- For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation)
- This article is about venues for live theatre performances; for information about venues for film projection, see movie theater. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given. A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters While a theater is not required for performance (as in environmental theater or street theater), a theater serves to define the acting and audience spaces and organize the theater space as well as provide facilities for the performers, the technical crew and the audience. Environmental theater sometimes called site-specific theater, is a style of theatrical performance which strives for greater authenticity and audience engagement by staging Street theatre is a form of theatrical Performance and presentation in outdoor Public spaces without a specific paying Audience.
There are as many types of theaters as there are types of performance. Theaters may be built specifically for a certain types of productions, they may serve for more general performance needs or they may be adapted or converted for use as a theater. They may range from open-air amphitheaters to ornate, cathedral-like structures to simple, undecorated rooms or black box theaters. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation consisting of a simple somewhat unadorned Performance space usually a large square room with black walls and a flat Some theaters may have a fixed acting area (in most theaters this is known as the stage), while some theaters such as black box theaters, may not, allowing the director and designers to construct an acting area suitable for the production. In Theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in Stagecraft) is a designated space for the Performance of theatrical productions A theatre director or stage director is a practitioner in the Theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production (a play,
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Basic elements of a theater structure
All theater structures, regardless of type, contain certain basic elements.
The most important of these areas is the acting space generally known as the stage. In Theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in Stagecraft) is a designated space for the Performance of theatrical productions In some theaters, specifically proscenium theaters, arena theaters and amphitheaters, this area is permanent part of the structure. In a blackbox theater, the acting area is undefined so that each theater may adapt specifically to a production.
In addition to these acting spaces, there may be offstage spaces as well. These include wings on either side of a proscenium stage (called "backstage" or "offstage") where props, sets and scenery may be stored as well as a place for actors awaiting an entrance. A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is any object held or used on stage by an Actor for use in furthering the plot or story line of a Theatrical A Prompter's box may be found backstage. The prompt corner or prompt box in a Theatre is the location at the side of the stage where the prompt (usually the Stage Manager In an amphitheater, an area behind the stage may be designated for such uses while a blackbox theater may have spaces outside of the actual theater designated for such uses.
Often a theater will incorporate other spaces intended for the performers and other personnel. A booth facing the stage may be incorporated into the house where lighting and sound personnel may view the show and run their respective instruments. Lighting includes both artificial Light sources such as lamps and natural illumination of interiors from Daylight. Other rooms in the building may be used for dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, spaces for constructing sets, props and costumes, as well as storage. The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period
All theaters provide a space for their audience. The audience are usually separated from the performers by the proscenium arch; in such proscenium theaters and amphitheaters, these areas, like the stage, are a permanent feature of the structure. Proscenium theatre is a Theatre space whose primary feature is a large Archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances This area is known as the auditorium or the house. An auditorium (plural auditoriums, or less commonly auditoria) is the area within a theatre, Concert hall, or other performance space where the House generally refers to a Shelter or Building that is a Dwelling or place for Habitation by Human beings. Like the stage in a blackbox theater, this area is also defined by the production.
The seating areas can include some or all of the following:
- Stalls or arena: the lower flat area, usually below or at the same level as the stage. The word parterre (rarely, parquet circle) is sometimes used to refer to a particular subset of this area, usually the rear seating block in the orchestra stalls. The term can also refer to the side stalls in some usages. Derived from the gardening term parterre, the usage refers to the sectioned pattern of both the seats of an auditorium and of the planted beds seen in garden construction. A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form One example of a parterre seating arrangement can be seen at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
- Balconies or galleries: one or more raised seating platforms towards the rear of the auditorium. In larger theaters, multiple levels are stacked vertically above or behind the stalls. The first level is usually called the dress circle or grand circle. The highest platform, or upper circle is sometimes known as the gods, especially in large opera houses, where the seats can be very high and a long distance from the stage.
- Boxes: typically placed immediately to the front, side and above the level of the stage. They are often separate rooms with an open viewing area which typically seat five people or less. These seats are typically considered the most prestigious of the house. A state box or royal box is sometimes provided for dignitaries.
In addition, many theaters may provide areas specifically designated for the comfort of the audience. These areas include a lobby where tickets and concessions may be sold at the box office, restrooms, and other areas where the audience may relax before, in between or after performances. A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue These areas may be known as the "Front of House" or FOH. Front of House (abbreviated FOH) is a theatrical term referring to the portion of the building that is open to the public
History of theater construction
Ancient Greece
Greek theater buildings were called a theatron ('seeing place'). The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three principal elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the audience.
The centrepiece of the theater was the orchestra, or "dancing place", a large circular or rectangular area. The orchestra was the site the choral performances, the religious rites, and, possibly, the acting. An altar was located in the middle of the orchestra; in Athens, the altar was dedicated to Dionysus. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place
Behind the orchestra was a large rectangular building called the skene (meaning "tent" or "hut"). It was used as a "backstage" area where actors could change their costumes and masks, but also served to represent the location of the plays, which were usually set in front of a palace or house. Typically, there were two or three doors in the skene that led out onto orchestra, and from which actors could enter and exit. At first, the skene was literally a tent or hut, put up for the religious festival and taken down when it was finished. Later, the skene became a permanent stone structure. These structures were sometimes painted to serve as backdrops, hence the English word scenery. Theatrical scenery is that which is used as a setting for a Theatrical production
In front of the skene there may have been a raised acting area called the proskenian, the ancestor of the modern proscenium stage. Proscenium theatre is a Theatre space whose primary feature is a large Archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through It is possible that the actors (as opposed to the chorus) acted entirely on the proskenian, but this is not certain.
