Stage (theatre)
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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.
Proscenium stage
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The interior of the Auditorium Building in Chicago built in 1887. Note how the arch above the stage is repeated in the house. This repitition serves as a way of amplifying the sound from the stage. |
See main article - ProsceniumSince 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 stageand 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 proscnium 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 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.
In-the-round stages
See main article - Theatre in the roundThis 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 can pose many difficulties to the production, including:
* Scenery is difficult to use effectively because it can 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.
* "Narn yarn niggy figgy" was a popular stage direction during this stage, a rhyming phrase meaning "become one, enter exit".
Thrust stage
See main article - Thrust stageA 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
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 where 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.
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 Theater (see below).
*The front of the stage is down-stage.
*Stage Left and right, at least in British and North American Theater, 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.
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.
*Gillette, J. Michael.
Theatrical Design and Production, 3rd Ed. Mountain View, California: Mayfield, 1997. ISBN 1559347015.
*Wilson, Edwin.
The Theater Experience, 7th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. ISBN 0079132022.
*
Scenography - The Theatre Design Website Diagram and images of various stage types
