Deck 3: Theatre Spaces: the Audience Views the Stage

Question 1

Multi-focus environments, where something is going on in more than one playing area simultaneously, are typically found in which kind of stage space?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Answer 1

created and found spaces

Question 2

In which of the following is the playing space in the center of a square or circle, with seats for spectators all around?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Answer 2

arena stage

Question 3

In which of the following is elaborate scenery impossible because it would block the view of the spectators?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Answer 3

arena stage

Question 4

All the seats in the auditorium face in the same direction in which of the following?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 5

In which of the following does the audience sit on three sides, or in a semicircle, enclosing a stage, which protrudes into the center of the audience?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 6

In which of the following is the stage area usually deep, allowing for elaborate scenery?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 7

With ________, although the stage space protrudes into the audience there is still a proscenium opening toward the back of that stage area, and there is a shallow stage area behind the proscenium as well that still allows for some scenic detail.

A) a proscenium stage
B) an arena stage
C) a thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 8

Which of the following is also known as theatre-in-the-round or circle theatre?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 9

The ________ was developed by the Greeks for their plays; it also was the type of stage used during Shakespeare's time.

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created or found space

Question 10

________ use unusual structures as they are, with their original architectural elements intact, carving out special areas for acting and audience seating/viewing.

A) Proscenium stages
B) Arena stages
C) Thrust stages
D) Created and found spaces

Question 11

In a proscenium theatre of 450 seats, there may be twenty rows of seats. In a(n) ________ theatre space with 450 seats, no one would be further away from the stage than about seven or eight rows, which offers much more intimacy in style of performance than other types of theatres.

A) end stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created or found

Question 12

Which of the following is also known as a "fourth wall" stage?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created or found space

Question 13

Most Broadway theatres were built in which configuration?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created or found space

Question 14

A typical Elizabethan playhouse would have used

A) a proscenium stage.
B) an arena stage.
C) a thrust stage.
D) created and found spaces.

Question 15

Which of the following is/are used by avant-garde theatres such as the Performance Group?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 16

The standard theatre throughout Europe and the United States from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century used

A) a proscenium stage.
B) an arena stage.
C) a thrust stage.
D) created and found spaces.

Question 17

Giacomo Torelli invented the counterweight system for which type of theatre?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 18

"Site specific" theatre productions are, by definition, performed in which type of space?

A) proscenium stage
B) arena stage
C) thrust stage
D) created and found spaces

Question 19

Virtually all primitive forms of theatre used an arena style performance configuration.

Question 20

Although not common, there are times when an audience may find themselves entering into a theatre audience space in a controlled fashion, as has been done by the Performance Group, the Daryl Roth Theatre, and others, in New York City.

Question 21

Different kinds of performance spaces are appropriate for certain kinds of plays. A large-scale musical like Wicked would not be appropriate for a small arena theatre; however, it is appropriate to move a smaller-scale show into a large proscenium space so it can earn more money at the box office.

Question 22

The standard theatre throughout Europe and the United States from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century was the formal arena stage.

Question 23

The inns in Spain were called ________, and this name was given to the theatres that developed there.

Question 24

The circular acting area of a classic Greek theatre is called the ________.

Question 25

The slant of an auditorium's stage floor is called a(n) ________.

Question 26

Horseshoe-shaped tiers that ring an auditorium, where spectators sit, are called ________.

Question 27

An all-purpose theatre space that can be converted into different arrangements is sometimes referred to as a(n) ________.

Question 28

Aggressive, politically-oriented theatre produced by an activist in the streets is called ________ theatre.

Question 29

Make a list of contrasting environments other than those that are part of your college or university (home, hotel lobby, public park, courthouse, airport, and so on). Describe the mood and atmosphere of each and the ways they contrast with one another. Then, do the same for various college environments (classroom, laboratory, gymnasium, chapel, library, student lounge). Discuss what type of play might be set in each of the spaces named.

Question 30

How might you have reacted had you been a member of the audience of Dionysus in 69 (described in this chapter of the text). What new perceptions might you have gained? Do you think the desired effect would have been achieved?

Question 31

Discuss how the size of a theatre might affect the audience's experience. How might it affect the performers? Would certain types of plays be more appropriate for a small space or for a large space?

Question 32

How do the general condition of a theatre and the way it is decorated affect the expectations of an audience? How do their own expectations affect the responses of audience members?

Question 33

Using the plays read or studied during the term thus far, discuss what type of theatre space you feel would most benefit a production of each play.

Question 34

Discuss the relative importance of the performer and the design elements in each type of theatre space. Is the performer more important in some types than in others? Why or why not? How might this affect the type of plays performed in each space?

Question 35

Might there be social, political, or even religious reasons for the use of a particular theatre space at various times in history? For instance, does the Elizabethan thrust theatre reflect Elizabethan social values, or does the structure of the Greek theatre reflect classical religious thought? Does it mean anything that every form of theatre space is currently used in the United States?

Question 36

Earlier chapters in this text have discussed the multicultural nature of theatre in the United States. Is this reflected in the types of theatres being used?

Question 37

What challenges might there be in staging a production of a traditional musical such as The Lion King or Wicked in an arena theatre? What adjustments would have to be made?

Question 38

How might a theatre critic's review be affected by the type of theatre space in which the production is set?

Question 39

A recent trend in Broadway revivals of musicals is to simplify or distill the show down to its essential characteristics. What consideration(s) may be taken into account, do you think, to facilitate this new trend?