Theatre Building Basics and Technical Terms

1. Our strongest ally in the theatre is : The imagination of the audience As technicians, our job is to: Trigger that imagination Acting Area: provides a place of visibility and audibility Auditorium: provides visibility, audibility, comfort and safety for the audience Scenic Background: to depict the area or space in which the performance is taking place. Chapter 1 Theatres & Stages Basic Elements of a Theatre Building

2. PARTS – Backstage • Gridiron: network of steel shapes above the playing space to provide a working platform for rigging and lighting installation and maintenance. • Flies or loft area: space above the stage used for storing drops, curtains and or other items out of the audiences vision. • Loading platform: a gallery at the top of a carriage run for loading counter weights • Lock rail: a steel shape at lower elevation supporting rope locks. • Operating side: the side of the stage on which operating equipment is located

3. Proscenium Theatre • This is the type of theatre we have at Eisenhower. • Advantages: Most plays are written for this style • Disadvantages: Some audience is far away

4. Arena, Theater in the Round, Circle Staging • Advantages: audience proximity • Disadvantages: lighting angles, need short set props

5. Black Box Theatre • Advantages: experimental and flexible • Disadvantages: lighting angles, need short set props (just like arenas) • This is what the Cameron Universities small theatre is.

6. Half-round or Thrust Theatre • Advantages: provides some scenic space • Disadvantages: same as “arena”

7. Open Stage • Advantages: Flexible • Disadvantages: distance to the last row

8. Proscenium with side stages • Advantages: added small playing spaces • Disadvantages: distance to last row

9. Apron Stage • Advantages: Audience proximity • Disadvantages: downstage scenery and lighting hard

10. PARTS VISIBLE TO THE AUDIENCE • Pit : space in front of the stage for orchestra or instruments. • Apron: stage floor between pit and main curtain. • Proscenium: the picture frame through which the audience looks. • Sky Wall (cyclorama): surface visible to the audience at the rear of the stage.

13. Terms shared by Greek & Roman Theatres Historical Theatre Forms • Theatron: seating for the audience • Orchestra: playing or acting place for the performers • Parados: alleyways for entrance to the orchestra • Skene: to house props and costumes and provide entrance doors • Paraskene: towers added to the sides of the skene • Proscenium: the front of the paraskene

14. Machine used in Greek and Roman theatre Periakoi: triangular scenic devices. Eccyclema: wheeled cart Deus-ex-Machina: machine to lower gods into the scene.

15. TECHNICAL ITEMS AND TERMS • Center line: an imaginary line in the center of the proscenium • Curtain Line: an imaginary line at the rear face or the proscenium • Floor pockets: covered receptacles in the stage floor • Beam / Ceiling (Cloud): lighting positions in the auditorium ceiling

19. Eisenhower Theatre Our proscenium dimensions are _________Wide X _________ High Our Stage dimensions are _______Wide X_________ Deep X _________High Our apron dimensions are ________ Wide X ________ Deep We have _________ seats for the audience