Stage
The audience directly faces the playing area which is separated by an arched portal.
What is Proscenium?
Rooms where cast members apply wigs, make-up and change into costumes. Often in larger spaces, cast members in lead roles have their own, while those in supporting roles share with one or two others and those in the background or "chorus" roles share with up to 10 or 15 other people.
What are dressing rooms?
Areas that are part of a stage deck but offstage (out of sight of the audience), typically masked with legs, and used for performers preparing to enter, storage of sets for scenery changes and as a stagehand work area.
What are wings?
The area of the stage in front of the proscenium arch, which may be small or, in a thrust stage, large.
What is the Apron?
The section of the theatre designated for the operation of technical equipment, followspots, lighting and sound boards, and is sometimes the location of the stage manager's station.
What is the control booth?
An unadorned space with no defined playing area. Often the seating is not fixed allowing the room to be re-configured for the demands of a specific production. Typically the seating and performance space are on the same level.
What is Black Box Theatre?
The lounge backstage. This is the room where actors and other performers wait in when they are not needed onstage or in their dressing rooms.
What is the Green Room?
Ropes, counterweights, pulleys, and other such tools designed to allow a technical crew to quickly move set pieces, lights, and microphones on and off stage quickly.
What is the fly system?
The five main areas of the playing space.
What are Upstage, Downstage, Stage Left, Stage Right, Center?
A section of the house hidden in the ceiling from which many of the technical functions of a theatre, such as lighting and sound, may be manipulated.
What is a Catwalk?
The playing area protrudes out into the house with the audience seating on 3 sides.
What is Thrust?
A hallway, room, or catwalk designed to allow actors in a theater to move from wings on one side of a stage to wings on the other side without being seen by the audience.
What is a crossover?
A large open space under the stage of many large theaters. Allows the stage floor to be leveled, extra electrical equipment to be attached, and unconventional entrances and exits onto the stage.
What is a trap room?
The portal that divides the audience from the stage in traditional Western theatres.
What is the Proscenium?
A passage situated below or behind a tier of seats.
What is a Vomitorium?
The playing area is surrounded by audience seating on all sides.
What is Theatre in the Round?
A backstage bulletin board which contains information about a theatrical production including contact sheets, schedules, rehearsal time changes, etc.
What is a call board?
Vertical channels against the proscenium designed to contain the safety curtain.
What are smoke pockets?
A slope in the performance space (stage), rising away from the audience.
What is a Rake?
A room in a theatre which is used for public entry to the building from the outside. Ticket counters, coat check, concessions and restrooms are all usually located in, or just off this room.
What is a Lobby?
A large open door theatre with seating capacity for very large groups. Seating layouts are similar to theatre in the round, or proscenium (sans arch). In almost all cases the playing space is made of temporary staging (risers) and is elevated a few feet higher than the first rows of audience.
What is Arena?
Depending on the space available a theatre may have its own storage areas for old scenic and costume elements as well as lighting and sound equipment.
What are shops?
Area just to one side of the proscenium where the stage manager stands to cue the show and prompt performers.
What is the Prompt Corner?
The area visible to the audience where the story gets told.
What is the playing space?
Usually a large opening ranging from 4–6 feet wide, 20–40 feet long and 6–10 feet deep. Some have lifts or elevators that can raise the floor up to the same height as the stage.
What is the Orchestra Pit?