Chapter 3

It is believed that one possible origin of the arena playing space evolved from the ancient ____ theatre

Greek

Which of the following best describes the work of Jerzy Grotowski?

Grotowski created different spaces that fit his plays rather than making the play fit the space.

This kind of activist theatre is focused on bringing political issues to the people with the purpose of getting us more engaged.

Guerrilla

What are some of the advantages associated with the proscenium stage?

It allows for stunning visual effects while concealing how the scene changes happen, and creates a strong central focus.

Large scale musicals that employ incredible visual effects such as those found in The Lion King, Wicked, and The Phantom of the Opera are more likely produced on this kind of stage space.

Proscenium

Identify the features that underpin created or found spaces as defined by Antonin Artaud.

The barriers and partitions of traditional stage spaces separating the audience from the actor is abandoned.

Another word for the circle stage is _______ stage

arena

the ____ performance space perhaps evolved from the circular spaces that have been common to tribal ceremonies and rituals.

arena

A number of theatre complexes, including many college theatre departments and regional theatres, have built spaces called _______ what can be adapted to an almost infinite variety of configurations.

black boxes

The all-purpose or "black box" stage space

can be rearranged to take on the shape of any of the other kinds of theatre spaces.

The all-purpose or "black box" stage space:

can be rearranged to take on the shape of any of the other kinds of theatre spaces.

An example of a non-theatre structure which already has a space for performance and viewing and could be used as a found space with almost no architectural alteration is:

church warehouse brewery

At the same time that the English platform stage was taking shape in the courtyards of inns, the same idea was also taking shape in Spain. The name of the Spanish theatre, also performed in the courtyards of inns, was:

corrales

One of Artaud's theories was that the audience becomes part of the action of the performance and thereby establishes direct communication between the spectator and the spectacle. This kind of performance space is called:

created and found spaces.

The area of the stage that is closest to the audience is known as:

downstage

the "_____ _______" is an imaginary opening that allows the audience to look in on events happening on the stage.

fourth wall

The spaces for popular performances most often seek to:

maximize the number of audience members create an electrifying interactive environment

True or false: The thrust stage is the most widely used of all the other stage spaces.

true

What are the characteristics found in this photograph of the thrust theater at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles?

- The wraparound feeling creates a closer relationship between the audience and the performers - The seating is on three sides of the stage

The arena space goes by many other names. What are they?

-Circle theatre - Theatre-in-the-round

This European family dominated the art of scene painting for the proscenium space for over two centuries.

Bibiena

Based on Artaud's theories, identify how structures that were not originally built as theaters may be used for performances.

The original design elements of the building remain intact even as a space for the performance is created.

Which of the following best describes the features of a proscenium space.

The seats all face the same direction, the orchestra is slanted downward toward the stage, and it typically has a balcony

Identify the characteristics most closely associated with a black box space.

The seats, lights, and platforms can be adapted in almost endless configurations including proscenium, thrust arena and multifocus spaces.

This U-shaped theatre space is the most widely used of all the stage spaces.

Thrust

Which of the below are examples of theatre that is performed outside in nontraditional settings?

Traditional plays performed in the streets. Politically charged theatre produced by activist groups in the street called guerrilla theatre. Original plays that focus on the problems of a specific population presented in a community park

Rather than making the play fit the space, Grotowski:

made the space fit the play.

Sometimes called the picture-frame stage, the ______ is the most familiar type of stage.

proscenium

____ represents a disadvantage to performance in an arena space.

the inability to use elaborate scenery

Giacomo Torelli developed this technological innovation for the proscenium stage.

Created a means to quickly move scenery on and off the stage.

In those productions specifically created for non-theater spaces, audiences

may move about from one location to another. may be placed in the middle of the action of the performance.

a ______ theatre environment is one that will use more than one playing area, and that some activity is happening in several of those spaces at the same time.

multifocus

Platform stages set up on one end of a courtyard in an inn were found in:

-England -Spain

The thrust stage effectively combines some of the best features of which other stage types?

-arena -Proscenium

Of the five basic theatre spaces, why is the thrust arrangement the most widely used?

-Many of the world's great plays were written specifically with the thrust space in mind. -The three-quarter viewing configuration helps to create an intimate space.

What elements of the proscenium theater are reflected in the photo and illustration?

-The performance space is defined by a proscenium arch or picture frame opening -The auditorium slants downward toward the stage -All the seats face the same direction toward the performance space

At the back of the thrust stage the _____ ______ allows for scene changes and creates a space for the actors to make their entrances or exits.

-stage -house

Another term for the proscenium type of stage is

-the picture frame space -the fourth wall space

Which of the following are ways the scene designer can influence the mood or the feeling of the audience when they come into a theater space?

-use lights, colors, and banners to create an -uplifting atmosphere -create a greater sense of intimacy by blocking off the balcony -close the rear of the orchestra if the space is too large

The audience becomes aware of the environment of the performed event by noticing:

-whether it is a large or small space. -if the space is formal or informal. -if the space is familiar or unfamiliar -if it is an indoor or outdoor space.

Unlike arena spaces in which the audience sits around the entire stage, the thrust stage has the audience sitting on _____ side(s)

3

Performers may be seen before and after they make their entrances and exits, and the minimal use of scenery represent two characteristics associated with this type of theatre space.

Arena

Blocking off the balcony, altering the decor of the space to add light and color, or closing off the rear of the orchestra are all ways that scenic designers can

make a formal space more informal

When a platform was put on wheels and moved to place to place as a wagon stage, audience would typically stand on three sides of the platform thereby making it an improvised _____ stage

thrust

The all-purpose or "black box" space can be transformed into which of these other kinds of theatre stages?

thrust proscenium arena

The wagon stage:

was used in the medieval age as a platform on wheels that moved through the town from place to place allowing the audience to stand on three sides.

Circle theatre and theatre-in-the-round are two other names for the ___ stage

arena

The most frequent space arrangement for extremely large popular performances is:

arena

Broadway-style theaters, or picture-frame stage spaces, have influenced the design of theaters all over the country. They are more commonly referred to as ____ theaters

proscenium

Which of the following are examples of the kind of physical theatre in which Antonin Artaud wished turn to in order to "abolish the stage and auditorium and replace them by a single site without partition or barrier of any kind...."

subway station warehouse barn

Whether large or small, indoors or outdoors, familiar or unfamiliar, the first thing the audience should become aware of is

the environment in which an event takes place.

Using lofts, warehouses, basements, and breweries for performances spaces is different than converting unusual spaces into full-scale theatres because

the original architectural elements of the space remain intact.

The directional areas of the stage in a proscenium theatre such as stage left and stage right are given their names from the perspective of:

the performer looking at the audience

When we speak of appropriateness, we are talking about:

the relationship of the stage space to a play or production.