Drama Glossary
Key theatre terms and definitions including related shows.
A type of comedy that uses exaggeration, often with clowning and ridiculous behaviors, in order to entertain.
The last section of a piece of music, a scene, or an entire show, often dramatic and exciting.
A musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices and contrapuntally developed.
A short and usually humorous opera, generally incorporating more spoken dialogue than traditional opera.
A contradictory statement, often absurd and implausible, but is found to be true.
A technique where singers have a lot of text to deliver on very fast notes.
A style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late nineteenth century. W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were the original and most successful practitioners.
An actress or other female performer playing a lively, flirtatious role in a play or opera.
A humorous imitation of something, typically a particular genre of film or literature, in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect.
A slang term for a sailor that has been used since at least 1676. The term is thought to have originated from the tarpaulins, which were canvas garments and hats made waterproof with tar that sailors wore to protect themselves from the weather.
Relating to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) or a person who lived in the Victorian era.