike/Get Out – To dismantle the set, lighting, sound, etc. after a production closes.
Prop – Any object used on stage by actors. Short for property.
Conspiracies
The Scottish Play – A euphemism for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as it is considered bad luck to say the name of the play inside a theatre.
Whistling Backstage – Whistling back/on stage is considered bad luck. The superstition stems from the days where stagehands were often sailors who used whistles to communicate while rigging scenery. Whistling could cause a serious accident!
Peacock Feathers – Considered bad luck to have peacock feathers on stage due to the “evil eye” in the feather’s design.
Ghost Light – the tradition or superstition to keep a light on stage when the theatre is empty. Used as a safety light but also to appease the ghosts of the theatre.
Technical Terms
Gobo – A thin metal or glass template inserted into a light to create a pattern.
Gel – A coloured plastic filter placed in front of a light to change the colour of the light.
Practical – A working light fixture or other element on stage that appears to function as it would in real life (e.g. a table lamp).
Preset – The state where props, costumes, set pieces, and more, are positioned in their designated locations before the beginning of a show.
Magic Sheet – A quick reference guide for lighting technicians, showing channel numbers, dimmer assignments, and focus information for each lighting fixture.
Light Plot – A detailed diagram showing the placement of all lighting fixtures and their associated information (channel, dimmer, gel, focus, etc)
Dry Tech – A technical rehearsal without actors, focusing solely on technical cues.
Paper Tech – A meeting where the director, stage manager, and designers go through the script and mark all technical cues.
PAR Can – A simple lighting fixture that produces a bright, unfocused beam of light.
Fresnel – A type of lighting fixture that produces a soft, diffused light.
DMX – Digital Multiplex. A standard digital communication protocol used to control lighting and other stage equipment (e.g. smoke machines).
OSC – Open Sound Control. A protocol for communication between computers, sound synthesizers, and other multimedia devices. We commonly use it to fire lighting cues from external software.
Software
EOS – The software commonly used on lighting consoles in theatre. Manufactured by ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls).
QLab – Used for playback of sound, video, light, and show control cues.
Vectorworks Spotlight – Advanced CAD software used for lighting/stage design & creating Light Plots.
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