Elements and strategies in STAGE SETTING.pptx

discussions on the setting of stage in theater

1. STAGE SETTING

2. STAGE TEMINOLOGIES

3. 1. ACOUSTICS The ability of a room to direct or absorb sound waves based on its size, shape, and materials used. Orchestra shell towers and ceiling clouds can direct sound waves toward the audience improving their experience.

4. 2. APRON  The part of the stage that stretches beyond the proscenium arch toward the auditorium

5. 3. ARENA STAGE  Also known as “in the round,” the playing space is surrounded with seating on four sides

6. 4. BATTEN Pipe that stretches across the stage— when part of an automated or manual counterweight rigging system, moves in (down) and out (up), also may be “dead-hung” at a static height.

7. 5. BLACK BOX Performance space in which the seating and playing space are reconfigurable.

8. 6. BREAK A LEG Replacement for the unlucky, “good-luck,” thought to refer to the “break” in an actor’s leg at the knee when one foot is put behind the other to curtsy or bow

9. 7. FLAT A vertical wall of a set

10. 8. GHOST LIGHT Typically with a bare light bulb, a lamp left center stage once the theatre “goes dark” every night— for practical reasons, to prevent someone from walking into a dark theatre and tripping.

11. 9. LINE SET Automated or manual counterweight rigging system allows for pipe battens to be brought close to the stage for easy installation of light fixtures above the stage.

12. 10. ORCHESTRA PIT A sunken area at the front of the stage where the orchestra performs during the show. An Orchestra Pit Filler can be built using the new Uplift to create additional acting space.

13. 11. PLASTER LINE An imaginary line that runs across the stage along the upstage side of the proscenium arch, often made of plaster

14. 12. PLATFORM A horizontal surface on a set or portable staging unit

15. 13. PROSCENIUM The arch, or “frame,” around the stage, a portal between backstage and the apron

16. STAGE DIRECTIONS Ancient Greek and Roman theatre stages were raked toward the audience, if an actor was walking toward the audience, they would be walking downhill.

17. STAGE DIRECTIONS Downstage : toward the audience Upstage : away from the audience Stage Left :the actor’s left facing the audience Stage Right :the actor’s right facing the audience House Left :the audience’s left facing the stage House Right :the audience’s right facing the stage Onstage :toward the centerline of the stage Offstage :away from the centerline of the stage

18. 15. THRUST STAGE Playing space surrounded by audience seating on three sides

19. 16. TRAVERSE/ALLY STAGE Playing space surrounded by audience seating on two sides

20. 17. VOMITORIUM An ally used as an entrance or exit, behind or alongside seating in the auditorium

21. PURPOSE OF STAGE SCENERY

22. establish the limits of the playing space define or help define the " place and time" of the story of the play, if this is important. provide those physical objects (if any) that the performers need in order to execute the action of the play (chairs, doors, diving boards, whatever) focus the observer's attention in the "right place at the right time" PURPOSE OF STAGE SCENERY

23. More esoteric "abstract" functions are:  support the thematic ideas contained in the play or in the director's interpretation of the play. establish or re-inforce the emotional, psychological, or spiritual "atmosphere" or mood of the play create a "special" ("beautiful," or "frightening," or "strange" - whatever) environment for the performer PURPOSE OF STAGE SCENERY

24. PURPOSE OF STAGE SCENERY Choosing what the scenery will look like and how it will meet (or ignore) these functions is the work of the scenery designer and the stage director.

25. TYPES OF THEATER STAGE SET

26. 1. PROSCENIUM STAGE Proscenium stages have an architectural frame, known as the proscenium arch, although not always arched in shape. Their stages are deep and sometimes raked, meaning the stage is gently sloped rising away from the audience.

27. 1. PROSCENIUM STAGE Theatres containing proscenium stages are known as proscenium arch theatres and often include an orchestra pit for live music and a fly tower for the movement of scenery and lighting.

28. 2. THRUST STAGE These project or ‘thrust’ into the auditorium with the audience sitting on three sides.

29. 2. THRUST STAGE The thrust stage area itself is not always square but may be semi- circular or half a polygon with any number of sides. Such stages are often used to increase intimacy between actors and the audience.

30. 3.Theatres in-the-Round These have a central performance area enclosed by the audience on all sides. The arrangement is rarely ‘round’: more usually the seating is in a square or polygonal formation.

31. 3.Theatres in-the-Round The actors enter through aisles or vomitories between the seating. Scenery is minimal and carefully positioned to ensure it does not obstruct the audience’s view.

32. 4. Arena Theaters Arena theaters are large scale auditoria and have a central stage area with audiences on all sides, similar to theaters in-the-round. The stage area is usually rectangular, more like a sports arena, with tiered seating

33. 5. Black box or studio Theaters These are flexible performance spaces which when stripped to their basics are a single room painted black, the floor of the stage at the same level as the first audience row. Usually, these spaces allow for the temporary setup of seating in a number of different configurations to enable a wide variety of productions to be presented.

34. 6. Platform Stages These usually consist of a raised rectangular platform at one end of a room. They can either have a level or raked sloping floor. The audience sit in rows facing the stage. Platform stages are often used in multi-purpose halls where theatre is only one of the space’s uses. Where the stage is open and without curtains, they are sometimes known as end stages or open stages.

35. 7. Hippodromes Hippodromes are similar to circuses and have a central circular arena surrounded by concentric tiered seating. Deep pits or low screens often separate the audience from the arena.

36. 8. Open Air Theaters These are outdoor theatres that do not have a roof, although sometimes parts of the stage or audience seating will be covered. These stages may make use of the natural light as it changes during the day, particularly sunset.  

37. 9. Site Specific Theaters Site-specific theatre is usually performed in a non-traditional theatre space such as a pub, home or warehouse, often reflecting the history, atmosphere or experiences of a particular location.