The stage: the invisible character

May 30, 11:16 AMNashville Theatre ExaminerLogan L. Masterson

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When we go to the theater, we're swept up in all the magic of a live performance.  That experience can be enhanced by an understanding of the arts and sciences that go into making a play come to life.  In the interest of deepening that understanding, here is an overview of an invisible character that neither speaks nor moves, but lurks silently under the set and the more dynamic actors that populate it.

The stage itself is raised above the floor of the "house", which is usually defined as everything on the audience side of the curtain.  Upon this platform, the set is built, the lights are targeted and focused and the play goes on.

Here is a diagram showing the basic components of the most common of Western stages, the proscenium stage:


Let's begin our examination with the basic sections of the stage, which are used in blocking (or 'defining') the actors' movements.     The main focus being center stage, which is self-explanatory.  To the left we can see and are labeled "House Left, Stage Right".  These terms are often confused, even by experienced actors.  House left means left from the audience's perspective, while stage right indicates the actors' point of view.  Upstage and downstage are also often confused.  We hear the phrase upstage often, and many people assume this means stepping in front of another performer to steal attention.  In reality, it means stepping back and forcing the other actor to turn his or her back to the audience.  The term comes from a time when the stage was angled toward the audience, or "raked".  It is now more common for the audience to be raked, with seats farther from the stage being higher than those in front.

With the basics out of the way, we can look at a few other elements.  Firstly, on both left and right of the stage are the wings.  These are areas where actors and set pieces wait for their entrance cues, usually at the same height as the deck itself.  A similar area is "back stage", where dressing rooms and the like are located.  At the front of the stage in the apron, which is one of the many elements that may or may not appear in a given theater.  The apron is a section of the stage that projects beyond the curtain or proscenium (which we'll get to in a minute).  This projection allows the actors to get just a little closer to the audience, facilitating a better view for those seated at the sides.

There are just a few more elements to examine, and these are numbered along the left side of the diagram:

1. Back wall or skene.  This is the wall that hides the backstage area from the audience.  When it is constructed as a free-standing wall, it is called a skene, a Greek word that gives us our English "scene".  The Roman form is "scaenae"   Backdrops are often hung from this part of the stage, providing a sense of depth and scale to a set.
2. Proscenium.  This is a wall or arch constructed to hide the wings and any overhead lighting that might otherwise be visible.  It provides a sort of picture frame effect to a play, framing in what is commonly called the fourth wall, the invisible wall of an area through which the audience views the action.  Some theaters use only curtains instead of solid walls, but in older venues the proscenium is a beautifully decorated part of the building itself.  The word transliterates as "in front of or before the scene".
3. The Curtain.  Sometimes elaborate, sometimes simple, the curtain (or main curtain, grand drape, house drape or tabs) is a thick cloth made to hide the stage and muffle sounds as actors and set pieces take their places.  Most curtains are raised at the beginning of a play or act, called guillotine curtains.  Some move to one side of the stage, in an effect called a wipe.  Others are drawn to either side and are called tableu curtains.  These last can duplicate the effect of a proscenium where one is not available.  There may be many secondary curtains in a large theater, such as teasers, tormentors, scrims and cycloramas.
   
   There are many other styles of stages.  Theatre in the round is performed on a technically challenging deck completely surrounded by the audience.  The thrust stage is essentially all apron, providing a good deal of seating on both sides.  There are also many "found" and improvised stages in use across the globe: theatre will happen when and where it likes.