Rising from the circle of the orchestra was the audience. The audience sat on tiers of benches built up on the side of a hill. Greek theaters, then, could only be built on hills that were correctly shaped. A typical theater was enormous, able to seat around 15,000 viewers.
Greek theaters were not enclosed; the audience could see each other and the surrounding countryside as well as the actors and chorus.
See also: Theater of Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
The Romans copied this style of building, but tended not to be so concerned about the location, being prepared to build walls and terraces instead of looking for a naturally-occurring site. The theatre of ancient Greece, or ancient Greek drama, is a theatrical Culture that flourished in ancient Greece between c Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC (See Roman theater for more. The Roman theatre is a theatre building built by the Romans for watching theatrical performances. )
Elizabethan England
During the Elizabethan era in England, theaters were constructed of wooden framing, infilled with wattle and daub and roofed with thatch. English Renaissance theatre is English drama written between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Wattle and daub (or wattle-and-daub) is a Building material used for making walls in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed They consisted of several floors of covered galleries surrounding a courtyard which was open to the elements. A large portion of the audience would stand in the yard, directly in front of the stage. This layout is said to derive from the practice of holding plays in the yard of an inn. Archæological excavations of The Rose theatre at London's Bankside, built 1587, have shown that it had en external diameter of 72 feet (22 metres). The Rose was an Elizabethan theatre. It was the fourth of the public theatres to be built after The Theatre ( 1576) the Curtain Bankside is an area in Southwark, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames, situated between Blackfriars Bridge to the west and The nearby Globe Theatre (1599) was larger, at 100 feet (30 metres). The Globe Theatre was a Theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. Other evidence for the round shape is a line in Shakespeare's Henry V which calls the building "this wooden O", and several rough woodcut illustrations of the city of London.
Around this time, the green room, a place for actors to wait until required on stage, became common terminology in English theaters. William Shakespeare ( baptised The Globe Theatre was a Theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. A green room is a room in a Theater, Studio, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers or speakers when not required on
The Globe has now been rebuilt as a fully working and producing theater near its original site (largely thanks to the efforts of film director Sam Wanamaker) to give modern audiences an idea of the environment for which Shakespeare and other playwrights of the period were writing. Sam Wanamaker ( June 14, 1919 &ndash December 18, 1993) was an American Film director and Actor, credited
German Operatic influence
Richard Wagner placed great importance on "mood setting" elements, such as a darkened theater, sound effects, and seating arrangements which focused the attention of audience on the stage, completely immersing them in the imaginary world of the music drama. These concepts were revolutionary at the time, but they have since come to be taken for granted in the modern operatic environment as well as many other types of theatrical endeavors.
Contemporary theaters
Contemporary theaters are often non-traditional, such as very adaptable spaces, or theaters where audience and performers are not separated. A major example of this is the modular theater, (see for example the Walt Disney Modular Theater). The Walt Disney Modular Theater is an indoor performance space located at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia California. This large theater has floors and walls divided into small movable sections, with the floor sections on adjustable hydraulic pylons, so that the space may be adjusted into any configuration for each individual play. For the mechanical technology see Hydraulic machinery and Hydraulic cylinder Hydraulics is a topic of science and Engineering As new styles of theater performance have evolved, so has the desire to improve or recreate performance venues. This applies equally to artistic and presentation techniques, such as stage lighting. Modern stage lighting is a flexible Tool in the production of Theatre, Dance, Opera and other Performance arts
Specific designs of contemporary live theaters include proscenium, thrust, black box theater, theater in the round, amphitheater, and arena. Proscenium theatre is a Theatre space whose primary feature is a large Archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation consisting of a simple somewhat unadorned Performance space usually a large square room with black walls and a flat Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any Theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances An arena is an enclosed area often circular or oval-shaped designed to showcase Theater, musical performances or sporting events In the classical Indian dance, Natya Shastra defines three stage types. Indian classical dance is a relatively new umbrella term for various codified art forms rooted in Natya, the sacred Hindu Musical theatre styles whose theory The Nātya Shastra ( Sanskrit: Nātyaśāstra नाट्य शास्त्र is an ancient Indian treatise on the Performing arts In Australia and New Zealand a small and simple theater, particularly one contained within a larger venue, is a theatrette. [1] The word originated in 1920s London, for a small-scale music venue. [2]
Theatrical performances can also take place in venues adapted from other purposes, such as train carriages. In recent years the Edinburgh Fringe has seen performances in a lift (elevator) and a taxi. The Edinburgh Fringe (officially the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, commonly just The Fringe) is the world’s largest Arts festival.
References
- ^ Moore, Bruce 1999. The Australian Oxford Dictionary ISBN 0195517962
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary 1989
External links
- Carthalia - Theatres on Postcards (pictures of theatres)
- Music Hall and Theatre History Contains archive material on hundreds of British Theatre buildings. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English
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