Theatre in the round

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The stage of the Cockpit Theatre, London, has seating on four sides

Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area. In 1947, Margo Jones established America's first professional theatre-in-the-round company when she opened her Theatre ’47 in Dallas.

As outlined by Margo Jones, her theatre-in-the-round concept requires no stage curtain, little scenery and allows the audience to sit on three sides of the stage. That stage design was used by directors in later years for such well-known shows as the original stage production of Man of La Mancha and all plays staged at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre (demolished in the late 1960s), including Arthur Miller's autobiographical After the Fall. Such theaters had previously existed in colleges but not in professional spaces.

[edit] Configuration of the stage

The stage itself in this arrangement is typically round, diamond, or triangular, with actors entering and exiting through the audience from different directions or from below the stage. Such a space is usually configured with the stage on an even level with or lowered below the audience in a "pit" or "arena" formation. This configuration lends itself to high-energy productions, and is especially favored by producers of classical theatre. Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome but was not widely explored again until the latter half of the 20th century; it has continued as a creative alternative to the more common Proscenium format.

Theatre-in-the-round presents problems since actors at all times have their back facing some members of the audience. However, it also allows for interesting and realistic staging. The configuration is also commonly employed when theatrical performances are presented in non-traditional spaces such as restaurants, public areas such as fairs or festivals, or street theatre. Special consideration needs to be taken in regard to the set design, so as not to obscure any audience member's view of the performance.

[edit] Uses in television and concert halls

The innovations of Margo Jones were an obvious influence on Albert McCleery when he created his Cameo Theater for television in 1950. Continuing until 1955, McCleery offered dramas seen against pure black backgrounds instead of walls of a set. This enabled cameras in the darkness to pick up shots from any position.

When an arena staging was conceived for the progressive-rock group Yes by their tour manager Jim Halley in the mid-1970s, it prompted a redesign of rock concerts and venue seating arrangements.

[edit] Arena stage archive

George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia is home to the largest Arena Stage Archive and contains material from the theater's 50 year history. Included in the collection are photographs, production notebooks, scrapbooks, playbills, oral histories and handwritten correspondence. According to their website, the total volume is 260 cubic feet or 440 linear feet and is housed in the Fenwick Library.

[edit] Theatres in the round

United Kingdom
- The Castle Theatre (can be in the round or normal theatre format)
- Cockpit Theatre, London
- New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
- Octagon Theatre, Bolton
- Orange Tree Theatre, London
- Pembroke Theatre (no longer exists) Croydon
- The Round, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
- Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
- Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

United States

Arizona

- Northern Arizona University
- Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona

California

- The Wells Fargo Pavilion, Sacramento, California, home of California Musical Theatre's Music Circus ^[1]
- Heritage Forum, Anaheim, California [1]
- Glendale Centre Theatre, Glendale, California [2]
- Marian Theatre, Santa Maria, California [3]
- Solvang Festival Theater, Solvang, California [4]
- Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Old_Globe_Theatre, San Diego, CA(demolished 2008)
- Circle Star Theater, San Carlos, California (torn down for office buildings)