Glossary – By Letter

W-DMX
Wireless DMX Protocol. 

WAGON
(also known as TRUCK). A large wheeled platform which can be moved around the stage either manually by crew or by a scenic automation system. See also WAGON STAGE.

WAGON STAGE
Mechanised stage where the scenery is moved into position on large sliding trucks (wagons) as wide as the proscenium opening, from storage in large areas to the side and rear of the main stage. This system enables incredibly complex and otherwise time-consuming scene changes to occur almost instantly.
The Royal Opera House in London contains a massive series of lifts and platforms which enable the complex programme of multiple performances in the repertoire to be interchanged seamlessly.
See also REVOLVE, JACKKNIFE STAGE.
Royal Opera House on Theatrecrafts.com

WAH
(UK - Health & Safety) Abbreviation for Working at Height. Specifically refers to the Work at Height Regulations 2005. 
HSE Work at Height Website

WALK THROUGH
Session on stage just after the set has been built (or reassembled) when actors and crew can go through moves to ensure all is as it should be, and to identify any problems before the performance. Particularly applies to opera performances in rep when sets are reassembled and struck daily.
See also RUN-THROUGH (where the actors perform at show speed, but may not necessarily involve the set or other technical elements). 

WALK-ON
A small acting role with no lines. Also known as SPEAR CARRIER or EXTRA. 

WALKER
A member of the (usually) stage management team who walks around the stage on the request of the lighting designer to enable them to see how the lighting coverage is looking. It's a common mistake to focus lighting on the stage floor rather than on the performers faces, so using a walker means they can check for lighting dips. 

WALKIE TALKIE
A portable two way radio, usually equipped with rechargable batteries and a protective case, and sometimes with a headset for hands-free operation. 
Some walkie talkies require licensing, so check local regulations. 

WALLA
General background hubbub sound effect - named after the sound actors make to create the effect.

WANDELPROBE
(German for change rehearsal).Similar to SITZPROBE, the Wandelprobe is a rehearsal with full orchestra, and minor blocking (but not a full tech rehearsal).

WARDROBE
The general name for the costume department, its staff and the accommodation they occupy.
German: Kleiderschrank

WARDROBE PLOT
Actor-by-actor, scene-by-scene inventory of all the costumes in a production, with a detailed breakdown into every separate item in each costume.

WARM-UP
The Warm-Up prepares the actor's body for the performance by exercising (literally warming up) muscles, stretching limbs, and getting the cast to focus on the performance and to forget about anything outside the walls of the theatre.

WARN
US equivalent of the UK's 'standby' for stage manager's cues. (e.g. 'Warn Light cue 12'?.'Light cue 12 GO')

WARP
1) (Trade name: ADB) The first zoom profile spotlight with ring control and 4 framing shutters which are fully rotatable.
2) "Warp and Weft" refers to the threads in a piece of fabric, or the fabric itself.
ADB lighting website

WASH
1) A lighting cover over the whole stage (e.g. 'We'll use the red wash for the hell scene'), usually from multiple sources. If this is the main lighting for the show, it's called the GENERAL COVER. 
2) A lantern which produces a large spread of softly focussed light, especially with moving lights (e.g. the VL4 and Mac 600 are wash luminaires). See also SPOT.
Designing and Focussing a General Cover

WATER CRACKER*
Device which produces a thin haze in the air by 'cracking' water droplets.

WATTAGE
See WATTS.

WATTS
Unit of electrical power derived from the current (or 'quantity' of electricity) multipled by the voltage (or 'pressure' at which the current is delivered). Stage lighting equipment is rated in Watts (or Kilowatts - 1kW being equal to 1000W). This refers to the amount of power required to light the lamp. A higher wattage lamp requires more power and gives a brighter light output.

WAVE
Uncompressed audio format used on Windows computer systems, defined by IBM and Microsoft.
File extension: .WAV

WAVELENGTH
The distance from one point on a vibrating wave to the same point on the next wave. The lengths of the sound waves (wavelengths) we can hear range from one inch to 40 feet. High frequency sounds have short wavelengths (and are more directional), low frequency sounds have long wavelengths (and are less directional). In lighting terms, blue light is short wavelength, green is medium and red is long wavelength. Beyond visible light are the short wavelength Ultra Violet light and the long wavelength Infra Red light. Wavelengths of light are measured in Angstroms.
See also FREQUENCY.

WEDGE
A wedge-shaped foldback speaker. Angled so that it can sit on the stage floor and point up at musicians/cast.

WEIGHT
See Counterweight and Brace Weight. Also, instruction given to rookie stage crew on errand to hardware supplier ; 'Go and get me a long weight'.

