What is the front of house in a theatre?
house in Theatre topic. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. ldoce_164_g house. house1 /haʊs/ S1 W1 noun (plural houses / ˈhaʊzɪz/) 1 where someone lives [ countable] a) a building that someone lives in, especially one that has more than one level and is intended to be used by one family a four-bedroom house in a house every room in ...
What is Theatre?
house. Provides mounting positions for theatre equipment and staff access to any point over the stage for rigging and maintenance. house (noun) 1. the seating area or audience chamber of a performance space; auditorium; 2. the audience (adjective) in or relating to the audience chamber jump (noun) a raised work platform within the stage house;
What is house?
FRONT OF HOUSE (FOH) 1) Every part of the theatre in front of the proscenium arch. Includes foyer areas open to the general public. 2) All lanterns which are on the audience side of the proscenium and are focussed towards the stage. The backstage areas of the theatre are known as Rear of House (ROH).
What is the purpose of a stage house?
The House Theatre of Chicago and its community of artists, audience, supporters, and staff strives to build an equitable, diverse, anti-racist, accessible, transparent and inclusive institution through shared experiences of joy, hardship and imagination.
Why is a theatre called a house?
See END ON, THRUST, IN THE ROUND. The part of the theatre accommodating the audience during the performance. Sometimes known as the "house". From the Latin Audio - "I hear".
What does house mean in acting?
House Open- Actors will be told when the 'house is open,' meaning the audience is being let into the theatre. Usually this is the actor's cue to get backstage. House Right- The side of the stage that is on your right if you are in the audience facing the stage.
What is open the house in theatre?
1 : ready and usually informal hospitality or entertainment for all comers.
What is the house crew in theatre?
A Front of House staff member ensures quality customer service for the audience before, during and after a performance. They will work on a rota basis and are sometimes placed on the bar, box office or on the door.23-May-2019
What is a house manager in theater?
The House Manager attends all public performances and student matinees of the Theatre Arts. Department's season. Your primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of our. theatre patrons. The House Manager is expected to dress in a polished and professional manner.
What is improv in drama?
improvisation, in theatre, the playing of dramatic scenes without written dialogue and with minimal or no predetermined dramatic activity.
What does backdrop mean in theater?
: a painted cloth that is hung across the back of a stage. : the scene or scenery that is in the background.
What is it called when actors make up their own lines?
Improvisation skills are now a basic part of any actor's training. ... The trouble with improvising a scene is that as you're making up your own dialogue, whoever else is in the scene with you is doing the same thing, resulting in two actors who seem to be acting in different films at the same time.
Why are floor cloths tacked down?
The other three sides of the floor cloth were 'tacked' down to prevent it being a trip hazard. Large companies (e.g. The Royal Ballet) used to lay a floor cloth for each act. A stage-hand, with spade or shovel, worked round the floor cloth to 'up-end' the tacks that were holding the cloth down.
What is the apron in theatre?
APRON. The Apron is a section of the stage floor which projects towards or into the auditorium. In proscenium theatres, it's the part of the stage in front of the house tabs, or in front of the proscenium arch, above the orchestra pit. Also known as Forestage.
Where is the lake in Phantom of the Opera?
Most widely known now in reference to the tunnels and cellars underneath the Paris Opera House, in The Phantom of the Opera. The theatre by which the musical was inspired, the Palais Garnier, has an underground lake which inspired the original story of the Phantom of the Opera.
What is an apron stage extension?
Also known as Forestage. If an apron stage extension is added to an existing traditional proscenium arch theatre, this often results in poor sight lines from seats that are higher in the auditorium, leading to audience members having to lean forward in an attempt to see. German: vorbühne (literally, forestage). ARENA.
Where to leave coats and bags?
Area near the entrance of a theatre (or other public venue) where visitors may leave their coats and bags, in exchange for a small fee. The cloakroom attendant provides a numbered ticket or token, a duplicate of which is kept with the coat / bag to identify it. US: Coat Check. Germany: Garderobe.
What is the backstage of a stage?
BACKSTAGE. The part of the stage and theatre which is out of the sight of the audience. The service areas of the theatre, behind, beside or underneath the stage. Also refers to the personnel who work in the technical departments that work to create the performance, alongside the actors and musicians. BALCONY.
What is a small studio theatre?
A kind of flexible small studio theatre where the audience and actors are in the same room, surrounded by black tabs (curtains). Doesn't necessarily describe the audience layout, which can be easily reconfigured.The stage can be defined by a change of flooring (e.g. black dance floor), or a raised platform.
