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Glite Dictionary
🚗 Gear lever 🎭 Stage worker
shifter

shifter

1 8.3
A person who moves scenery and props during a play
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɪftər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : cambiador
  • There are three orders of djinns: flyers, walkers, and divers; they are shape-shifters and, like human beings, are divided into servants of God and servants of Iblis, the demon lord.

Examples

  • The push-button transmission was an idea floated in a focus group I participated in; quite a few of us on the scene feel that you've no need of a shifter in an EV.

    Blog text (6)

  • Plus, it's not cool to put the gear shifter in the way of the AC.

    Blog text (14)

  • Called him a "shape-shifter."

    Man-Thing (2005)

  • During the play, the shifter quietly moved the backdrop to reveal a beautiful forest scene.

  • As the curtain fell, the shifter swiftly rearranged the props for the next act.

  • The director praised the shifter for expertly changing the set between scenes without disrupting the performance.

Synonyms

stagehand
vsshifter
  • Specialized
14 3.7

A person who moves scenery, handles props, and works lights and sound during a show

focuses only on moving scenery, not on props or equipment
sceneshifter
vsshifter
  • Specialized
8.6

A person who moves scenery on stage

is the same role but named in a shorter written form

Surface Forms

shifter singular
shifters plural

Morphology

shifter = shift (transparent) = shift + er

Standard agentive formation: 'shift' + '-er' yields 'one who shifts (scenery)'.

Etymology

Shifter comes from the verb shift meaning 'to move or change' and the ending -er meaning 'one who does something'. So a shifter in theatre is a person who moves the scenery during a show.