THE ART OF THE THEATRE-THEATRE 100

Theatre spaces

The first video, show Arena type of theatre space, the audience are all around and the stage is square. The audience and performers are exposed to each other. It is symbolically a representation of the human experience; all humans are equal. The second video shows the proscenium stage, this is because the audience views the stage through a frame, decorated and designed around paintings. Also, everyone in the audience was viewing the stage from the same perspective. The difference between these two is that in video one the audience-performer experience is intimate which is evident when at the end when the audience were asked about their experience, one said, “And the show was so full of energy, the sing, the dancing. I loved it” (Arena stage, 2010) while the second one intimacy is far-fetched. In the arena stage, the audience sees each other but in proscenium theatre space, the frame becomes a barrier, there is no transparency, the audience already has the perception of observation.

The environment an audience finds themselves in affects them, their and their imaginations.  According to chapter 4, “The moment you approach is when your theatre experience begins.” Your emotional and psychological composition adjusts to a variety of things, location, architecture, entry, and spatial designs. This indicates that the scenery created on stage; how the stage is designed, the presence of traps, backdrops, how the actors coordinate, the music will create an environment that will easily alter the audience’s imagination. Well-designed theatre spaces catalyze audience’s imagination, by taking the audience or putting the audience in a place where they can be in the character’s shoes (Cucuzza, 2018). This can happen by the presence of things that can trigger their emotions, like songs and their lyrics, how the actors dance, the costumes, the lighting, and much more. Theatre spaces also influence the type of audience actor relationship, it is important to ensure that theatre current is kept alive. All these are to be considered depending on the message that is to be passed to the audience; theater acts as society’s mirror.

Robert Cucuzza, the author of the book Introduction to Theatre, cites five different types of theatre spaces; thrust stage, arena stage, proscenium theatre, found and created spaces, and black box theatres. The thrust stage happens as an extension of a house where the audience partially surrounds the performers. The thrust stage can assume any shape. Most of the time, the back platform is wider than the front giving more room for audiences to view what is happening on stage. The thrust stage is one of the most widely used theatre space formats. The thrust stage has a rich history as was used in Ancient Greece (Cucuzza, 2018).

“In proscenium theatre, everyone in the audience generally views the stage from the same perspective, facing forward, similar to how we watch movies” (Cucuzza, 2018). Most people perceive this to be the ideal theatre. There is an imaginary transparent wall between the audience and performers. In this type of space, the audiences may feel a bit alienated from the performers. The audience views the stage from the same angle, similar to the movie theaters. The earliest proscenium theatre is the Teatro Olimpico in Vincenza, Italy, and was built in 1585. The Oklahoma musical full performance video is a good representation of proscenium theatre space. The audiences in this video are not visible, but they can be heard applauding and clapping as the performance progresses. There seems to be a distance between the audience and the performers.

The arena stage on the other hand, represents a space where the audiences surround the performers. The audience can see the actors from a vantage point. Arena stages assume the shape of baseball or basketball arenas. The viewing experience may be subtle yet profound.  The audiences and the actors face each other. The arena stage gives an exciting adventure to the audience. The performers make their way in or out of stage through isles in the house. The isle too, makes a platform where performers can interact with the audiences. “Oklahoma!” opens Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is presented in an arena stage where the audiences are seen surrounding the performers. A woman is seen coming from one of the isles to the stage. The audiences can interact one on one with the audiences.

Created or found spaces are made out of abandoned warehouses, empty storerooms, and a basement of houses. The audiences are bold, and the performers are equally daring. The space maybe uncomfortable for both the actors and audiences, but it is revolutionary.  Finally, the black box is a theatre space that is enclosed but set in a theatre format. The space parts are movable depending on the type of performance. The black box stage can have the features of all the other four types of spaces.

Works Cited

Cucuzza, Robert (2018). Introduction to Theatre 2nd edition. Great River Learning

Oklahoma!” opens Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGspfOf3yg&t=46s Oklahoma! MUSICAL FULL PERFORMANCE – 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K1QcEf_4vo&t=228s

Oklahoma! MUSICAL FULL PERFORMANCE – 2016. video. 2020, https://youtu.be/9K1QcEf_4vo.

Highlights Of Oklahoma! At DCS Arena Stage. 2010, https://youtu.be/4hGspfOf3yg