Types of Theaters
The audience directly faces the playing area which is separated by a portal.
What is a Proscenium theater?
An open frame on a stage that divides the audience from the stage in traditional Western theatres.
What is the proscenium arch?
The section of the theatre designated for the viewing of a performance.
What is the auditorium?
A room in a theatre which is used for public entry to the building from the outside.
What is the lobby?
The area where cast members apply wigs, make-up and change into costumes.
What is the dressing room?
The playing area protrudes out into the house with the audience seating on 3 sides.
What is a Thrust theatre?
The area used by performers and technicians to travel between sides of the stage out of sight of the audience?
What is the crossover?
The open-air area positioned in front of the apron, and below of level of the audience used to house musicians and/or a conductor.
What is the orchestra pit?
A place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue.
What is the box office?
The area directly above the stage that houses lights, backdrops, and curtains.
What is the flyspace or fly?
A large open door theater with seating capacity for very large groups.
What is an arena?
Areas that are part of a stage deck but offstage (out of sight of the audience)
What are wings?
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?
The area where food and drinks are prepared in large venue theaters.
What is the kitchen?
The areas of the theater where different crews store equipment, and build the different elements of a production.
What are shops?
An unadorned space with no defined playing area.
What is a black box theater?
An imaginary reference line on the playing area that indicates where the proscenium arch is.
What is the plaster line?
A section of the house hidden in the ceiling from which many of the technical functions of a theatre can be manipulated.
What are catwalks?
Signage stating either the name of the establishment or the play and the artist(s) appearing at that venue.
What is the marquee?
The backstage bulletin board which contains information about a theatrical production including contact sheets, schedules, rehearsal time changes, etc.
What is the call board?
The elongated playing area is surrounded by audience seating on two sides.
What is a Traverse Stage.
The area just to one side of the proscenium where the stage manager may stand to cue the show and prompt performers.
What is the prompt corner?
A passage situated below or behind a tier of seats.
What is a vomitorium?
The area in the rear of the theater where actors and crew enter into the theater out of view of the public.
What is the stage door?
A large open space under the stage of many large theatres.
What is the trap room?