What happens on a thrust stage?

open stage, also called thrust stage, or platform stage, theatrical stage without a proscenium, projecting into the audience and surrounded on three sides by the audience.

What does a thrust stage do?

Thrust stages

The thrust stage area itself is not always square but may be semi-circular or half a polygon with any number of sides. Such stages are often used to increase intimacy between actors and the audience.

Where is the audience in a thrust stage?

Arena stage theatre seats the audience on all sides of the stage. Thrust stage theatre seats the audience on three sides of the stage. End stage theatre seats the audience on one side of the stage.

Does a thrust stage pushes into the audience?

The proscenium stage and thrust stages both serve important functions in theatrical productions. The proscenium stage is defined by its sharp separation of the action of the play from the audience (usually by the frame), while the thrust stage pushes the action of a play into the audience.

What does a thrust stage look like?

Thrust stages are most commonly trapezoidal, semicircular, rectangular, or square. In both arena and thrust stage theatres, some members of the audience will be looking at other members of the audience across the stage, where they will appear as the background to the performance.

Theatre Space: The Thrust Space



What are the pros and cons of a thrust stage?

A thrust stage protrudes into the audience with the audience on three sides. This is one of the oldest stage types. Advantages: Can use large back drop, there are three front rows, audience interaction may be easier. Disadvantages: Sightlines for those on extreme ends may be limited or obstructed.

Which best describes the thrust stage?

open stage, also called thrust stage, or platform stage, theatrical stage without a proscenium, projecting into the audience and surrounded on three sides by the audience.

Who uses a thrust stage?

The thrust stage, which is also called the open stage or the platform stage, was used in the corrales of Spain's Golden Age of theater (beginning about 1570) and in the traditional No theater of Japan. It was also used in the first London playhouses, including the Globe, which were built during Elizabethan times.

Why is a thrust stage more intimate?

Audience to Performer Relationship: The thrust stage highlights the significance of an intimate relationship that the actors have with the entire audience, even the audience members sitting in the balcony, because of the close proximity the audience and actors are in.

How big is a thrust stage?

It can vary in depth from a narrow 3 ft. to as much as 15 ft. The thrust stage is not a new development. The arena stage is an even more intimate actor-audience theatre than the thrust.

When was the thrust stage created?

It dates back to the Golden Age of Spanish theater (roughly 1570) and is used today in traditional Japanese No theaters. Several playhouses around the country are based upon it, such as the Globe in Elizabethan times.

What does a thrust stage have quizlet?

A thrust stage is a stage that consist of audience being surrounded on only three sides. An arena stage has the audience on all four sides. It is characterized by a central stage. Also called Theatre-in-the-round!

Why are some stages called thrust stages?

Thrust stages have the audience (usually) on three sides of the stage. The stage itself is thrust out, extending into the audience. Almost all fashion show runways are thrust stages.

What is thrust and arena stage?

Arena Theater

An end on stage has audiences on a single side, a thrust stage has audiences on three sides and an arena stage features audiences on all four sides. These types of stages are used when no background is required and when the audience needs to engage with the performance from all sides.

Who created the thrust stage?

Tanya Moiseiwitsch, a stage designer who influenced the shape of modern theater stages based on the “thrust"-style stage from Shakespeare's era, has died. She was 88.

What are the negatives of a thrust stage?

Disadvantages
  • Actors may feel intimidated.
  • Limited entrances and exits for the actors.
  • Set can be viewed from multiple angles so must be 3D.
  • Audience may be distracted by each other.


What are the 3 types of theatre stages?

Types of Performance Stages
  • Proscenium Stage. When thinking of a “theatre stage”, this is what typically comes to mind. ...
  • Thrust Stage. A thrust stage, which has the audience is on 3 sides will thrust into the auditorium seating space. ...
  • Black Box or Flexible Theatre.


Why is a proscenium stage good?

A proscenium arch creates a "window" around the scenery and performers. The advantages are that it gives everyone in the audience a good view because the performers need only focus on one direction rather than continually moving around the stage to give a good view from all sides.

Is the globe a thrust stage?

No, Shakespeare's Globe, like the original, is a working theatre. It is open air, with a thrust stage that leans out into the audience, as was the original Globe. The building provides cover for three tiers of seating, but most audience members stand, entirely unprotected from the elements.

What type of stage has the audience on three sides quizlet?

The thrust stage extends into the audience space so that the audience sits on three sides of the stage. This type of stage makes the audience feel closer to the actors, compared to a proscenium arch stage.

What type of stage has audience on all sides?

An Arena stage is characterized by a central stage surrounded by audience on all sides. The stage area is also often raised to improve sightlines.

What is the proscenium arch quizlet?

proscenium arch. frame or opening of a proscenium stage through which the audience views the play. teaser. heavy curtain or canvas-covered wooden frame hung above the proscenium opening to adjust the height of the opening. tormentors.

Where do the actors move on stage?

An actor who turns to his or her right is moving stage right, while an actor who turns to his or her left is moving stage left. The front of the stage, called downstage, is the end closest to the audience. The rear of the stage, called upstage, is behind the actor's back, furthest from the audience.

Do thrust stages have wings?

A Thrust stage extended wall to wall, like a thrust stage with audience on just one side, i.e. the front. "Backstage" is behind the background wall. There is no real wingspace to the sides, although there may be entrances located there.