Shapes of the Theater

Theater does not only consist of the actors and the drama. Every type of theater has its own need of a stage, indifferent of what it might be, it set distinctions between types of plays. There three main types of architectural forms of stage: the proscenium, the thrust, and the arena. All have its pros and its cons.

Teatro Municipal do Rio DE Jaineiro, Brazil

Proscenium types of theater allow the audiences to observe the play from any part of the theater. This is very common for theatrical performances especially in the Americas. Unfortunately it restricts the ability to fully feel as part of the performances.

Maclab Theater, Canada

The thrust style leaves a little space between the actor and the audience, making the audience feel part of the play, or entertainment. At instances there has been complaints of the front row audience getting sweat on them. On the other hand it is hard to actually have more than 5 people in the play without having obstructions. Typically these theaters are used by smaller theater companies, to accommodate themselves.

Riverside Community Theater, California

The arena style works mostly for bigger crowds, but it is very limited in how things will make it work out. In this case the theater can only hold 183 people allowing interaction with the actors, yet limiting the audience significantly. On another note the actors might have to turn their backs to the audience at some point.

All three types of theater are significant to the performance because of their pros and cons.