Proscenium stage Since the
Italian Renaissance, the most common stage used in the West has been the proscenium stage which may also be referred to as a
picture frame stage. The primary feature is a large opening known as the
proscenium arch through which the audience views the performance. The audience directly faces the stage—which is typically raised several feet above front row audience level—and views only one side of the scene. This one side is commonly known as the invisible
fourth wall of the scene. The proscenium arch evolved from the in Ancient Greek theaters. This was the space in front of the
skênê or backdrop where the actors actually played. The first indoor theatres were created in French tennis courts and Italian Renaissance palaces where the newly embraced principles of perspective allowed designers to create stunning vistas with buildings and trees decreasing in size toward a "vanishing point" on the horizon. Stage floors were raked upward slightly from front to back in order to contribute to the perspective illusion and also to make actors more visible to audiences, who were seated on level floors. Subsequently, audience seating was raked, and balconies were added to give audiences a fuller view. By the end of the 19th century, most stages had level floors, and much of the audience looked down on, rather than up to, the stage. The competition among royals to produce elegant and elaborate entertainments fueled and financed the expansion of European court theatres. The proscenium—which often was extremely decorative in the manner of a triumphal arch—"framed" the prospective picture. The desire of court painters to show more than one of their perspective backgrounds led court architects to adapt the pin-rails and pulleys of sailing ships to the unrolling, and later to the lowering and raising, of canvas backdrops. A wood (and later steel)
grid above the stage supported pulleys from which wooden battens, and later steel pipes, rolled down, or descended, with attached scenery pieces. The weight of heavy pieces was counterbalanced by sandbags. This system required the creation of a storage
stage house or
loft that was usually as high or higher than the proscenium itself. A "full-fly" stage could store the entire height of scenery above the visible stage using the pin-rails before or during performance, whereas a "half-fly" stage (common in smaller locations) could only store
props of limited size and thus required more careful backdrop and scenery design. Theatres using these rope systems, which are manually operated by
stagehands, are known as
hemp houses. They have been largely supplanted by counterweight
fly systems. The proscenium, in conjunction with
stage curtains called
legs, conceals the sides of the stage, which are known as the
wings. The wings may be used by theatre personnel during performances and as storage spaces for scenery and props. Several rows of short curtains across the top of the stage, called
teasers, hide the backdrops, which in turn are hidden above the stage in the fly system loft until ready for use. on a stage apron in a mind-reading performance, 1900 Often, a stage may extend in front of the proscenium arch which offers additional playing area to the actors. This area is referred to as the
apron. Underneath and in front of the apron is sometimes an
orchestra pit which is used by musicians during
musicals and
operas. The orchestra pit may sometimes be covered and used as an additional playing space in order to bring the actors closer to the audience. The stage is often raised higher than the audience. Space above some proscenium stages may include a flyloft where
curtains, scenery, and battens supporting a variety of lighting instruments may hang. The numerous advantages of the proscenium stage have led to its popularity in the West. Many theatrical properties and scenery may be utilized. Backdrops, curtains and lighting can be used to greater effect without risk of rigging being visible to the audience. Entrances and exits can be made more graceful; surprise becomes possible. The actors only have to concentrate on playing to the audience in one direction.
Boxes are a feature of more modern stage designs in which temporary walls are built inside any proscenium stage, at a slight angle to the original walls, in order to allow audience members located to the left or right of the proscenium (the further out, the larger the angle) to see the entirety of the stage. They enable "rat runs" around the back of the stage, when cast members have to move between exits and entrances without being seen by the audience.
Theatre in the round in
New York City This type of stage is located in the centre of the audience, with the audience facing it from all sides. The audience is placed close to the action, which provides a feeling of intimacy and involvement. Entrances and exits of characters from the stage, if any, must be through the audience or from under or above the stage. In-the-round stages require special considerations in production, such as: •
Scenery that does not obscure actors and the rest of the stage from parts of the audience. •
Backdrops and
curtains cannot be used, thus the director must find other ways to set the scene. •
Lighting design is more difficult than for a
proscenium stage, since the actor must be lit from all sides without blinding nearby audience members. • Entrances and exits must be made either through the audience, making surprise entrances very difficult, or via closed-off walkways, which must be inconspicuous. As a result, stage entrances are normally in the corners of the theatre. • The
actors need to ensure that they do not have their backs turned to any part of the audience for long periods of time, in order to be seen and heard clearly.
Thrust stage A thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its
upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of greater intimacy between the audience and performers than a
proscenium while retaining the utility of a backstage area. Entrances onto a thrust are most readily made from backstage, although some theatres provide for performers to enter through the audience using
vomitory entrances. As with an arena, the audience in a thrust stage theatre may view the stage from three or more sides. If a performance employs the
fourth wall, that imaginary wall must be maintained on multiple sides. Similar to theatre in the round, the audience can view the performance from a variety of perspectives, and as such it is usual for the
blocking,
props and scenery to receive thorough consideration to ensure that no perspective is blocked from view. A high backed chair, for instance, when placed
stage right, could create a blind spot in the
stage left action.
Black box A black box theater consists of a simple yet somewhat unadorned performance space, ideally a large square room with black walls and a flat floor, which can be used flexibly to create a stage and audience area.
Created and found spaces A stage can also be improvised wherever a suitable space can be found. Examples may include staging a performance in a non traditional space such as a basement of a building, a side of a hill or, in the case of a busking troupe, the street. In a similar manner, a makeshift stage can be created by modifying an environment. For example, demarcating the boundaries of a stage in an open space by laying a carpet and arranging seating before it. The theater company
Shakespeare In The Park, in fact, is based around performing Shakespeare plays in a space that one wouldn't likely find it, namely,
Central Park in New York City. ==Stage terminology==