Welcome to StageBrace.com, a comprehensive, illustrated, educational online glossary of staging terms for students of Design for Stage and Screen.

This glossary of terms is based on references from Ireland and also includes UK and USA term variations. StageBrace aims to be a learner friendly on-line, versatile resource for students with different ways of learning. StageBrace addresses the different forms of learning by offering several ways of exploring its growing database.

Each definition is presented with an appropriate illustration, photographic and/or schematic. Where appropriate, there is also an image of a virtual theatre model with the term in question highlighted. For some definitions there is the option of watching a video and listening to a commentary which supports the explanation of the term. Any other terminology used within a definition is highlighted and links to a definition of its own.

All material presented on stagebrace is free and available to be quoted, provided acknowledgment is duly given in your reference (see ‘how to cite’). If quoting a definition directly or re-producing any of the photographs, illustrations or videos contained within, we ask that you cite StageBrace.com as the source of the reference.

Our Goal

A Theatre Stage, Film Sound Stage and/or a TV Studio, is a complex, busy and potentially dangerous space, it is therefore not always possible for Students of  Design for Stage and Screen, Scenography, Technical Theatre or other interested learners to get a backstage technical tour to see the workings of a theatre stage, film sound stage of TV studio

Whilst there are numerous text books on the subject as well as online resources they may not present this content in a manner which is structured to meet the varying requirements of students today.

Our goal is to create a comprehensive resource that students can access on the fly or study at leisure

How it works

If you wish to find a definition for a specific word or phrase please enter it in the search box and click “search”. The StageBrace search window will offer the definition and/or a choice of definitions if the word or phrase is found within another term in the database.

Alternatively you may browse the database alphabetically by selecting the appropriate first-letter of the term, clicking on it and selecting from the range of terms presented.

We would like to thank the Abbey Theatre, www.abbeytheatre.ie RTE Television www.rte.ie/tv and – https://haycom.eu/ for facilitating us on this project – Patrick Molloy and Alan Farquharson