Theater Terminology

Whether you are new or old to the Company, it is always helpful to understand “Theater Speak.” Below are common terms often thrown about within the halls and walls of the theater.

The Taylor PlayMakers List of Commonly Used Terms

• Actor — A PlayMakers Company member who performs on stage.
• Banquet — Thespian Troupe 311’s end of the year costume dinner honoring outgoing Thespian Seniors. It is also a time of awards and induction of new members. Parents and friends are invited.
• Big T/Little T or Big Thespian/Little Thespian — A leadership program for incoming Thespians.
• Black Box — The smaller theatre, adjacent to the PAC (seats 200).
• Bloody Saturday — The Saturday preceding the opening of a show wherein the cast and crew finalize the details of the production. The Company usually begins at 8:00 a.m. and can be at the school well into the evening. Food is supplied to the students by the PlayMakers Booster Club.
• Boosters — A parent organization which provides support to the company. Support is anything from financial needs to physical needs not otherwise provided by the school district. Boosters are a main source of fundraising for the company.
• Coffee House — A variety show put on as a fundraiser ... can include singing, dancing, playing an instrument, etc., sponsored by the Theater Department, but any Taylor student is eligible to audition.
• ComedySportz — The PlayMakers interactive improvisational comedy team who competes against other schools for the “Golden Lunch Tray” award at schools’ end. They are affiliated with the professional ComedySportz league in Houston.
• Company — A performing theater group that includes directors, Thespians, actors, techies, and Boosters.
• Festival or Texas State Thespian Festival — Convention for Thespian troupes from the State of Texas. Students perform their Individual Events (“IE's”), attend workshops, and other theater-related activities.
• Fundraising — A necessary means to an end. The theater department, Thespians, and Boosters each do their part to help the Company function financially. Learning how to fundraise is a fundamental part of a high school theater student’s educational experience.
• IE — Individual Event. What students compete in when they are at the state Thespian Festival
• Nationals — National Thespian Festival for Thespian troupes from all over the world. It is held in Lincoln, Nebraska every June. Junior and senior acting and techie students can audition for admittance/scholarships to various universities and colleges.
• OAP — The “One Act Play” is the annual competition play done by all high schools in the State of Texas. (See UIL.)
• PAC — Performing Arts Center (seats 902).
• PlayMakers — The official name of the Taylor High School Theater Company.
• Progressive Dinner — A theater holiday dinner party sponsored by the Thespians. Each course is served at a different student’s home, so that the party literally moves from place to place throughout the evening
• Readers Theater Group — Community service organization made up of active Thespians who work/rehearse basic readers theater scripts, story telling and perform them for organizations like the KISD elementary schools, hospitals, retirement homes, etc.
• Stage Manager — The assistant to the director and production staff during rehearsals, in charge of production during actual shows, a key position in any successful production and one of the toughest jobs in the company.
• Strike — The “tearing down” of a set, usually done directly following the last performance of a show. It can sometimes last well into the early morning hours.
• Techie — A student who works in the areas of sets, lights, sound, props, make-up, costumes or publicity, as well as all related crews for each area.
• Thespian — A PlayMaker company member who has taken the necessary steps to become inducted into the International Thespian Society.
• Tommy Tune Awards — The Theater Under The Stars Tommy Tune Awards were created for the purpose of providing recognition and reward for excellence in the production of musical theatre by high school students and their teachers in the Houston area.
• Troupe 311 — The Taylor PlayMakers International Thespian Troupe.
• UIL or University Interscholastic League — Organization that governs school competition, on the athletic, academic, and elective levels. (See OAP)
• USITT or “United States Institute of Theatre Technology” — National organization dedicated to the advancement of technical theater in both the educational and professional arenas.
• USITT National Convention — National convention featuring technical people from around the world. Intense workshops, product demonstrations, professional symposiums, and incredible learning take place.