Table work is a theatrical term describing the rehearsal

Rehearsal

For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...

 time, usually in the first week of a production's preliminary work. Table work is spent around a table discussing the play, its themes, social relevance and other topics. Table work is carried out before actually getting up and acting the play out and is a very imagination-centered activity.

The entire ensemble (actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

s and directors, assistant directors, stage managers, dramaturge

Dramaturge

A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...

s and others) will go through the script exploring inspirations and revelations. The words of the playwright

Playwright

A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

and various possibilities of meaning are discussed. Decisions about the characters and their relationships move to define the world of the play that will be produced. How the play's themes relate to the present world and discussions the minutia of stress and punctuation within the lines are also covered.