Theatre

Exit Entry and departure across contexts: physical egress, theatrical direction, computing termination and status codes, business/financial exits, and related safety and linguistic note…

Fame (musical) Stage adaptation of the 1980 film Fame. Book by Jose Fernandez, lyrics by Jacques Levy and music by Steve Margoshes; follows students at a performing-arts high school and has seen…

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden A major German performing‑arts venue opened in 1998, sited in the former Baden‑Baden railway station; Germany's largest opera house with about 2,500 seats and a year‑round festival…

Fiddler on the Roof: overview, history, themes and legacy Fiddler on the Roof A comprehensive overview of the musical Fiddler on the Roof: origins, creators, plot, major songs, historical context, notable productions including the film and a recent Yiddish r…

Fitzgerald Theater — Historic Saint Paul Stage and Home of A Prairie Home Companion Fitzgerald Theater Historic performing arts theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, home to the radio show A Prairie Home Companion and owned by Minnesota Public Radio; known for its restored interior and…

Folies Bergère: Paris music hall and revue theatre Folies Bergère Historic Paris music hall opened in 1869, famed for lavish revues, visual-art connections like Manet's painting, and stars such as Josephine Baker. It remains an active performance…

Ford's Theatre (Washington, D.C.) Ford's Theater Historic theater and National Historic Site in Washington, D.C., best known as the location where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865; today a museum and active perf…

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Major opera house in downtown Toronto, opened in 2006. Home to the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet of Canada, noted for contemporary design, advanced stage technology an…

Fourth wall: concept, uses, and breaking the narrative boundary Fourth wall The fourth wall is the imagined barrier between a work of fiction and its audience. This article explains its meaning, history, forms, and how creators intentionally break it in th…

Francesca Annis: English stage, television and film actress Francesca Annis English actress Francesca Annis (born 1945) has had a long career on stage, television and film—notable credits include Lillie, Wives and Daughters, Krull and Dune. She received be…

Frank Finlay (English stage, film and television actor) Frank Finlay English character actor Frank Finlay (1926–2016), CBE and BAFTA winner, noted for his Oscar‑nominated Iago in the 1965 film Othello and a long career on stage, screen and televisio…

Friar Laurence (character in Romeo and Juliet) Friar Laurence Friar Laurence is the cleric and confidant who marries Romeo and Juliet, devises the sleeping‑potion plan, and embodies the play's moral complexity and tragic consequences.

Geraldine James English stage and screen actress born in Berkshire (1950), known for classical theatre, television drama and film work including a Broadway Portia and the movie Diana (2013).

Gertrude Lawrence: English stage actress and musical theatre star Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (1898–1952) was an English stage actress, singer and dancer who became a leading figure in West End and Broadway musicals, best known for The King and I and her f…

Gina McKee — English actress known for stage and screen work Gina McKee Gina McKee (born 14 April 1964) is an English actress with a long career in television, film and theatre, noted for award-winning dramatic performances and roles in major British p…

Glenn Close: Career and Contributions in Stage, Film, and Television Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress whose long career includes acclaimed stage performances and memorable screen roles. This article outlines her work, approac…

Globe Theatre — Shakespeare's London playhouse Globe Theatre Historic Elizabethan playhouse on London's Bankside associated with William Shakespeare; notable for its open-air design, thrust stage, 1599 origins, 1613 fire, and later reconstru…

Glynis Johns: British actress, singer and Tony-winning stage performer Glynis Johns Profile of Glynis Johns (born 5 October 1923), the British actress, dancer, pianist and singer known for A Little Night Music and Mary Poppins, with career overview, style and nota…

Goodman Theatre (Chicago) Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is Chicago's oldest active nonprofit theatre company, based in the Loop and occupying part of the landmark Harris and Selwyn Theaters. It stages new plays and class…

Grauman's Chinese Theatre (TCL Chinese Theatre) Grauman's Chinese Theatre Historic Hollywood movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard noted for its Chinese-inspired architecture, celebrity handprints in concrete, film premieres, and role as a major tourist la…

Grease (musical) A 1971 rock-and-roll stage musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, set at fictional Rydell High in 1959. Known for its 1950s-inspired score, youth themes and the 1978 film adaptati…

Greek Chorus: Role, Structure, and Historical Development Greek chorus The Greek chorus was a group of performers in ancient drama who sang, danced and commented on the action. This article outlines its functions, composition, performance practice, hi…

Guildhall School of Music and Drama — London conservatoire and drama school Guildhall School of Music and Drama A leading conservatoire and drama school in London, founded in 1880, offering performance, technical and production training across music, opera, drama, stage management and techni…

Guys and Dolls A classic American musical (1950) by Frank Loesser with a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on Damon Runyon stories; known for its songs, Runyonesque style, film adaptatio…

Hair (musical): the 1960s rock-stage phenomenon Hair (musical) Hair is a groundbreaking late-1960s rock musical by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot that brought counterculture themes, hit songs and controversial staging to mainstrea…

Hamilton (musical) Hamilton is a sung-through Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda that reimagines the life of Alexander Hamilton through hip‑hop, R&B, and traditional musical theatre forms.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark — Shakespeare's Tragic Play Hamlet Overview of Shakespeare's Hamlet: plot, main characters, composition, themes, performance history and lasting influence, including key features and distinctions.

