Theatrics is loud, exaggerated behaviour that is done to be noticed. Someone shouting, waving their arms, storming out of a room, crying at exactly the right moment — if you feel it is performed rather than real, you can call it theatrics. The word almost always carries a small sting: you are saying the person is acting, and that the show is bigger than the feeling behind it.

It is a plural-looking noun, and it usually appears with a plural verb: 'his theatrics were embarrassing'. You will see it a lot in political writing ('courtroom theatrics', 'the theatrics of the debate') and in sport, where a player rolls on the ground to win a foul. People also say a phrase like 'enough of the theatrics' when they want someone to stop performing and get to the point.

There is a second, older and completely neutral use: theatrics can simply mean the art and craft of putting on plays — lighting, staging, performance. That use is now rare, and if you meet the word today it is nearly always the critical one. Note the family resemblance to hysterics and dramatics; dramatics in particular is used almost identically.