The interior of the Auditorium Building in Chicago built in 1887. The arch around the stage is a proscenium.

A Proscenium theater is a theater space whose primary feature is a large archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through which the audience views the play. The audience directly faces the stage, which is typically raised several feet above front row audience level. The main stage is the space behind the proscenium arch, often marked by a curtain which can be lowered or drawn closed. The space in front of the curtain is called the "apron." The areas obscured by the proscenium arch and any curtains serving the same purpose (often called legs or tormentors) are called the wings. Any space not viewable to the audiences is collectively referred to as offstage. Proscenium stages range in size from small enclosures to several stories tall. In general practice, a theatre space is referred to as a "proscenium" any time the audience directly faces the stage, with no audience on any other side, even if there is not a formal proscenium arch over the stage. Because of the somewhat incongruous nature of a theatre called a proscenium theatre without a proscenium arch, these theatres are often referred to as "end-on" theatre spaces. Image File history File links Auditorium_building_Chicago_interior. ... Image File history File links Auditorium_building_Chicago_interior. ... The Auditorium Building in Chicago The Auditorium Building in Chicago, Illinois is one of the best-known designs of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City 234. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... For other uses, see Arch (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Play (disambiguation). ... For religious use, see Veil. ... An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. ... A hardwood floor (parquetry) is a popular feature in many houses. ...

Origin

A Greek proscenium portraying a three-doored temple facade, posited in the early 20th century as a possible origin for the design of the templon.

The term has a complex origin and originally meant something very different. It derives from the Greek proskenion, meaning 'in front of the scene'. The skene was a building with doors that served as the backdrop in Ancient Greek theatre. The proskenion was a raised stage in front of the skene which appeared in the Hellenistic era and in Roman theatre; it served simply to make the actors higher to aid visibility, and to separate them from the chorus. Ancient theatres thus lacked the modern proscenium arch. It was also absent from Renaissance theatres. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (910x516, 66 KB) From this paper: Stryzgowski, Josef. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (910x516, 66 KB) From this paper: Stryzgowski, Josef. ... A reconstruction of the templon of St. ... ɾdrama are obscure. ... The term Hellenistic (derived from Héllēn, the Greeks traditional self-described ethnic name) was established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen to refer to the spreading of Greek culture over the non-Greek people that were conquered by Alexander the Great. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... The Greek chorus (choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek dithyrambs and tragikon drama in tragic plays of the ancient Greek theatre. ... The following is a list of English Renaissance Theatres, from the first theatres built in 1567, to their closure at the beginning of the English Civil War in 1642. ...

The proscenium arch developed in seventeenth century theatres, alongside the development of illusionistic scenery. This design has been the most common for theatre spaces in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries in Western theatre. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Function

The proscenium arch creates a 'window' around the scenery and actors. The advantages are that it gives everyone in the audience a good view because the actors need only focus on one direction rather than continually moving around the stage to give a good view from all sides. A proscenium theatre layout also simplifies the hiding and obscuring of objects from the audience's view (sets, actors not currently performing, and theatre technology). Anything that is not meant to be seen is simply placed outside the 'window' created by the proscenium arch.

The side of the stage that faces the audience is referred to as the "fourth wall". The phrase "breaking the proscenium" refers to when the actor addresses the audience directly as part of the dramatic production (is also known as breaking the fourth wall). The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theater, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. ... The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theater, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. ...

Proscenium theatres have fallen out of favour in some theatre circles because they perpetuate the fourth wall concept. The staging in proscenium theatres often implies that the characters performing on stage are doing so in a four-walled environment, with the "wall" facing the audience being invisible. Many modern theatres attempt to do away with the fourth wall concept and so are instead designed with a thrust stage that projects out of the proscenium arch and "reaches" into the audience (technically, this can still be referred to as a proscenium theatre because it still contains a proscenium arch, however the term thrust stage is more specific and more widely used). The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theater, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. ... A production of Godspell performed on a 3/4 thust stage In theater, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage [1]) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. ... A production of Godspell performed on a 3/4 thust stage In theater, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage [1]) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. ...

Other forms of theatre staging

• Alley Theater: The stage is surrounded on two sides by the audience.
• Thrust: The stage is surrounded on three sides (or 270˚) by audience. Can be modification of proscenium staging. Sometimes known as "Three Quarter Round".
• Theatre in the round: The stage is surrounded by audience on all sides.
• Environmental theatre: The stage and audience either blend together, or are in numerous or oddly shaped sections. Includes any form of staging that is not easily classifiable under the above categories.
• Studio Theatre Layout: Not technically a form of staging, rather a theatre that can be reconfigured to accommodate many forms of staging.

This article is about the form of theatrical staging. ... A production of Godspell performed on a 3/4 thust stage In theater, a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage or open stage [1]) is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the backstage area by its up stage end. ... Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area. ... Environmental theater is a style of performance for plays and musicals which attempts to immerse the audience in the performance. ...

See also

• Safety curtain
• Templon

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The ornately decorated safety curtain of the Vienna State Opera House. ... A reconstruction of the templon of St. ...

External links

• Scenography - The Theatre Design Website Diagram and images of Proscenium stage