What does theatrical stage mean?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

What does "theatrical stage" mean? This phrase is often used in the media and literature. It has two interpretations - literally and figuratively. Most of the time it's portable. It seems that it will be interesting to consider the two sides of the phrase "theatrical stage" and find out what they were like at different times.

What does the dictionary say?

There are considered two interpretations of the noun "scaffolding":

1. Elevation, platform, part of scaffolding.
2. Theatrical term for stage, stage deck.

Thus, we can conclude that "theatrical stage" in the literal sense means both the material from which the stage in the theater is made, and the stage itself.

Stage is an ancient Greek word that literally means "tent, tent." Now this is the name of the key part of the theater premises, the place where the main theatrical action takes place. It is most often located directly in front of the auditorium, towering above it. But there are theaters where the audience is locatedaround the stage, which is on the same level with them.

Stage device

In the theaters of ancient Greece, at first it was just a tent where the actors were preparing for performances. And later it turned into a part of the scenery, which depicted the background. The action itself then took place in the orchestra - on a round, and later semicircular platform, where actors, a choir, and some of the musicians performed. Then it moved to the proskenium - the wooden facade of the stage. More details about the ancient theater stage will be discussed below.

In modern theater, as a rule, closed-type stages are used, which are called the “box stage”. Its main feature is the presence of a closed space, which is separated by a wall from the auditorium. Such a stage and the hall communicate with each other through a hole located in the front wall of the stage.

The architectural arch that is formed in this way is called the “portal of the stage”, and the space inside this arch is called the “mirror of the stage”.

The stage is divided into three parts along the horizontal section:

1. Proscenium - Front.
2. Stage is average.
3. Rearscene - back.

The third part is usually attached to the main box as an extension. Decorations are stored in it and quickly replaced with the help of furoks - rolling platforms.

Besides, the stage is divided into the playing part, which lies within the view of the audience, and backstage side spaces. Attachments are also located on the sides, theyare called "pockets", they are also equipped with rolling platforms.

Turntable

It is one of the accessories of the theater stage. This is a part of the scene board, which is made in the form of a circle and rotates around the central axis. The purpose of the stage circle is to move performers and scenery around the circumference. With its help, you can quickly change voluminous scenery, unfolding the action in a changed space, building dynamic mise-en-scènes. All this makes it possible to enhance the emotional impact on the audience.

The turntable was invented in 1758 by the Japanese playwright Namiki Shozo for the Kabuki theater. And in the 30s. In the 19th century, again in Japan, a device was developed with the help of which a double rotation of the stage was carried out. This expanded the possibilities for the implementation of plays.

On the European stage, the turning circle was first used in 1896 in Munich, at the Residenz Theatre, when staging the opera Don Giovanni. He also played an important role in the productions of K. S. Stanislavsky. Nowadays, this device is a necessary attribute of a stage in a drama theater, and in the form of a collapsible installation it is sometimes used in both opera and ballet.

In Ancient Greece

All theaters in it were divided into three main parts:

1. Orchestra.
2. Teatron.
3. Skena.

As mentioned above, the orchestra was originally a place for actors to perform. The theater is a place for spectators, which were located obliquely around the orchestra. Nearthere was a skene from it, it had a front wall - a proskenium in the form of a colonnade depicting the facade of a palace or temple. The skene had side extensions at both ends - paraskenia, in which theatrical property was stored.

Complication of designs

With the development of ancient Greek dramaturgy, theatrical constructions became more complex. Staged equipment began to appear, the skene turned into powerful structures made of wood and used as decorations.

Ekkiklems were widespread - platforms that were put forward on low wheels. They were taken out of the central aisle by skenes, showing the public what was happening inside the building. There were also eorems - devices for lifting actors into the air. Later they received such a name as "mekhane" - "machine".

Subsequently, painted decorations appeared, which made it possible to turn the proskenium into the facade of a building: a palace, a temple, a house, a king's tent. Painted canvases or boards were placed in the space between the columns.

During the period relating to the 4th-1st centuries BC. e., the Greek theater has changed a lot. Theaters were still built without a roof, open, but they were made of stone. Therefore, a large number of ruins of such "theatre stages" have come down to our time, the photo of which is given below.

Now the action of the plays took place not on the orchestra, but on the proskenia, on its flat roof. This site was now called "logeyon". This word comes from the verb "lego", whichAncient Greek translates as "I say." In depth, the logeyon ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 meters. Behind it was the second floor of the skene, which looked like a wall with doors, in fact, in front of it, a theatrical performance took place. Thus, the skene gradually began to look like a modern theater stage - a stage.

In European theaters

As for other European countries, there were no indoor theaters until the 16th century. For example, as early as the end of the 15th century in England, performances were played on platforms that had a canopy of straw only in the back. They were separated by two side columns from the open part of the stage. The platform itself was trapezoidal, and the base of the trapezoid was extended into the hall. It had a small turret on top and was often used as decoration.

In Italy, theatrical productions were amateur, they were episodic, so there were no stationary buildings. There were two types of theater - square and court. In the second case, a temporary stage was built for the nobles in the gardens and an amphitheater was arranged for the audience. With the transfer of the theater to the inside of the palace at the beginning of the 16th century, its architecture also changed. On the stage, they began to use a backdrop, which was painted taking into account the perspective, which made it possible to distribute the scenery in a limited space. This began not only the application of a new set system, but also a new theatrical architecture. The stage began to develop in depth, which led to the invention of the front curtain separating the hall from the stage.

Figuratively

The use of the studied expression in its direct meaning was discussed above. Over time, it has also become portable. After all, the word "theater" can also be understood in different ways:

• first, as a building where performances are shown;
• secondly, as a kind of art that conveys an artistic concept through the stage actions of actors performing in front of the audience.

If we take the second of the indicated meanings of "theater", then the phrase in question is used in a figurative sense. For example, when people talk about “theatrical stage reception,” they mean not just a leading actress standing on the stage, in the sense of a structure. Most likely, they consider her place in theatrical art in general. In a figurative sense, the expression is also used when it comes to the script for The Theater Stage. Today, such a name, which has acquired a poetic flair, is often given to festivals, performances, competitions.