GCSE Drama - Staging Pros and Cons

Some of the qualities of a proscenium arch stage are...

• Audience sit all around the stage

• An arch frames the performance

• The blocking is relatively easy due to the audience being sat in one place

Some of the qualities of an end-on stage are...

• An arch frames the stage

• The audience sit on both sides of the stage

• The actors only need to perform in one direction

Some of the qualities of an in the round stage are...

• Actors need to move and change their positions frequently so that all audience members can see the action

• The audience sit on two sides of the stage

• The audience sit all around the stage

Some of the qualities of a traverse stage are...

• A traverse stage is long and narrow with the audience sitting on either side

• A traverse stage sticks out into the audience, who sit on three sides

• The actors need to consider their blocking so that all audience members can see the action

Some of the qualities of a thrust stage are...

• A thrust stage sticks out into the audience, who sit on three sides

• A thrust stage is long and narrow with the audience sitting on either side

• It is harder to block action on this type of stage than on an' in the round' stage