by Mr Harrison

Created on: August 06, 2007

In the 1800s a Russian theatre practitioner names, Stanislavski, invented the idea of realism.

Before his radical overhaul of theatre and acting methods, shows and performances were very hammy' and over the top, Victorian melodrama for example, that very pantomime style of acting.

When Stanislavski came alone, he wanted what audiences saw on the stage to be taken seriously and he wanted them to believe in what they were watching. Key to this idea was the use of the proscenium arch theatre. This fourth wall' principal, effectively separating the audience from the action, almost giving the impression there are two separate rooms, and only the audience can see the other. This was used as a form of distancing and was common place in theatre and still is today, thanks to Stanislavski.

In the 1930s however there was yet another radical change in the theatre brought about by a German called Brecht. He decided that the fourth wall should be broken down and engages the audience on an intellectual level. He wanted to distance the audience, but in a different way from Stanislavski. Brecht often showed the last show of the play first, so the audience were in no doubt as to what was going to happen, but thought about why it was happening and this allowed Brecht to use his theatre as a tool to comment on social events and controversial topics, often attacking institutions such as the class system.

So looking at these two, very different types of theatre, one supporting the use of proscenium arch, the other very much in favour of abandoning it, it is hard to draw a conclusion as to the use of this style of theatre. It is true you can perform Brecht on a proscenium arch, just as much as you can perform Stanislavski on a different shape stage. Proscenium arch, will always have a place in theatre as it provides a type of theatre that cannot be achieved with theatre in the round, or promenade etc. It is very much the traditional type of theatre, and is what most people expect of a theatre.

In conclusion, the proscenium is here to stay, however don't be afraid to try out different layouts and different stages, to enhance performance and your theatrical experiences and encounters.

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