
Theatre Talk
Conferences & Competitions
GTC - Georgia Theatre Conference
The mission of the Georgia Theatre Conference, is “to encourage and coordinate a close relationship among the community, educational, and professional theatres in the state of Georgia; to aid in maintaining the highest possible quality of live theatre; and to promote and facilitate education in varied phases of the theatre. Membership is open to all individuals and groups who desire to participate in the work and programs of the Conference.
The Conference’s annual convention takes place in various locations in Georgia. Consistently, it includes a Festival of One Act Plays. Milton High School will be competing for recognition as the best one-act performance in the state. Students also have the opportunity to see other performances and to attend many workshops on acting, auditioning, technical theater, dance and more. They can also obtain information about auditions for college scholarships and admissions.
* Please check Milton Theatre Calendar for Dates and visit www.georgiatheatreconference.com for additional information.
THESCON
GHSA - Georgia High School Association
SHULERS - Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards
Fashioned after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards are designed to celebrate and recognize excellence in Georgia’s high school musical theater programs.
The program is designed to celebrate high school musical theater, not to compete schools against each other. School productions are evaluated on how well each production is meeting or exceeding its own potential. Each production is adjudicated and scored against itself for consideration, rather than against all other school productions, charging schools to create the best possible work in their unique circumstance and environment. The program uses the awards show format but emphasizes celebration, community and camaraderie among all schools. During the awards evening, there are moments when the student nominees perform together, and each participating school is asked to assign two students to perform with others for the opening and finale numbers of the event.
* Please check Milton Theatre Calendar for Dates and visit artsbridgega.org/programs/shuler-awards for additional information.
JIMMYS - National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
LEADCON
Events
DROM
Plays
ONE-ACT PLAY
A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over two acts, with an intermission between acts. One-act plays may be musical or straight plays and consist of one or more scenes.
STRAIGHT PLAY
A play is form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading.
MUSICAL
A musical play is form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of dialogue and singing between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading.
Terms
Running Crew
The technical crew who move furniture on and off the stage, bring in backdrops and other large set pieces.
Tech Week
The week before the show opens. Rehearsals are longer with full costume and makeup as well as lights.
Techie
All those people who work on technical crews for a show. Without them the show won't happen!
Paper Tech
A meeting of the Director, Stage Manager, designers and, often the crew chiefs. This is where all the light changes, sound changes, props movements, fly movements and other backstage activities that occur at specific points are precisely determined and are documented in the Stage Manager’s script and by each designer and crew chief.
Line
The words that the actors speak during a performance. Also, during rehearsals, the term actors use to let the stage manager know they don’t remember what to say next and that they need to be prompted.
Dry Tech
The first technical rehearsal, without actors (therefore, without costumes and props) so that lights, sound, and running crew can rehearse their parts.
Dress Rehearsal
A rehearsal, typically within the last week before a show opens, where the actors will wear their costumes during the run of the show.
Dress Parade
When the actors dress up in their brand new costumes and stand in front of the Costume Designer and the Director to see how they look.
All Call
This is request for volunteers to come help with a production. It is typically a volunteer call to help with major set construction.
Curtain Call
When the actors come out at the end of the show to take their bows.
Cue to Cue
A rehearsal of the play, usually done during Tech Week, where you start at the beginning of the play, miss out long bits of dialogue where essentially nothing technical happens (eg no cues) and then skip forward to where something does happen, be it a lighting cue, sound cue, an actors entrance, a sequence where an actor has to get off to do a quick change and then back on again. It will involve all important happenings such as a song, a battle or a difficult sequence with props.
Cast Party
The generic term for a party where all cast and crew involved with a production are invited to relax and have a good time after the opening night or last show.
Callbacks
The second round of auditions. Depending on the production, the director uses callbacks to select principal roles (having already selected chorus/ensemble during the first round), or the director uses callbacks to review his/her short list of potential cast members.
Call Time
The time that all actors and crew are expected to be at the theater.
Blocking
Direction given to actors as to where they should stand or move to during the course of the play.
Off-Book
When an actor no longer uses his or her script to deliver lines.
Production Meeting
Gathering of all departments (lights, costumes, props…) to discuss how preparations are going toward opening night.
Places
When actors and technical crews have been told that the production will start within five minutes and they are to be in place and ready.
Prop
Those objects that an actor works with during the production that are not costume pieces.
Strike
When you tear down the set, or you remove something (‘strike the candle stick’ means to take it off the stage).
Set Dressing
The things that make the set look real but are never touched or moved by an actor (like the books on a bookcase).