THEATRE CRAFTS

THREE TYPES OF STAGES

TODAY’S SCHEDULE• Any syllabus sheets?

• Any issues with the website scavenger hunt?

• Intro to three types of stages• Proscenium Stage• Thrust Stage• Arena Stage

• Group work• Designing sets for different stages

THE PROSCENIUM

PROSCENIUM STAGES• Has a PROSCENIUM ARCH that

frames the space on the stage where the performance is given

• The audience sits facing the front of the stage.

• Left and right wings, where actors wait to appear and props are stored, are hidden by the curtains and/or arch.

• Stages can be small or several stories.

PROSCENIUM STAGES (CONT.)• Proscenium stages are ideal for realistic acting and

production styles. • In many productions, entire sets are concealed in these

areas • Stagehands can completely change the stage set between

scenes, creating the realistic illusion of a different place for the next scene.

THRUST STAGES

THRUST STAGES

THRUST STAGES• Extends out to the audience on three sides.

• May be connected to a larger, proscenium stage

• The actors enter and exit at the back of the stage but at times through audience aisles.

• Creates greater intimacy with the audience than does the proscenium theater. • Brings audience members closer to the story

• Set designers, however, must have all major designs in the back. • A stage left desk, for example, could block the view of stage right

action.

ARENA STAGES

ARENA STAGES• Can be round, triangular or square

• Actors enter the stage from beneath it or from audience aisles.

• The stage is often level with the audience or lower.

• Audience closer than proscenium stages

• What must be considered in terms of set design and actors’ movements.

WORKING IN GROUPS• You will be assigned a certain setting for your play.

• Based on your setting, you must create a set design for TWO of the THREE sets • Pick two: Proscenium, Thrust, Arena

• Based on your setting, how will your set change?