Musical Theater Terms

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musical

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A theatrical show that uses a combination of spoken dialogue and song in its core storytelling.

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lyrics

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The words in a song.

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book

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The "play" part of a musical script, including the story, dialogue, and action but not the songs.

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libretto

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The combined book and lyrics that make up the script.

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score

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The songs in a musical.

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lyricist

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The person who writes the song lyrics.

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composer

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Definition: The person who writes the music.

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bookwriter

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Definition: The person who writes the book.

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director

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Definition: The person who leads and interweaves all the aspects of the production.

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music director

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Definition: The person who teaches the music to the actors and musicians and leads the musical elements of the production.