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Stage (theatre)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Theatre

   Interior of the 1928 B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston,
   Massachusetts. This theatre features a proscenium stage, the most
   common type of stage in the West.
   Interior of the 1928 B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston,
   Massachusetts. This theatre features a proscenium stage, the most
   common type of stage in the West.

   In theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in stagecraft)
   is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions or
   other events. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and
   a focal point for the members of the audience. As an architectural
   feature, the stage may consist of a platform (often raised) or series
   of platforms. In some cases, these may be temporary or adjustable but
   in theaters and other buildings devoted to such productions, the stage
   is often a permanent feature.

   There are four types of stages that vary as to the usage and the
   relation of the audience to them. The most common form found in the
   West is the proscenium stage. In this type, the audience is located on
   one side of the stage with the remaining sides hidden and used by the
   performers and technicians. Thrust stages may be similar to proscenium
   stages but with a platform or performance area that extends into the
   audience space so that the audience is located on three sides. In
   theatre in the round, the audience is located on all four sides of the
   stage. The fourth type of stage incorporates created and found stages
   which may be constructed specifically for a performance or may involve
   a space that is adapted as a stage.

Types of stage

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 arch, 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 fourth wall. The
   proscenium arch evolved from the proskenium in Ancient Greek theatres.
   This was the space in front of the skene or backdrop where the actors
   actually played.

   The proscenium hides the sides of the stage, called the wings, which
   may be used by theatre personnel working on the particular performance
   as well as a space for storage of scenery and theatrical properties,
   typically obscured by side curtains, called legs. Often, a stage may
   extend in front of the proscenium arch which offers additional playing
   area to the actors. This area is a 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.

Theatre in the round

   This method of stage design consists of a stage situated in the centre
   of the theatre, with the audience facing it from all sides. The
   audience is placed quite close to the action which provokes a feeling
   of intimacy and involvement.

   In-the-round stages require special considerations in production,
   including:
     * 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 nicely and very clearly.

Thrust stage

   outdoor stage in Edmonton
   outdoor stage in Edmonton

   A thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and
   is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. A thrust has
   the advantage of greater intimacy between audience and performer 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. An arena, exposed on all sides to the audience, is
   without a backstage and relies entirely on entrances in the house or
   from under the stage.

   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. Because
   the audience can view the performance from a variety of perspectives,
   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.

Created and found spaces

   A stage can also be improvised where ever 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
   demarkating the boundaries of a stage in an open space by laying a
   carpet and arranging seating before it.

Additions & modifications

   Proscenium and In-The-Round stage types are only the basic templates
   for stage layout. There are also extras which can be added in order to
   improve the stage.
     * Aprons are pieces of stage added to the front of a proscenium stage
       which protrude past the proscenium arch, pushing out into the
       audience in order to make them feel more involved. They provoke a
       feeling of being more part of the action, rather than just looking
       at it through a transparent fourth wall (see above.) See also
       thrust stage.

     * 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 the
       creation of rat runs around the back of the stage, which allow cast
       members to walk between entrances and exits without being seen by
       the audience.

Stage directions

   House right/left are from the audience's perspective
   House right/left are from the audience's perspective

   The stage itself has been given named areas to facilitate blocking:
     * The rear of the stage is considered up-stage. This derives from the
       raked stage of the Greek Theatre (see below).
     * The front of the stage is down-stage.
     * Stage Left and right refer to the actor's left and right facing the
       audience. Because this is sometimes misunderstood the terms prompt
       (left) and opposite prompt (right) are also used.
     * House left and house right refer to how the audience perceives the
       stage. The audience’s left is referred to as house left, and the
       audience’s right is referred to as house right.
     * Therefore, "House left" is "Stage right" and "House right" is
       "Stage left."

History of the Stage

   In the earliest history of theatre, stages often were simply designated
   performance areas within a village. As theatre is often derived from
   religious rites, these areas held special significance and meaning
   within the tribe. The first elaborate theatrical stages are found in
   Ancient Greece where stages were originally threshing floors which
   developed into large, open-air ampitheaters with permanent stages.
   These same theatre layouts were adopted by the Romans who spread them
   across Europe. Small portable stages called wagons were common in the
   Middle Ages and were used for mystery plays and miracle plays in
   cathedrals as well as outside in villages. Similar stages were used by
   Commedia dell'arte troupes in Italy which spread over the continent
   over the next few centuries.

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