1. How must we “take the stage”? Ms. Aixa B. Rodriguez ESL Teacher High School for World Cultures Bronx, NY Art in Literature Class
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4. The proscenium arch is the frame that surrounds the opening of the stage like a picture.
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7. What are the parts of the proscenium stage? apron Curtain Line
8. Parts of a stage continued: Larger performance space with 15 acting areas
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10. How do we refer to other parts of the stage during a production?
11. What is an arena stage? Arena stages or sometimes called In-the-Round- as the name suggests, the audience is seated all around the stage on four sides. Can also be circular.
19. What is a black box theater? A black box theater is simply a large room used to stage plays that is painted completely black. Lights are suspended on the ceilings and the performance space and audience space is flexible. This smaller space can be found in colleges and high schools around the country. It is often used as both a rehearsal and a performance space.
25. What are the basic actor’s body positions in relation to an audience?
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Editor's Notes
Which of the two floor plans do you think would be easier for actors to use? Why? What do you think about the Clock floor plan?
It should be interesting to note that this type of stage is the one most similar to the type in the Globe Theatre. The main difference would be the presence of the roof/columns and the permanent balconies.
This picture is from the New Globe Theatre in London, England. Notice that the theatre itself is octagonal/round and there are three levels of galleries where people sit to see the performance. The stage itself thrusts into the area known as the pit where the audience stood to watch the play. The stage has a roof supported by columns and there are balconies and rooms used to show interior scenes. The bottom room under the main balcony was called the inner below. The room on the second level was called the inner above. These balconies were used for actors to look upon the action happening below. Can you imagine Romeo and Juliet staged here?
Can you describe the performance space in this picture? How is the audience seated? Where do you imagine the performance is being held? What do you think are the advantages/or disadvantages of this setup?
What information do we get from the body positions and levels of the actors in these examples? The height of the actors as determined by his/her body positions which helps to create meaning in stage pictures. For example, sitting, lying , standing or e elevated such as on a platform.