Line up at a theater after each show if you want to get your playbill signed; just be sure to leave promptly after final bows have taken place and not hang around too long!
Many performers believe there are theatre fairies who enjoy playing jokes. Therefore, it would be unwise to wish an actor “break a leg” rather than expecting them to have “good luck.”
What is a line?
A line is defined as an infinitely long straight path extending in two opposite directions with no endpoints and without endpoints; we often think of them as “infinite.” Lines can be found everywhere around us in daily life – including railway tracks and freeways; they’re even drawn with pencil and pen every day! In mathematics, however, lines are defined by an infinite set of points extending into both directions, which are known as vectors.
Collinear lines occur when two points at an equal distance along a straight path are evenly spaced from one another, such as railway tracks or stacks of identical books.
There are various kinds of lines. Parallel lines may run parallel or perpendicular to one another; there are also intersecting and parallel lines, which all represent variations of basic line shapes. Each type of line possesses its own set of properties: some are smooth, while others are curvier. Lines can be used to create forms, patterns, textures, space movements, and optical illusions as part of design projects.
Theater professionals define “a line” as an imaginary boundary that actors should not cross when waiting to go onstage. A line may be marked on the floor of the rehearsal space or stage using chalk; any actor who travels beyond it is considered to have broken the fourth wall and no longer acting within character.
A line can also refer to a signal sent by the stage manager to one or more technical departments for specific tasks, such as lighting, fly, or sound cues. These signals are often abbreviated as LX, FLY, and SD, respectively, by stage managers.
A line can also refer to an imaginary or real path that runs downstage center in a stage space. This line is commonly known as the Downstage Centre (DSC) or Upstage Centre (USC) and is sometimes known in the US as the House Centre line. DSC and USC lines can often be found marked on stage ground plans for easy reference when designing sets; also, chalked snap lines in rehearsal spaces often feature these marks with single uppercase letter names that are readily identifiable on set blueprints.
What happens if you’re in a line?
Theaters typically open their doors half an hour prior to showtime for ticket holders to settle in, purchase merchandise, and use the bathroom. People without tickets often find an unorganized line outside. To be safe, it is a good idea to ask uniformed theater employees which queue is best suited to you; alternatively, if traveling with a group, consider volunteering to stand in the concession line so everyone orders their refreshments simultaneously and one person doesn’t slow the line down too much.
