Page 75 - Theatre_Arts_Form_5

Theatre Arts for Advanced Secondary Schools

Advancement of arena into a building is a recent development. Like ancient
arena, the built arena is a kind of stage where performers perform at the middle
while surrounded by the audienceon all sides. The stage is created in such a way
that the audience sits or stands around a performing area . Though the audience
sit in round, the arena stage gives the space where the performers can enter and
FOR ONLINE READING ONLY
leave the stage during performances. The arena stage can be indoor or outdoor.
The arena stage is among the types of stage that are capable of accommodating a
large group of people. Figure 3.10 shows a sketch of arena stage in a round shape.

Stage

Audience

Figure 3. 10: A sketch for arena stage

Characteristics of arena stage

The arena stage possesses the following characteristics.

(a) Presence of aisle or walkways: The arena stage has a passage between
seat rows. Performers use the aisles or passages for various activities,
including entering and exiting. Even before the performers appear on the
stage, the audience can see them through walkways.

(b) The stage may be raised or not depending on the building style. Some
stages of the built arena are raised while some are not.

(c) The audience sit in all sides. In this stage, the audience watching a
theatrical performance sit in all sides. This sitting style enhances closeness
between performers and their audience. Therefore, the audience interacts
as the performance unfolds on stage.

65 Form Five

28/06/2024 15:04
THEATRE ART F5 fnl.indd 65 28/06/2024 15:04
THEATRE ART F5 fnl.indd 65