Stage (theatre)

A stage is a designated space for performing productions.

It serves as a focal point for the audience. This space allows actors and performers to share their art. A stage may be a single platform or a series of platforms. It can be a permanent architectural feature. Some stages are temporary or adjustable for specific needs.

In cinema, the screen serves a similar focal purpose for the viewer.

One common type is the proscenium stage. This is often called a picture frame stage. It features a large opening called a proscenium arch. The audience views the performance through this arch from one side. This creates an invisible fourth wall between the actors and the viewers. The sides of the stage are hidden by curtains known as legs. These side spaces are called the wings.

Wings provide storage for scenery and space for performers to wait.

Other stage configurations change how the audience interacts with the art. A thrust stage extends into the audience area. This allows viewers to sit on three sides of the platform.

This design creates more intimacy than a proscenium stage. It still maintains a connection to a backstage area. In theatre in the round, the audience surrounds the stage on all four sides.

This setup brings the audience very close to the action. However, it requires careful planning for lighting and scenery. Designers must ensure they do not block any single view.

History shows how stage design has evolved over many centuries. The proscenium stage became popular during the Italian Renaissance. It grew from the space in front of the skênê in Ancient Greek theaters. Early indoor theaters were sometimes built in French tennis courts. Renaissance designers used perspective to create deep vistas. They used a vanishing point to make scenery look realistic. To help this illusion, they used raked stages. A raked stage is a floor that slopes upward from front to back.

This helped make actors more visible to the audience.

Technological advances changed how scenery moves above the stage. Architects adapted the pin-rails and pulleys used on sailing ships. These tools allowed for the raising and lowering of canvas backdrops. A grid of wood or steel hangs above the stage to support these systems. Pulleys move wooden battens or steel pipes with scenery attached. Workers use sandbags to counterbalance the weight of heavy pieces.

This system requires a storage loft called a flyloft. A full-fly stage can store all scenery above the visible area. A half-fly stage can only store smaller props.

Stage terminology helps performers move with precision. Directions are based on the actor's viewpoint facing the audience. Stage left is the actor's left side. Stage right is the actor's right side. These are different from house left and house right. The house directions follow the audience's perspective. To avoid confusion, actors use upstage and downstage. Upstage refers to the area furthest from the audience. Downstage is the area closest to the audience. This terminology comes from the era of raked stages. Moving upstage meant moving to a higher elevation.

Stages can also be found in non-traditional settings. A black box theater is a flexible, unadorned room. It usually has black walls and a flat floor. This allows the space to be adapted for many uses. Some performances happen in created or found spaces. This might include a basement or a street.

The company Shakespeare In The Park performs in Central Park. Even a simple carpet in an open space can mark a stage. All theatre involves scenography, which relates the stage to its surroundings.