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This article refers to live theatre venues, for information regarding cinemas see Movie Theater . , Paris , showing the stage, boxes, galleries and orchestra sections of the house. From an 18th Century watercolor.]] A theater or '''theatre''' is a structure where theatrical works or Plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given. While a theater is not required for performance (as in Environmental Theatre or Street Theatre ), a theater serves to define the acting and audience spaces and organize the theater space as well as provide facilities for the performers, the technical crew and the audience. There are as many types of theaters as there are types of theatre. Theaters may be built specifically for a certain types of productions, they may serve for more general performance needs or they may be adapted or coverted for use as a theatre. They may range from open-air Amphitheatre s to ornate, Cathedral -like structures to simple, undecorated rooms or Black Box Theater s. Some theaters may have a fixed acting area (in most theaters this is known as the Stage ), while some theaters such as black box theaters, may not, allowing the Director and designers to contruct an acting area suitable for the production. BASIC ELEMENTS OF A THEATRE STRUCTURE All theatre structures, regardless of type, contain certain basic elements. The most important of these areas is the acting space generally known as the stage. In some theatres, specifically proscenium theatres, arena theatres and ampitheaters, this area is permanent part of the structure. In a blackbox theatres, the acting area is undefined so that each theatre may adapted specifically to a production. In addition to these acting spaces, there may be offstage spaces as well. These include wings on either side of a proscenium stage (called "backstage" or "offstage") where Props , Sets and scenery may be stored as well as a place for actors awaiting an entrance. In an ampitheater, an area behind the stage may be designated for such uses while a blackbox theatre may have spaces outside of the actual theatre designated for such uses. Often a theatre will incorporate other spaces intended for the performers and other personnel. A booth facing the stage may be incorporated into the house where Lighting and sound personnel may view the show and run their respective instruments. Other rooms in the building may be used for dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, spaces for constructing sets, props and Costumes , as well as storage. All theatres provide a space for their audience. In proscenium theatres and ampitheaters, these areas, like the stage, are often a permanent feature of the structure. This area is known as the Auditorium or the House . Of course, like the stage in a blackbox theatre, this area is also defined by the production. In addition, many theatres may provide areas specifically designated for the comfort of the audience. These areas include a lobby where tickets and concessions may be sold, restrooms, and other areas where the audience may relax before, in between or after performances. These areas may be known as the "Front of House" or FOH . HISTORY OF THEATER CONSTRUCTION , Greece.]] Ancient Greece Greek theatre buildings were called a ''theatron'' ('seeing place'). The theatres were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three principal elements: the ''orchestra'', the ''skene'', and the audience. The centrepiece of the theatre was the ''orchestra'', or "dancing place", a large circular or rectangular area. The orchestra was the site the choral performances, the religious rites, and, possibly, the acting. An Altar was located in the middle of the orchestra; in Athens, the altar was dedicated to Dionysus. Behind the ''orchestra'' was a large rectangular building called the ''skene'' (meaning "tent" or "hut". It was used as a "backstage" area where actors could change their costumes and masks, but also served to represent the location of the plays, which were usually set in front of a palace or house. Typically, there were two or three doors in the skene that led out onto orchestra, and from which actors could enter and exit. At first, the ''skene'' was literally a tent or hut, put up for the religious festival and taken down when it was finished. Later, the skene became a permanent stone structure. These structures were sometimes painted to serve as backdrops, hence the English word '' Scenery ''. In front of the ''skene'' there may have been a raised acting area called the ''proskene'', the ancestor of the modern Proscenium stage. It is possible that the actors (as opposed to the chorus) acted entirely on the ''proskene'', but this is not certain. Rising from the circle of the orchestra was the audience. The audience sat on tiers of benches built up on the side of a hill. Greek theatres, then, could only be built on hills that were correctly shaped. A typical theatre was enormous, able to seat around 15,000 viewers. Greek theatres were not enclosed; the audience could see each other and the surrounding countryside as well as the actors and chorus. .]] Ancient Rome The Roman s copied this style of building, but tended not to be so concerned about the location, being prepared to build walls and terraces instead of looking for a naturally-occurring site. (See Roman Theatre for more.) Elizabethan England During the Elizabethan Era in England , theaters were constructed of wood. They consisted of several floors of covered galleries surrounding a courtyard which was open to the elements. A large portion of the audience would stand in the yard, directly in front of the stage. This layout is said to derive from the practice of holding plays in the yard of an inn. The only theater whose dimensions are known is the Fortune Theatre, which had a square floorplan. However, the Globe Theatre in London , where many of the plays of William Shakespeare were first staged was said to be round. The only evidence for the round shape is a line in Shakespeare's Henry V which calls the building "this wooden O", and a rough woodcut illustration of the city of London. Globe Theater in London ]]. The Globe has now been rebuilt as a fully working and producing theater near its original site (largely thanks to the efforts of film director Sam Wanamaker ) to give modern audiences an idea of the environment for which Shakespeare and other playwrights of the period were writing. Around this time, the Green Room , a place for actors to wait until required on stage, became common terminology in English theatres. Contemporary theatres Contemporary theaters are often non-traditional, such as very adaptable spaces, or theaters where audience and performers are not separated. A major example of this is the modular theater, (see for example the Walt Disney Modular Theater ). This large theater has floors and walls divided into small movable sections, with the floor sections on adjustable Hydraulic pylons, so that the space may be adjusted into any configuration for each individual play. As new styles of theatre performance have evolved, so has the desire to improve or recreate performance venues. This applies equally to artistic and presentation techniques, such as Stage Lighting ., home to the Alley Theatre Company, Houston, Texas .]] Specific designs of contemporary live theaters include Proscenium , Thrust , Black Box Theater , Theater In The Round , Amphitheater , and Arena . In the Classical Indian Dance , Natya Shastra defines 3 types of stage. Theatrical performances can also take place in venues adapted from other purposes, such as train carriages. In recent years the Edinburgh Fringe has seen performances in a lift (elevator) and a taxi. EXTERNAL LINKS
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