Improv Terms

Accepting: Embracing the offers made by other performers in order to advance the scene
Ad lib: to make up lines as you go along
Advancing: the process of moving a scene forward
Blocking: the choreographed movement of actors on stage or on a film set
Context: the broader setting for the scene
Cue: the line or action that triggers another line or action
Denial: rejecting ideas or information from another player, a common problem experienced by students new to improv
Focus: the concept of guiding the attention of the players and audience to a particular place or person at a given moment
Fourth Wall: the imaginary barrier separating the actors from the audience
Gestures: movements of the hands to communicate ideas, express emotions, or indicate direction
Improvisation: (often shortened to just "improv") to make up as you go along; unscripted
Mark: a spot on stage or on set an actor must stop at or look toward
Pantomime: to pretend to use objects by using gestures to express meaning
Plateau: a period in which the scene is not advancing; a plateau that lasts too long is bad and will kill audience interest
Profile: the side of a face
Projection: controlling the voice in such a way that all members of an audience may hear
Props: objects used by an actor on stage
Spontaneity: a free, direct, and immediate response to an experience