WELL-MADE PLAY
The well-made play (French: la pièce bien faite) is a dramatic genre from the nineteenth-century theatre which provides a rigid form of construction for the way the plot evolves and develops.
Wikipedia entry
E-Notes on Well-Made Play

WENDY LIGHT
(Film Lighting) Array of Fay lights (14 x 14) used on a crane or cherry-picker to provide a high intensity long-throw light source for night shoots. Invented by cinematographer David Watkin, and named Wendy at his suggestion. 

WEST COAST
(US) In theatres with reduced flying height, West Coasting is the act of bundling up a cloth or backdrop and tying it to a flying bar during a scene change so that it can be flown out of sight. Believed to originate on the west coast of the US, where rapid expansion of variety theatres with low fly towers meant this technique was universal.

WET
1) See DRY (Sound)
2) See TECH (Wet Tech).

WET BLENDING
A painting technique for combining two colours into a subtle blend, used to create shadow or shading effects. The first colour is applied, then immediately the second colour is applied on top, before the first has dried. The brush is then used to blend the colours together as desired.

WET TECH
See TECHNICAL REHEARSAL.

WHALER
A low-profile steel stiffener for steel-framed scenic flats.
See also Hogs Trough. 

WHAM / W.H.A.M.
Abbreviation for Wigs, Hair and Make-Up Department, usually in the TV/Film industry. 

WHIP
To apply whipping twine to the ends of a rope to prevent it unlaying.
Also, in rigging, a WHIP is a single line over a single sheave used as a handling aid.
Submitted by Chris Higgs

WHISTLE
Backstage whistles were originally used to give instructions to the sailors who (because they knew the best knots) had the job of operating the theatre's flying system. Nowadays, whistling is forbidden backstage because it might result in a lost sailor cutting a rope and dropping something on somebody. See Superstition.

WHITE CARD
IATSE Scheme in the USA where a touring theatre or dance company would send their local wardrobe crew requirements to the next venues on a tour, to ensure there were enough union staff available to run the show. 
The scheme was originally based on physical cards, but converted to an electronic system in 2013.
See also Yellow Card. 
White Card Forms on IATSE website

WHITE GLOVE
A role is said to be 'white glove' if the person is not required or expected to help with setting up equipment, only in the operation of it. 

WHITE NOISE
A signal consisting of random frequencies at a uniform intensity. Used for audio system testing and also to signify overload or the static present on an untuned TV. See also PINK NOISE.

WHITWORTH
Pre-metric standard thread for bolts and associated fittings in the UK. (Pre 1972)

WHSM
(Australia) Abbreviation for Work Health & Safety Management. 
Workplace Health and Safety Management System

WIGGLY MIRRORS
Colloquial term for so-called 'Intelligent' lights with moving mirrors. Also known as WAGGLY MIRROR. 

WIGS
The provision of wigs is normally part of the WARDROBE department in smaller organisations. However, larger organisations (touring opera companies etc.) will have a separate wigs department.

WILD WALL
(Film-making) A piece of scenery (e.g. a wall in a room) which can be removed to allow performers or equipment to pass through it, either during scene changes or as part of a sequence. In film production, sets have to be flexible to allow crew members and large cameras to film in areas formerly occupied by scenery, especially if it's a small room set. 
Some theatrical productions use the same techniques to enable illusions or sudden appearances / disappearances, or to enable crew to do scene changes in seemingly closed locations. 

WILL CALL
(Especially USA) Box Office or Ticket Booth at an event where you collect previously ordered tickets for that event, on the day of the event. Ensure you take relevant forms of ID so that the staff are able to release the tickets to you. 
Formerly known in the UK as COBO (or Care Of Box Office). 

WINCH
A mechanical or motorised device for hauling a heavy load horizontally or up an incline. 
A HOIST is used to lift a load vertically.

WING AND DROP SET
A set consisting of painted backdrop and accompanying painted wing curtains. When the location changes, both the backdrop and set of wings are flown out and replaced with another set. This is common in opera, ballet and (UK) pantomime performances.

WING FLATS
Flats which mask the entrances at the sides of the stage (wings).

WING SPACE
The distance between the edge of the performance space that the audience can see, and the wall of the theatre. A lot can be achieved with very narrow wing space, with careful planning and well choreographed stage management team, but you need at least 12 feet to make things possible, and a lot more than that if there are large set pieces to move. 

In the London production of Sunset Boulevard, a car had to appear from the stage right wing, and as the theatre didn't have enough space, the car had to be stored hanging vertically from the fly floor above. It was winched down into position, with its' rear wheels still in the air, and the actors stepped into it. As the front of the car moved on stage, the rear was able to be fully lowered into position, and the audience were unaware of the complexities. 

WINGS
1) The out of view areas to the sides of the acting area (known as FLÜGEL in German). The wings are best identified by their position on stage (e.g. "Clive exits through the downstage left wing") but they can be identified by number if there are too many exits, with the downstage wing starting as 1, with stage left and right added to identify the side (e.g. "Sarah exits 2L").
[French: les coulisses]
2) Scenery standing where the acting area joins these technical areas.

