Theatre Staging & Design

A brief overview of theatre spaces and

how performers use them

General Terms

Stage- the area where a performance takes place Set- the design of the stage for a particular play Audience- the area of the theatre in which the

audience sits Backstage- the area behind a stage, which is

“masked” so it cannot be seen by the audience Green Room- A room backstage where the actors

hang out when they are not onstage

Types of Theatres:

There are several common types of theatre spaces, each of which has its

own set of advantages and drawbacks when it comes to staging a play...

Proscenium Stage

-Ideal for spectacle and big sets

-Strong central focus (audience faces the -same direction)

-Tends to result in a remote and formal feeling

Proscenium Arch- the “frame” or “picture box” that

contains the action in may proscenium theatres

Apron and Wings (on a proscenium stage)

- Apron- segment of the stage which protrudes beyond the Proscenium Arch, often used by actors to “break the fourth wall” and address the audience

-Wings- the offstage area on either side of the stage, masked from view

Proscenium examples

Smaller proscenium stage with split-level set

Large proscenium stage with an arch and apron

Thrust Stage

-Audience sits on 3 sides, or a semicircle

-A more intimate theatre experience, audience is closer to the actors

-Set design challenges because large set pieces can only be placed at the back

Thrust examples

Small thrust stage with audience seating on three sides of the rectangle

Greek ampitheatre—possibly the first thrust theatre space

Audience in semi-circle around stage

Theatre-in-the-round

-Audience sits all around the stage

-Provides the most intimacy (no barriers between performers & audience)

-Set design must be minimal, so as not to block the audience's view

Theatre-in-the-round examples

Audience is right around the actors

Very minimal set design

Alley Stage

-Also called “traverse”

-Audience sits on opposite sides of the stage and action takes place between them

-Good for staging action sequences (i.e. fights)

-Minimal opportunities for scenery

Black Box Theatre

-A small, intimate theatre without any permanent stage or seating

-Space can be reconfigured into a new seating/staging arangement for each new production

Name the theatre types...

And just because they are awesome...

Images from a show I recently saw, Metamophoses at Lookingglass Theatre. Performed in a thrust space—audience sat around three sides of a shallow pool of water with a walkway around it. The front row audience members were given towels.

Ok, we are done with types of theatres. Now onto some other important theatre

terms...

Important (non-actor) peopleDirector- the person whose artistic vision guides a

production of a play. The director casts the actors, gives them blocking and direction and also works with designers to decide the look and feel of a production.

Designers- the theatre artists in charge of the technical side of the production. A normal production team consists of set, lighting, costume, and sound designers. Depending on the show, there might also be a music director, choreographer, dialect coach, or others involved.

Stage Manager- the organizer of a production. In charge of managing the design team, creating rehearsal schedule, keeping track of actors, and running all the technical elements of a show during performances.

Terms to know

Stage Directions- directions about scenic elements or onstage actions written by a playwright as instructions to the director, actors and designers

Blocking- the movements on stage assigned to the actor by the director of the play (not written in script)

Sight-lines- what audience-members are able to see from where they are sitting (influenced by what is masked from sight, what is blocked by scenic elements, and where actors are placed on stage)

Writing down your blocking

When a director tells an actor where to move (or when an actor figures it out herself), she will write down her blocking using the following system.

Blocking notation

IMPORTANT: Always write down blocking from perspective of the actor facing the audience (not from the audience's view).

X- cross (move from one place to another)

Enter- come onstage

Exit- leave the stage

SR- stage right

DSL- downstage left

CS- center stage

USC- upstage center

Write down the following blocking using proper theatre notation.

Come on to the stage from the back right corner, walk over the middle of the stage then walk to the front left corner and leave on on that side.

Write down the following blocking using proper theatre notation.

Come on to the stage from the back right corner, walk over the middle of the stage then walk to the front left corner and leave on on that side.

Enter UR,

X to SC,

X DSL to exit

THE END

It is important for all performers to know this terminology because it is the common jargon (vocabulary) of everyone involved in the theatre.

Anyone educated in theatre speaks using this terms.

Study them so they become part of your theatrical vocabulary too!