Representation of an abstract theme or themes through symbolic use of character, action, and other concrete elements of a play. In its most direct form—for example, the medieval morality play—allegory uses personification to present characters representing abstract qualities, such as virtues and vices, in action which spells out a moral or intellectual lesson.
Blocking
Arrangement of actors' movements onstage with respect to each other and the stage space.
Director
In American usage, the person who is responsible for the overall unity of a production, coordinating the efforts of the contributing artists. The director is in charge of rehearsals and supervises the actors in the preparation of their parts. The American director is the equivalent of the French metteur en scène. For many years in Britain, the director was known as the producer.
Expressionism
Movement which developed and flourished in Germany during the period immediately preceding and following World War I. Expressionism in drama was characterized by an attempt to depict subjective states through distortion; striking, often grotesque, images; and lyric, unrealistic dialogue.
Naturalism
Special form of realism. The theory of naturalism came to prominence in France and elsewhere in Europe in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The French playwright Émile Zola advocated theater that would follow the scientific principles of the age: drama should look for the causes of "disease" in society the way a doctor looks at disease in an individual, and theater should expose social "infection" in all its ugliness. Naturalism attempts to achieve the verisimilitude of a documentary film, conveying the impression that everything about the play—the setting and the way the characters dress, speak, and act—is exactly like everyday life.
Producer
In American usage, the person responsible for the business side of a production, including raising money. In British usage, a producer was the equivalent of an American director.