WIPE
Single curtain moving across the stage on a single track (wipe track) rather than paired curtains on a tab track.

WIRE ROPE
Fine steel wires woven into a rope to give great strength. A kink or a knot in wire rope greatly reduces the strength.

WIRELESS DMX
A way of transmitting DMX data from a lighting control to lighting instruments without cabling. Ideal for events and short-run shows, but in large spaces where radio microphones and lots of audience members with mobile devices also using wifi, the technology is not reliable enough for permanent installation, especially where it is going to ruin the show if a fixture suddenly stops working or turns on at full when it should be off, when it loses data. The transmitter is connected to the lighting control desk by DMX cable or by ArtNet / SACN. Some equipment is now manufactured with wireless DMX capability built-in. The time saved can be very significant, especially for outdoor, battery-powered (rechargable) fixtures, which may be used to light trees / shrubbery for an event. The equipment can be set up and operational in minutes rather than the hours it would take to run in DMX cabling safely.

WLL
(UK - Health & Safety) Abbreviation for Working Load Limit - the maximum weight that lifting equipment can carry, when used correctly, without fear of breaking. 
See also SWL, which WLL has now replaced. 

WOOD'S LIGHT
Another name for Ultraviolet light, produced using a discharge lamp inside an envelope of intensely pigmented glass known as Wood's Glass. It was invented in 1903 by American physicist Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955) and allows ultraviolet and infrared light to pass through it while blocking most visible light. It was developed as a filter to use for communications during World War I. 

WOOFER
Part of a speaker system designed to handle the low frequency parts of the signal.

WORKING DRAWINGS
Plans from which carpenters and other technicians can build the scenery.

WORKING LIGHTS
1) High-brightness efficient non-dimmable lights used in a venue when the stage / auditorium lighting is not on. Used for rehearsals, fit-up, strike and resetting. The working lights are often controllable from a number of locations around the stage, including at prompt corner. As the working lights are on during rehearsals, set sessions, and during the day, they should be efficient light sources (e.g. LED or discharge lamps) rather than older types of lamp which are high-wattage. An instruction to 'Kill the Workers' solely means to turn the working lights off, rather than something more sinister. 
German: arbeitslicht
Some venues have an additional type of light source on stage solely for rehearsals, which may be less bright / intense, and more directed towards stage level rather than up the walls - these are sometimes known as Rehearsal Lights
German: probenlicht
2) Low wattage blue lights used to illuminate offstage obstacles and props tables etc. Known as 'Wing Workers', 'Blues' or 'Running Lights'.

WORKING REHEARSAL
1) A rehearsal where the performance is worked on by the actors on stage and the director in the auditorium, giving very occasional direction and notes and solving issues as it progresses. There may not be any technical elements on stage - this is a rehearsal for the actors - they know their lines, they know the blocking, they are running the performance to find nuances of character, or to problem-solve. 
2) A rehearsal which has a small audience watching it. While on tour, a group of supporters or sponsors may be invited to a rehearsal as a way of giving them exclusive access. Some dance companies (e.g. American Ballet Theatre) have a programme of working rehearsals where anyone can buy a ticket to watch part of a performance (not usually a dress rehearsal, but a rehearsal for the dancers rather than the technicians). These are sometimes accompanied by a narration on headsets where a guide explains the process, talks about the history of the art-form, choreography and dancers.

WORKSHOP PERFORMANCE
A cut-down performance with minimal technical elements, but actors who are rehearsed and may be off-book.
A workshop performance can be used to get a piece of text on its' feet, to see if it works, or to show potential funders the bare-bones of the show in the hope of attracting financial support.
See also Rehearsed Reading, Work in Progress. 

WORKSTATION
1) A PC and Monitor.
2) A synthesiser keyboard which also contains a sequencer and other MIDI software.

WRAP
1) Rigging term: To wrap a beam or truss with a sling, or the short sling used for so doing, e.g. a 'truss wrap' is used to wrap a truss.
2) In film and television production, the end of a day's work or session, OR the end of the project for either an individual performer, or everyone. For example 'That's a wrap for John Brown! Thanks for your work John'. Often followed by a Wrap Party. This event should be attended by as many people involved in the project / show, so should not happen while the crew are clearing up / getting out. 
Submitted by Chris Higgs

WRENCH
American for SPANNER.

WYSIWYG
Acronym of 'What You See Is What You Get'. Mainly used in the context of a software tool for lighting design and production administration. Capable of stunning 3D rendering of lighting states, and direct connection to a lighting control desk. Enables accurate pre-visualisation of lighting designs and greatly increases the understanding between director / producer and lighting / scenic designer in the early stages of a production.
WYSIWYG product details