GAMA Youth

This page is designed to help you find your way around musical theatre and give you some tips on improving your performance.

Firstly - the Anatomy of the Theatre.

Here are some terms that you will become familiar with.

• The Stage - The preformance area. GAMA Youth usually perform on the floor of Hall A in the Rothes Halls. The floor is covered with a dance mat.
• The House - Where the audience sit
• Onstage - Anywhere in view of the audience
• Offstage or Backstage - Anywhere out of sight of the audience
• Wings - Areas to the side of the stage just outside of the audience's view
• Legs - Fixed long black curtains hanging above the stage and at the sides to hide the wings from the audience
• Tabs - Curtains that can be pulled across the stage
• Gauze - Material on which a scene can be painted. When list from the front is apprears solid but when lit from behind it disappears.
• Backdrops - Large pieces of cloth, paper, etc. which are painted to represent different locations
• Cycs (pronouced 'sykes' and short for cycloramas) - Special backdrops that hang at the back of the stage and which are often lit to represent the sky. 
• Flats - Wooden frames covered with cloth or wood and painted to represent different settings
• Trucks - Low platforms on wheels on which scenery in set and mounted and moved on and off stage
• Set - A complete set of scenery for a particluar scene

If you are standing in the middle of the stage facing the audience at the front

• Upstage is behind you towards the back of the stage.
• Downstage is in front of you, towards the audience.
• Stage Left is to your left.
• Stage Right is to your right.