As an acting major in high school and a musical theatre major in college, I have realized, along with every other artist, that there are phrases we use on a daily basis that if said to a non-artist, they would probably laugh and have no clue what it means. So I thought I would share the "Top Ten Phrases That Only Artists Understand."

10. "Thank You, Five"

No, we are not "thanking" the number 5. When the director or someone else who is in charge of the work says something along the lines of "you have a five-minute break", everyone replies immediately "thank you, five" letting them know we have acknowledged and know we need to be back in five minutes ready to go. Many people may feel the same way Dwight from The Office feels when saying thank you because they need a break so badly and they thought would never come.

9. "Find Your Lights"

To many, this may be confusing. To performing artists, this means not just "doing" the steps while dancing, it means doing the steps with a "performance face" that is smiling, or whatever the dance calls for. But PLEASE do not go overboard and put on "too much" lights!

8. "The House Is Full"

No, not your home you live in... the theater. When someone says "the house is full" that means the show is sold out and there is not one seat empty. To some this may be the best news they have ever heard... and to some, this is the scariest thing they have ever heard.

7. "Striking"

To the performing artist, this means that something is being removed from the stage. Whether it be a set piece, prop, or anything else. And let me tell you...when someone is asked and be assigned to strike something I think this is a pretty good representation of how they feel.

6. "Stage Right" Is Left And "Stage Left" Is Right

Ok, as a Dyslexic this can definitely get confusing to me as I'm sure it is to the non-artist. To basically explain: "Stage Right" is left because when you are on stage you are facing the opposite way of the audience. So everything that is right to the audience is actually left to you. So when you are on stage "Stage Left" is right because to the audience its right, however to you, when on stage, it is left. Am I just confusing you more?

5. "Vocal Rest"

To the non-artist, this may just be a "whatever" kind of thing. To the performer, this is one of the scariest things ever. "Vocal Rest" is when something is not okay with your voice and so you have to rest it. Many times you will go on vocal rest because you lost your voice. The more you try and talk, the longer it will take for your voice to come back. As a performer... WE NEED OUR VOICES! So if you see someone who is a performer and they are not talking to you or anyone... don't make them speak... they could be on vocal rest and they might be feeling like this:

4. "Feel/Send The Breath To Your Legs, Arms..."

This one is a hard one to explain. Breath is so important to a performer. We will have so many exercises where we may be lying on the floor and sending breath to all different parts of your bodies. "How do you send breath to your legs?" you may ask. While I can't really answer that question, what I can tell you is not much other than... practice. You try it, lie on the floor and try to send the breath to different parts of your body.

3. "Marking It"

To the performer, this means they are going through their steps, blocking, or whatever it is that moves them. They don't go full out. They just go through the steps quickly to make sure they know they have it and they know where they have to be when.

2. "Call Time"

Call time is simple. Every person that has to do with a show has a "call time" that requires them to get to the theater/place a certain amount of time before the performance, shoot, etc. is supposed to start. "Call Time" is for a few reasons. Basics include making sure everyone is there, having time to get into costume and makeup, and so much more. But most of all, they are ready to go when the lights go on and curtain comes up! "If you're early you're on time and if you're on time you're late".

1. "Off Book"

To a performer, the first time off book is probably one of the scariest things ever. Usually, there is a date where everyone has to be "off book" which means everyone has to have their lines memorized with no help from off stage.

I hope this article helped you understand more about the language we artists speak. While there are tons more, these are just some of the most common.