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to where they are supposed to be situated. The role of the souffleur, or prompter, reaches back to the medieval theater, but has disappeared in countries like
Britain, the United States, France, and Italy. In these places, actors are expected to assist each other in case they forget their lines.
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However, in
Germany and central Europe, the job of the prompter is still very much alive and integral to the repertory system. This is because multiple plays are performed in rotation each week, making it challenging for actors to memorize all their lines.
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139:. If prompting is absolutely necessary, it is done very quietly by another actor on-stage or the conductor of the pit orchestra.
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notes, so that the prompt is always aware of the intended positions and movements of all the actors on stage at any given time.
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70:. This is the most definitive version of the script for any one performance, and will contain details of all
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In
Elizabethan theatre the function of prompting was filled by the Book-Holder, who was also in charge of
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115:(1838–1905), in which he experimented with using limelight (white-hot calcium oxide) to represent the
74:, with their precise timings with respect to the action on stage. This allows the prompt to direct
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371:. Translated by Shantz, Christine. Toronto and Buffalo: University of Toronto Press.
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effects and scene changes during a show. The prompt book also often contains
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to instruct actors if they forget a line or movement, only during a
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In theatres without prompters, their role is undertaken by the
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369:
Dictionary of the
Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis
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when they forget their lines or neglect to move on the
302:(2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
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393:(3rd ed.). Harmondsworth, UK: Puffin Books.
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64:, who will have a copy of the script called the
327:The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance
131:productions, the prompt is never used during a
298:Hartnoll, Phyllis; Found, Peter, eds. (1996).
297:
281:
300:The concise Oxford companion to the theatre
230:"The Medieval Prompter: A Reinterpretation"
142:The prompt is located on the stage, in the
346:"Meet the secret heroes of German theatre"
343:
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105:The prompt book from an 1874 staging of
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344:Oltermann, Philip (26 September 2023).
325:Kennedy, Dennis, ed. (26 August 2010).
324:
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19:For the related function in opera, see
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385:
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215:
391:The Penguin Dictionary of the Theatre
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308:10.1093/acref/9780192825742.001.0001
329:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
16:A person who prompts or cues actors
13:
14:
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97:A 19th-century prompter at work.
48:is a person who prompts or cues
32:A prompter with his script, 1936
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1:
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111:by English actor and manager
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228:Tribby, William L. (1964).
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282:Hartnoll & Found 1996
246:10.1017/S004055740000692X
117:ghost of Hamlet’s father
430:Theatrical occupations
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387:Taylor, John Russell
218:, pp. 253–254.
146:or "prompt side".
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420:Stage terminology
400:978-0-14-051287-8
378:978-0-8020-8163-6
336:978-0-19-957419-3
317:978-0-19-282574-2
129:community theatre
127:and high-quality
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355:28 September
353:. Retrieved
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240:(1): 71–78.
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192:Kennedy 2010
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125:professional
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113:Henry Irving
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216:Taylor 1993
153:and calls.
133:performance
67:prompt book
40:(sometimes
425:Stagecraft
414:Categories
204:Pavis 1998
175:References
254:0040-5574
137:rehearsal
389:(1993).
367:(1998).
169:Subtitle
158:See also
123:In some
88:blocking
76:lighting
38:prompter
291:Sources
46:theatre
44:) in a
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252:
108:Hamlet
84:flying
50:actors
42:prompt
151:props
80:sound
54:stage
395:ISBN
373:ISBN
357:2023
331:ISBN
312:ISBN
250:ISSN
72:cues
36:The
304:doi
242:doi
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