Theatre Glossary: B
Blackouts, Ballyhoo and Box Steps – Oh My, Oh My!
Welcome back, drama lovers, to the next dazzling instalment of our Theatre Glossary series. We've already Act-ed our way through A, so now it’s time to Break a Leg and brave the brilliant, bold, and occasionally bonkers world of B.
Whether you’re backstage, front row, or simply a fan of all things theatrical, this one’s bursting with big energy - and even bigger wigs.
Curtain up on B!
Backdrop
A painted or printed piece of scenery that hangs at the back of the stage. It sets the scene, hides the brick wall, and occasionally falls down mid-performance for maximum chaos.
Backlight
Lighting that comes from behind a performer or set piece, creating depth, drama, and those delicious silhouettes directors love. Also useful for making actors look mysterious, angelic, or suspiciously sweaty.
Backstage
The sacred zone behind the scenes where costumes fly, quick changes happen, and tea gets spilled (literally and metaphorically). If you’re not in costume or crew… stay out. Unless you like being chased off by someone with a headset.
Backstory
The character’s life story before the play begins. Good actors will know their character’s backstory inside out, even if the audience never hears it. It’s what helps Pat from Hair & Makeup believe you are a tortured saxophonist from 1940s Chicago - even if you’re playing a tree.
Balcony
The upper level(s) of a theatre where seats tend to be cheaper and views slightly more aerial. Great for perspective, bad for vertigo.
Also the home of theatre’s sassiest audience members (just ask Statler and Waldorf).
Ballad
A slow, emotional song that gives your lead a chance to belt, weep, and show off their best spotlight face. Often accompanied by soft piano, meaningful glances, and at least one key change.
Ballyhoo
A flashy bit of showbiz razzle-dazzle. It is a lighting effect that involves fast movements, intensity changes and a variety of colours, which all help to build excitement and celebration. Fun to say. Even more fun to do.
Band
The musical powerhouse in the pit (or occasionally visible on stage) that brings your favourite show tunes to life. From sweeping overtures to dramatic underscoring, they are the unsung heroes of musical theatre. Without them, it’s just interpretive dance and awkward silence.
Barn Doors
No, we’re not in Oklahoma. These are flaps on stage lights that help control the beam’s spread - allowing precise lighting without blinding the audience (unless it’s that kind of show).
Bass
The lowest male singing voice, often associated with wise kings, grumpy villains, and mysterious narrators. Think deep, rich, and powerful - like melted chocolate with a tragic backstory. Also frequently the guy who hits that impossibly low note that makes the whole audience go “ooooooh.”
Billing
The order and prominence of names on a poster, programme, or Playbill. Top billing = your name is first. Bottom billing = you’re still in the show, sweetie, but maybe don’t tell your gran to look too hard.
Birdie
A small, low-profile light, often hidden on the stage floor or in props. Great for a subtle glow or dramatic uplighting that screams “ghost story” or “surprise tap break.”
Bit Part / Bit Actor
A small role with just a few lines, or none at all. But remember: there are no small parts, only actors with excellent comedic timing and the best curtain call reactions.
Black Box
A flexible, minimal theatre space - usually a plain, square room with black walls. Perfect for experimental productions, edgy new writing, and performances where someone wears a mask and stares at you for ten minutes.
Blacklight
Also known as UV light. Used to make white costumes glow or reveal sneaky visual effects. Best used sparingly, unless you want your show to resemble a haunted bowling alley.
Blackout
Sudden lights-out. Used to end a scene, hide a scene change, or make the audience gasp dramatically. Sometimes accidental. Always effective.
Blacks
The black curtains, legs, and borders that hide backstage areas.
The all-black outfits worn by techies and crew to stay invisible during scene changes. You’ll know someone’s in crew if they’re dressed like a ninja and carrying gaffer tape.
Blocking
The precise movements and positions actors take on stage. Blocking is where you stand, when you move, and how you avoid stepping on that trapdoor. Directors love it. Actors forget it. Stage managers enforce it.
Book
The script of a musical/play; all the dialogue, not the songs. A “book musical” has a full story with scenes in between numbers. (So Mamma Mia! = book musical, Cats = fever dream.)
Book Flat
A flat (piece of scenery) made of two hinged panels that can open and close like a book. Used for quick scene changes, secret entrances, or that one scene where someone gets dramatically shoved through a door.
Border
A short, wide curtain hung above the stage to hide lighting rigs or flying scenery. Think of it as the stage’s fancy fringe. Practical and stylish.
Box Office
Where the tickets are sold and dreams are crushed when the last show sells out. Also where your mum argues that she definitely booked four seats in Row G and not Row Z.
Box Set
Not Netflix. In theatre, a box set is a realistic three-wall set that looks like a full room - complete with furniture, doors, and the potential for farcical door-slamming.
Boxes
Private seating areas (usually along the sides of the auditorium) for people who want a fancy view and occasionally get caught texting by the cast. Also good for ghost sightings. Just ask Phantom of the Opera.
Box Step
A simple dance move often taught in early musical theatre rehearsals. If you can walk in a square, you can do a box step. (And you will. Repeatedly.)
Break A Leg
The classic good luck phrase used in theatre because saying “good luck” is considered bad luck. Don’t ask why. Superstition and jazz hands go hand-in-hand.
Break Character
When an actor accidentally stops being their character - usually by laughing, reacting to an audience member, or getting spooked by a rogue pigeon in the rafters. Hilarious for the audience. Terrifying for the director.
Broadway
The crown jewel of American theatre. Located in New York, Broadway is where big-budget musicals, career-making performances, and ticket prices that make you weep all live in harmony. If the West End is your theatre crush, Broadway is your full-blown love affair.
Burlesque
A theatrical genre blending satire, striptease, and showmanship - not to be confused with that Cher movie (although, also iconic). Expect feathers, humour, and performances that are cheeky, bold, and unapologetically fabulous.
From backstage mysteries to burlesque brilliance, we’ve B-ed our way through another alphabetised adventure. Whether you're blocking your next scene or basking in a backlight, you're now better equipped to speak fluent stagey.
Next up? C is for cue lines, corpsing, curtain calls, and (spoiler alert) chaos.
Break character? Never. Break a leg? Always.
