THEATRE CRAFTS THREE TYPES OF STAGES TODAYS SCHEDULE

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?