An Intimate View of a Performing Arts Center Essay

This is a must watch Broadway show that makes your fine, terrible, or even boring day, an absolute blast. The Play That Goes Wrong has finally made its way to America and right at the heart of New York City near Times Square at the Lyceum Theatre. Therefore, the experience is a win-win situation for the audience. The Lyceum Theatre’s architecture is astonishing as it is filled with ornaments, I also realized the letter ‘L’ around the theater, but the most interesting fact is that it is a landmark. It has a proscenium stage while the audience is in the orchestra, balcony, or the mezzanine seats, like where I sat, and there is barely any space if you are a tall person. My seat was near the far end of mezzanine, I couldn’t see a part of the left side of the stage, so I found myself bending sideways to see what was going on, but I saw nothing. I found the side stage lights and a side balcony blocking my view and yet I had a great time.

As soon as the audience enters the auditorium, they are greeted with a modern impression of an amphitheater. The uncommon shape of traverse stage is allows audience to experience a play that is 270 degrees, similar to a catwalk. Stage is completely carpeted, which interesting in terms of acoustics. As stage does not have

The performance hall was designed in a thrust manner, which from a frontal view of the stage, I sat on the left hand side. This designed allowed for an unorthodox relationship between the actor and the audience. The actors would commonly come off the stage and run around the hall, lacing the rows. While running around, they would sometimes sing to one individual or extend their hand for

Poor people called the groundlings, or penny knaves, were famous their love of plays.  They would pay one penny to stand in front of the stage in an area called the open yard. Going to a play was a lively event.  Groundlings would frequently talk, yell, and even throw things (think rotten produce, etc.) during the play. If the audience liked or did not like the play or the actors, the groundlings would let everyone in the theater know it. Rich people would even sit on stage and make comments to the audience during the play. The most expensive seats in a theater were the in the top row of the theater, farthest from the audience.  The cheap seats were directly in front of the stage, although people in this area stood. Rich people would want to

„h Groundling only paid a penny to get in, but for wealthier spectators there were seats in the three covered tiers or galleries between the inner and outer walls of the buildings extending round most of the auditorium and stage. It depended on your status as to where you viewed it from

Theatre today as in ancient Greek times is a popular form of entertainment. Today’s theatres share many similarities with the Greek predecessors however they are also very different. There are in fact many differences for example; layout, special effects, seating arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location and architectural features.

Broadway has evolved tremendously since its opening, from more theatres to a larger audience. A numerous amount of plays have been performed that have left unforgettable memories on everyone. Broadway has made major effective impacts on the economy, tourism, and entertainment industry.

When I entered into the theatre to take a seat, I noticed the stage was set up with showers, lockers, and small baseball field. The showers were placed in the back of the stage, the baseball players' lockers were placed on the sides, and there was painted baseball field in the middle of the

The theatre holds 3,500 people and it has one of the largest stages in the United States. If you would like to watch a live performance, upcoming shows include:

The auditorium plays a dual function, connecting the first floor to the second floor galleries, and it also works as an event area. The seats are connected to the stairs creating bleachers in between, with an open staircase pushed to the left of the wall. In this way visitors are able to engage in the space by not only going up the staircase. This exposed area provides different types of events, from a presentation or performance, to screenings projecting into the front of the auditorium, to more intimate gatherings like groups and clubs. These more intimate spaces are due to the mechanized walls that act a as a curtain to section off the auditorium. In this manner the spaces of the auditorium adapt to the circumstances and the purpose of each different event, making the visitor feel like it’s in control of the

Growing up, I have been to multiple theatre productions. I have seen the musical Wicked and the Lion King on Broadway, A Christmas Carol at the Alley Theatre and several high school productions including Greese and Much Ado About Nothing. This production was much different than the ones I have been to in the past. This play was on a smaller scale and the cast was smaller. However, this production felt more intimate since the audience was physically closer to the actors.

The space allows the audience to become part of the show, and also allows the actors to be more engaged with their surroundings. The space that was picked for this production fit the play absolutely perfectly. The stage was set up in the round where the audience on three sides surrounded the stage. This type of space made for even more interaction between the audience and the actors. At one point in the play I could feel the breath of one of the actors on stage.

“You'll find superstition a contagious thing. Some people let it get the better of them.” (Curt Siodmak). Theater has been around for ages, but naturally,curses and superstitions soon followed. Comparable to most cultures, theater people consider this especial seriously and do not think of it as a joke.

Additionally, indoor performances, primarily requested by courts and nobility, specifically used candles and torches as sources of illumination. Candles were placed at the front of the stage, between the wings leading to the stage, and above both the stage in order to frame the players. Chandeliers were also hung above those in attendance, to create a sense of audience. This marks both the first appearances of footlights in the theatre and, though basic, the beginning of a formulaic structure for lighting a performance space. Issues prevailed, however – there were still no successful methods for specific lighting, unless an actor held the light themselves to illuminate their face, nor were colored lights or gobo devices available. Though lighting was making its way into the theatrical world, it was purely technical, not called upon to be inventive, create illusions or accomplish tasks at this point in time.

However, there is one disadvantage about the staging. Participants could sit on the front of the stage enjoying the shows but the sitting place is not conformable as the original