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Clumpage

An unsightly concentration of people in one location that leads to visual confusion or consternation, from the original "clump" signifying things sticking together in a messy or problematic way. Used to suggest an appalling lack of spatial awareness. The word is typically used by highly educated and well-trained theatre directors in contemporary musical theatre productions staged in Shellharbour to signal when cast are engaged in perpetrating an unspeakable visual assault upon the sense of an audience by sticking too closely to one another, rather than spreading out to fill a stage, space or set.

The first use of the word was observed in the ancient writings of theatrical mystic Nora Honeyharn in her 12th century text, "Ten Fundamentals in the Rules of Blocking". It became common usage during amateur theatre productions of Les Miserables in which whole choruses are routinely found to engage in merciless clump age, usually while "marching" backwards and forwards and holding flags.

Clumpage is widely considered the root of all theatrical evil.

"Spread out and stop that clumpage."

by Nora Honeyharn November 10, 2013