This art form is live, ephemeral, collaborative, a synthesis of many other art forms; a mirror of life that is not necessarily an exact replica of the “real” world.

A theatrical convention of realism, this is an invisible wall separating the stage from the spectators.

These are accepted codes of communication and interaction between performers and spectators for the duration of a performance that enhance storytelling.

A tradition of indigenous performance that evolved in Mesoamerica as a form of resistance during the colonial era; characterized by a precise representation of local color, costumes, and dialects.

The performer’s attempt to exploit the capacity of the spectator to identify emotionally with a character through a recognition of similarity.

This is a euro-centric theatrical tradition based on a written text, meant to be reinterpreted by different artists at different times and in different places.

This is any theatrical tradition that preserves conventions of staging, music, dance, masks, and acting/characterizations passed down orally, generation-to-generation, rooted in the belief systems of tightly-knit communities.

This type of dramatic structure has a main plot and several subplots; many characters; ranges over several different locations and time frames, such as weeks, months or years.

This is a configuration of a theatre space where audience members sit on three sides of the stage that is a raised platform.

These are six forces underlying the diversity of today’s theatre.

The performer’s attempt to exploit the capacity of the spectator to relate to the characters and situations on stage as different from themselves.

This is a late-20th century concept without a single definition. Generally, it argues that past truths are constructions by a dominant culture; it invites and opens up the possibility of new and equally valid forms of artistic expression.

This is a style of theatre where the stage world is presented as a believable, alternate reality; where things happen much as they would in life and people behave in seemingly natural ways.