theatre

Introduction
Origins of theatre space
Developments in ancient Greece
- Visual and spatial aspects
- Acoustics
Developments in ancient Rome
- Stage design
- Vitruvius’ treatise on architecture
- The odeum
Developments in Asia
- India
- China
- Japan
- Bali
The Middle Ages in Europe
- Church theatre
- Staging conventions
- Courtly diversions
Developments of the Renaissance
- The revival of theatre building in Italy
- Developments in staging
- The 16th and 17th centuries in France
- The Elizabethan stage
- Spain’s Golden Age
Baroque theatres and staging
- Court theatres
- Public theatres
  - The opera house
  - The Restoration playhouse
- Influence of technical achievements
- Scenic design
- Developments in France and Spain
- Developments in northern Europe
- Early Russian staging
Developments in the 19th century
- Theatre in France after the Revolution
- German Romanticism and Naturalism
- Russian imperial theatre
- British theatre and stage design
- Theatre and stage design in America
The evolution of modern theatrical production
- The new Naturalism
- Reactions to Naturalism
- The influence of Appia and Craig
- Other developments in the study of movement
- Development of stage equipment
- The influence of Reinhardt
- British innovations
- Influence of the fine arts
- Production aspects of Expressionist theatre
- The influence of Piscator
- Futurism in Italy
- Developments in Russia and the Soviet Union
  - The great directors
  - Russian Futurism—Suprematism
  - The propagandist theatre
  - Political festivals
- Developments in France
- Developments in the United States
- The influence of Brecht
- Theatre building after World War II
- The rise of alternative theatre spaces
- The influence of Grotowski and the Polish Laboratory Theatre

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Taormina, Sicily: theatre

Ornate stage of Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy, featuring classical architectural details, statues in niches, and a central archway opening onto a perspective street set.

Interactive: A Tour of the Rebuilt Globe Theatre

interior of the Swan Theatre

Italian-manner stage

Charles Kean as King Lear

box set for a scene from Ours

At a Glance

default image

theatre summary

Teatro Farnese — Teatro Farnese Teatro Farnese, Parma, Italy.

theatre

building

Also known as: theatron

Written by

George C. IzenourAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

theatre, in architecture, a building or space in which a performance may be given before an audience. The word is from the Greek theatron, “a place of seeing.” A theatre usually has a stage area where the performance itself takes place. Since ancient times the evolving design of theatres has been determined largely by the spectators’ physical requirements for seeing and hearing the performers and by the changing nature of the activity presented. The civilizations...

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