When was the house founded?
The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends to explore connections between Community and Storytelling through a unique theatrical experience. Since becoming eligible in 2004, The House has been nominated for 70 Joseph Jefferson Awards (24 wins) and became the first recipient of Broadway in Chicago’s Emerging Theater Award in 2007, ...
Who is the director of the House Theatre of Chicago?
The House is Chicago's premier home for intimate, original works of epic story and stagecraft. Founded by playwright and director Artistic Director Nathan Allen and driven by an interdisciplinary ensemble of Chicago’s next generation of great storytellers, The House aims to become a laboratory ...
Who is Erik from Lookingglass?
Erik is in his third season as Managing Director. Previously, he served as Director of Marketing at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Between leadership positions in Chicago, he worked at the Manhattan Theatre Club and received the TCG Leadership U Fellowship, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered by the Theatre Communications Group.
Who is Erik from Hadestown?
Erik is a co-producer on the Broadway musicals Hadestown (2019 Tony Award and Drama League Award for Best Musical) and Diana. Other producing credits include The Lightning Thief on Broadway, and Gilbert & Sullivan Unplugged at 54 Below and Florida Studio Theatre. Erik holds a BA from St. Olaf College, is a graduate of the Commercial Theatre ...
Who is the director of Black Lives Matter?
Black Lives Matter. Nathan Allen, Founding Artistic Director. August 19, 2020. It is the mission of The House to unite Chicago in the spirit of community through amazing feats of storytelling. We have not accomplished this mission.
What are the different types of theatre?
There are many modern theatre movements which go about producing theatre in a variety of ways. Theatrical enterprises vary enormously in sophistication and purpose. People who are involved vary from novices and hobbyists (in community theatre) to professionals (in Broadway and similar productions). Theatre can be performed with a shoestring budget or on a grand scale with multimillion-dollar budgets. This diversity manifests in the abundance of theatre sub-categories, which include: 1 Broadway theatre and West End theatre 2 Street theatre 3 Community theatre 4 Playback theatre 5 Dinner theater 6 Fringe theatre 7 Off-Broadway and Off West End 8 Off-Off-Broadway 9 Regional theatre in the United States 10 Touring theatre 11 Summer stock theatre
Why are actors called children of the pear garden?
During this era, Ming Huang formed an acting school known as The Pear Garden to produce a form of drama that was primarily musical. That is why actors are commonly called "Children of the Pear Garden.". During the dynasty of Empress Ling, shadow puppetry first emerged as a recognized form of theatre in China.
What is a theatre?
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage . The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, ...
Where does the name "theatre" come from?
The specific place of the performance is also named by the word "theatre" as derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, "a place for viewing"), itself from θεάομαι (theáomai, "to see", "to watch", "to observe").
What are the three types of theatre in Ancient Greece?
The theatre of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. The origins of theatre in ancient Greece, according to Aristotle (384–322 BCE), the first theoretician of theatre, are to be found in the festivals that honoured Dionysus.
Where did western theatre originate?
The city-state of Athens is where western theatre originated. It was part of a broader culture of theatricality and performance in classical Greece that included festivals, religious rituals, politics, law, athletics and gymnastics, music, poetry, weddings, funerals, and symposia.
What was the theatre of ancient Rome?
The theatre of ancient Rome was a thriving and diverse art form, ranging from festival performances of street theatre, nude dancing, and acrobatics, to the staging of Plautus 's broadly appealing situation comedies, to the high-style, verbally elaborate tragedies of Seneca.
What is front of house in theatre?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In the performing arts, front of house ( FOH) is the part of a performance venue that is open to the public. In theatres and live music venues, it consists of the auditorium and foyers, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas.
What is front of house?
In the performing arts, front of house ( FOH) is the part of a performance venue that is open to the public. In theatres and live music venues, it consists of the auditorium and foyers, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas.
What is the role of front of house manager in a theatre?
In a theatre, the front of house manager is responsible for welcoming guests, refreshments, and making sure the auditorium is set out properly.
What is the difference between front of house and front of house?
The front of house speakers are the main speakers that cover the audience, and the front of house desk is the desk that generates the front of house audio mix. In smaller venues the front of house desk may also produce foldback (monitor) mixes for the monitor speakers onstage, whereas in larger venues there will normally be a second mixing desk ...
What is stage lighting?
In stage lighting, any lighting fixtures that are on the audience side of the proscenium arch are referred to as being FOH. The lighting operator may also be located in the audience area as well, but are often in a lighting booth .
