Theatre terms explained
In the round: This means having a stage completely surrounded by the audience.
Proscenium (or “Pross”): That part of a modern theatre stage between the curtain and the orchestra, or between the curtain and the audience if there is no orchestra pit. It usually comprises an arch, through which the stage is viewed.
Sightlines: A sightline is the line of sight from any seat in the house to the stage, which may or may not allow a view of the stage in its entirety. Take the example of a box in the circle. The audience here may not have a complete view of the stage.
Stage directions: Everything is from the point of view of an actor standing in the centre of the stage. Stage left is to his or her left, and therefore, to the audience’s right. Downstage is forward of the actor, upstage is behind.
Flying: This doesn’t mean moving actors through the air. It instead refers to the storage of scenery in a loft above the stage, so that scenes are changed by raising or lowering scenery as required.
The Theatre Royal is the only surviving example of a Regency theatre in the country. What does that mean? Well, the Regency era was between 1811 and 1820, when King George III was unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. The Regency is a part of the Georgian era, which is the span of the Hanoverian Kings George I, II, III and IV from 1714 to 1830.
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‘ feet away from us. It demonstrated just how well designed was the auditorium, and how accurately it has been restored to Wilkins’ design. The theatre’s director Karen Simpson tells me there is a well beneath the stage, and that this is a common finding in classical theatre archaeology. It is suggested that a well amplifies certain parts of the sound spectrum and adds resonance to the voice. So, where now, in the 50th year since that first renovation? Karen is evangelical about involving the local community in the life of the theatre. Mindful of the fact that many of the prime movers of the cherished 1965 renovation are no longer alive, she is keen to capture thememories of those that remain. So, there will be an exhibition, which will include voice recordings of people who were there in 1965. Written memories will also be
displayed, along with photographs from that time, both before and after the work took place. The National Lottery Heritage Fund are funding the 50th anniversary celebrations and they include a play written by Danusia Iwaszkwhich will be staged in July this year. There is no title as yet, but she says it will portray those “remarkable people”who, undoubtedly, saved the theatre for subsequent generations. Their lives will be celebrated, and not only will their parts be played by actors, both professional and local amateurs, but they themselves will appear in cameo roles. A film will be made of the year, in documentary style. Of course, there will be another anniversary, in 2019, of the very beginning of the Theatre Royal. It will, says Karen, be a very different event to this one but no doubt just as interesting.
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