Use of Space

As seen in the plan for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, the theatres popular in this time were very large. One wonderful aspect of the magnitude of these spaces, though, is how the designers still maintained the sense of intimacy seen in the not so long ago Elizabethan theatres. Though the size of the acting areas is huge, the stage still drastically thrusts out into the audience, providing an intimate atmosphere for the actors and audience members. With this size and shape of theatre, new scenery techniques were used, and old ones were improved upon. The use of permanent proscenium arches continued, and on a much grander scale. The wing and drop style of scenery was capitalized upon during this era. Large pieces of scenery were needed to fill the space, so painted wings and drops were used to quickly and easily change locale. In the video below, several theatres from around the Restoration era are examined in terms of space, shape, and scenery used in them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8vaTMiyJLg

History of Theatre 7 - The Arched Spectacle. YouTube. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8vaTMiyJLg>.