What are the skills needed for front of house?
These are the desirable skills to have to be a candidate for a Front of House role: 1 Multi-tasking skills 2 Ability to work in a fast-paced environment 3 Good communication skills 4 Experience in handling money 5 Complaint handling
What does a front of house do?
What do Front of House staff do? A Front of House staff member ensures quality customer service for the audience before, during and after a performance. They will work on a rota basis and are sometimes placed on the bar, box office or on the door.
What is the job of a house manager in a theater?
What Are the Duties of a House Manager in a Theater? Although the artists are responsible for the ultimate quality of a stage production, the house manager is responsible for ensuring that the audience has a safe, relaxed and pleasant experience in the venue. Not only does this individual relate to the audience as a host, ...
Do ushers have to be familiar with latecomers policy?
Some ushers may be assigned to hand out programs. Ushers must also be made familiar with the latecomers policy. The house manager makes sure that ushers have whatever supplies are needed to their job, such as a flashlights. Offer Block | SmartAsset.com. Loading.
What does a house manager do?
The house manager does a "walk through" of the theater to verify that the house is clean and presentable for the audience. If there are signs or notices relevant to a particular show, such as "no flash photography" or "no use of cell phones" the house manager makes sure those signs are in place.
What does a usher do?
Ushers take tickets and lead patrons to their seats. The house manager schedules, trains, and supervises these ushers. This means making sure that ushers have a sense of the seating scheme, so that they can lead patrons to their seats in the quickest possible way. Some ushers may be assigned to hand out programs.
Overview
Backstage or offstage
The areas of a theatre that are not part of the house or stage are considered part of backstage. These areas include dressing rooms, green rooms, offstage areas (i.e. wings), cross-overs, fly rails or linesets, dimmer rooms, shops and storage areas.
• Dressing rooms: Rooms where cast members apply wigs, make-up and change into costumes. Depending on the size of the theatre, there may be only a male and female dressing room, or the…
Types of theatres
• Arena: A large open space with seating capacity for very large groups. Seating layouts are typically similar to the theatre in the round, or proscenium (though the stage will not have a proscenium arch. In almost all cases the playing space is made of temporary staging (risers) and is elevated a few feet higher than the first rows of audience.
• Black box theatre: An unadorned space with no defined playing area. Often the seating is not fixed allowing the room to be re-con…
Stage
The area of the theatre in which the performance takes place is referred to as the stage.
In order to keep track of how performers and set pieces move around the space, the stage is divided up into sections oriented based on the performers perspective to the audience. Movement is choreographed by blocking which i…
House
The house can refer to any area which is not considered playing space or backstage area. Outside the theatre itself this includes the lobby, coat check, ticketing counters, and restrooms. More specifically, the house refers to any area in the theatre where the audience is seated. This can also include aisles, the orchestra pit, control booth, balconies and boxes.
History of Theatre
- Classical and Hellenistic Greece
The city-state of Athens is where western theatre originated.[c] It was part of a broader culture of theatricality and performance in classical Greece that included festivals, religious rituals, politics, law, athletics and gymnastics, music, poetry, weddings, funerals, and symposia.[d] Participation … - Roman theatre
Western theatre developed and expanded considerably under the Romans. The Roman historian Livy wrote that the Romans first experienced theatre in the 4th century BCE, with a performance by Etruscan actors. Beacham argues that they had been familiar with "pre-theatrical practices" fo…
Types
- Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action", which is derived from the verb δράω, dráō, "to do" or "to act". The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presuppose… - Musical theatre
Music and theatre have had a close relationship since ancient times—Athenian tragedy, for example, was a form of dance-drama that employed a chorus whose parts were sung (to the accompaniment of an aulos—an instrument comparable to the modern clarinet), as were some …
Theories
- Having been an important part of human culture for more than 2,500 years, theatre has evolved a wide range of different theories and practices. Some are related to political or spiritual ideologies, while others are based purely on "artistic" concerns. Some processes focus on a story, some on theatre as event, and some on theatre as catalyst for social change. The classical Greek philoso…
Technical Aspects
- Theatre presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception. The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception. The production of plays usually involves contributions from a playwright, director, a cast of actors, and a technical production team that i…
Sub-Categories and Organization
- There are many modern theatre movements which go about producing theatre in a variety of ways. Theatrical enterprises vary enormously in sophistication and purpose. People who are involved vary from novices and hobbyists (in community theatre) to professionals (in Broadway and similar productions). Theatre can be performed with a shoestring budget or on a grand scal…
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