Hand2Mouth Theatre Hand2Mouth Theatre is a Portland, Oregon ensemble that creates collaboratively devised performances, emphasizing physical action, collective authorship, and experimental staging ov…

Harvey Fierstein: actor, playwright, and gay-rights advocate Harvey Fierstein Overview of Harvey Fierstein’s life and career: his theater work, notable roles (including voice work in Mulan), awards, activism, and influence on American musical theatre and LGB…

Heel (professional wrestling): the role of the 'bad guy' in sports entertainment Heel (professional wrestling) A heel is a professional wrestling character who plays the antagonist, provoking crowd anger to enhance storytelling. This article explains traits, tactics, history, cultural varia…

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts Historic performing arts center in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Converted from a 1927 movie palace and reopened in 1971, Heinz Hall is home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra…

Henrik Ibsen: Norwegian Playwright and Father of Modern Drama Henrik Ibsen Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) reshaped modern theatre with realist and psychological dramas that exposed social hypocrisy, individual conflicts, and changing moral…

Henry V (play) A history play by William Shakespeare about King Henry V’s campaign in France, famous for the Agincourt episode, its Chorus, stirring speeches and later film adaptations by Olivier…

Henry VIII (play) A history play traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare that dramatizes events from the reign of King Henry VIII; noted for its spectacle, sources in Holinshed and Foxe, and…

High comedy High comedy is humor rooted in wit, verbal dexterity and social satire rather than physical gags; it appears in plays, fiction and film that prize clever dialogue and intellectual…

Homa Rousta: Iranian stage and film actress (1946–2015) Homa Rousta Homa Rousta (1946–2015) was an Iranian stage and film actress trained in Bucharest, noted for nuanced performances in Report on a Murder, The Little Bird of Happiness, Travellers a…

Home theater A home theater recreates the cinema experience at home using large displays or projectors, multi-channel audio, acoustic treatment, controlled lighting and source devices for movie…

Hope Lange: American actress in film, stage and television Hope Lange Overview of Hope Lange (1933–2003), her career across film, stage and television, major roles and awards, and notes on her life and death.

Impresario: organizer and producer in the performing arts Impresario An impresario organizes and finances performances—concerts, operas, ballets, and plays—combining artistic direction, business management and promotion to shape cultural life and in…

In the Heights — musical about community, identity, and Washington Heights In the Heights A contemporary musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda set in Washington Heights, exploring family, aspiration and immigrant life; premiered on Broadway in 2008 and adapted as a 2021 film.

Intermission (performance break) Intermission An intermission (or interval) is a scheduled break within a staged performance or long presentation, providing rest, scene changes, and time for audience refreshment and venue serv…

Internet Broadway Database A searchable, League-operated online reference documenting productions, personnel, theatres and basic production data for Broadway theatre in New York City.

Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri Iolanthe A comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered at the Savoy Theatre in 1882. A satire mixing fairyland and the British House of Peers, notable for its wit, ensembles and long-…

Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell — Keith Waterhouse's play about a columnist Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell A dramatization by Keith Waterhouse about journalist Jeffrey Bernard, first staged in the West End in 1989; noted for its pub setting, monologue style and performances by Peter O'T…

Jennifer Ehle: British–American Actress Known for Stage and Screen Jennifer Ehle Profile of Jennifer Ehle, a British–American actress celebrated for her role as Elizabeth Bennet and for award-winning stage work including two Tony Awards and a BAFTA.

Jessica (given name) Jessica Jessica is an English-language feminine given name first recorded in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice; widely used with many diminutives, variants, and cultural associations.

Jester: history, dress, role and cultural legacy Jester A jester (fool) is a historical entertainer known for colorful dress, comic performance and a special social role in courts and communities. This article covers appearance, origins…

The Joffrey Ballet Joffrey Ballet A leading American dance company founded in 1956, known for blending classical ballet and contemporary works, based in Chicago with a history of touring, commissioning new choreogr…