Theatre in the round
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Theatre "In The Round" or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience is seated on all sides of the stage. In an arena theatre, there is an audience on every side of the performers; in effect there are four fourth walls. The stage itself in this arrangement is typically round, square, or triangular, with actors entering and exiting through the audience from different directions or from below the stage. Such a space is usually configured with the stage on an even level with or lowered below the audience in a "pit" or "arena" formation. This configuration lends itself to high-energy productions, and is especially favored by producers of classical theatre. Theatre in the round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not widely explored again until the latter half of the 20th century; it has continued as a creative alternative to the more common Proscenium format.
Theatre in the round presents problems since actors at all times have their back facing some members of the audience. However, it also allows for interesting and realistic staging. The configuration is also commonly employed when theatrical performances are presented in non-traditional spaces such as restaurants, public areas such as fairs or festivals, or street theatre. Special consideration needs to be taken in regard to the set design, so as not to obscure any audience member's view of the performance.
Originally this idea was conceived for the progressive-rock group Yes by their tour manager Jim Halley in the mid 1970's. This revolutionized rock concerts, ticket sales and venue seating arangements.[citation needed]
[edit] Theatres in the round
- United Kingdom
- New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
- Octagon Theatre, Bolton
- Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
- Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
- Orange Tree Theatre, London
- The Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
- Cockpit Theatre, London [1]
- United States
- Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.
- Cape Cod Melody Tent, Hyannis, Massachusetts [2]
- South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset, Massachusetts [3]
- Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Old_Globe_Theatre, San Diego, CA
- Northern Arizona University
- Circle Rep, New York City
- The Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, CO
- Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre, Seattle, Washington
- The Wells Fargo Pavilion, Sacramento, California home of California Musical Theatre's Music Circus [4]
- North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, Massachusetts [5]
- The Barksdale Theater in Richmond, Virginia
- The Irish Classical Theatre in Buffalo, New York
- Longstreet Theatre at the University of South Carolina
- TITR at Seton Hall University [6]
- Theatre In The Round in Minneapolis, Minnesota [7]
- Glendale Centre Theatre, Glendale, California [8]
- Marian Theatre, Santa Maria, California [9]
- Solvang Festival Theater, Solvang, California [10]
- Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley City, Utah and Gilbert, Arizona [11] [12]
- Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
- The Little Theatre, Newton North High School
- Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire, Illinois [13]
- The New Theater, Ashland, Oregon; one of the theaters used for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
- The North Fork Theatre at Westbury, Westbury, New York
