The first mention of the theater dates back to antiquity. In those distant times, performances took place on an ordinary open-air stage, around which several rows of benches were located. Since that time, theaters have changed both their appearance and interior decoration. Today, the theater creates comfortable conditions for viewing performances. All places for spectators are divided into several types.
Parterre and balcony: the origin of the names
Many of the place names in the theater come from antiquity or the Middle Ages. In those days, when theaters did not have separate rooms, and there were no comfortable chairs, even more so, the bulk of the audience watched the actors play simply by standing at the edge of the stage. This place is called porter.
At the same time, the stage was located in the center of the city, so many of the residents of the neighboring houses went out to their balconies, from where they had a beautiful view and from where they could watch everything that was happening on the stage. Since that time, the spectator seats located on the second level have been called the balcony.
When theater halls appeared, these concepts were transferred along with the repertoires of actors under the roof of the room. At the same time, the seats for a long time were only on the balcony and were intended for the nobility and other elite classes, and the common people continued to stand at the edge of the stage, eagerly watching the actors play. For the first time, armchairs appeared in porter only during the French Revolution.
Balconies could be located both on the second tier and on the sides of the porter.
Other seats in the theater
At the same time, in the modern theater the most honorable place is the box. It is a fenced-off place on a certain tier, which favorably distinguishes it from balconies. Usually lodges are located in the most convenient places. The main box is considered to be the general (or royal) box, which is located opposite the stage. Such a box has a separate exit, and all its visitors are visible to those present in the porter and on the balconies, which gives special significance to honored guests.
Another place for spectators is the benoir, which is located on the sides of the porter. It is either on the same level with the stage, or slightly below it.
All lodges are conditionally divided into Italian and French, which differ in shape and size. The Italian type is more in-depth, which allows viewers to hide from prying eyes. The French box, on the other hand, has a completely different form and is intended to demonstrate the honorary spectators who are in it.
There is also a gallery and a rayek, which are located on the topmost tier. These are the cheapest seats in the theatre.
Excellent - from what place any performance will seem brilliant. We offer you to figure out which seats to choose when buying a ticket to the theater.
Modern acting often implies an unexpected arrangement of spectators and actors in space. However, most metropolitan venues prefer the traditional hall layout, where it is easy enough to choose the right seat by following simple rules.
The most important thing for any performance, be it a classical opera, Chekhov's comedy or a plastic performance, is to make the viewer feel comfortable, to be able to see and hear everything. In each theater, the hall scheme is divided into several zones. In the largest hall, their number can reach five. This includes the stalls, the amphitheater, mezzanine, balcony and box.
Parterre
The lower floor of the auditorium is located closest to the stage. When choosing seats in the stalls, you should pay attention that seats in the front row will cost more, but not all theaters will have a better view from them. In most cases, viewers have to watch the whole action with their heads up. In addition, extraneous behind-the-scenes noise is perfectly audible from the first row.
If you are going to a classical production, for example, to a ballet, give preference to the so-called "director's" - the eighth row. From here you will see an excellent picture enclosed in a frame, which is commonly called the stage portal. However, keep in mind that every theater has a "sound pit" that is roughly between the fifth and tenth rows. Here the sound flies over the viewer.
Photo courtesy of coronatours. Parterre La Scala Amphitheater
The area immediately behind the stalls is called the amphitheater, and usually rises above the stalls with small ledges. In fact, the first rows of the amphitheater can be considered the most comfortable. Here the viewer gets an excellent overview, audibility and the opportunity to simultaneously see all the action.
Photo from the Belcanto website. Opera Garnier in Paris mezzanine and balcony
The mezzanine is located one tier above the stalls and the amphitheater. A balcony is everything that is on the tiers above the mezzanine. From the first rows, an excellent view of the stage opens up, but it will no longer be possible to examine the stage in detail. However, these places are ideal for listening to operas, operettas and musicals.
Photo courtesy of nrfmir. Hall of the Mariinsky Theater Lodge
Separate parts of the hall, which are located on the tiers on the sides of the stalls, are called lodges. They are an individual hall for several people with a separate entrance. Traditionally, representatives of high society were here, not only to watch the performance, but also to show themselves. Until now, these seats remain the most expensive and most inconvenient, since the stage is not fully visible, and for the most part the performance has to be watched half-turned.
Photo from mosmonitor website. Lodges of the Bolshoi Theater Blackbox
In modern theaters, a new hall layout is more common - a “blackbox” or a transforming hall. The director, based on his idea, can arrange the chairs in any way. Often the first row is on the same level with the actors and the viewer enters the space of the play. In order not to miscalculate with visibility, take tickets in the center of the hall, to the good old "director's" row.
Photo courtesy of meyerhold. Blackbox at CIM Cover: Classictic
When this exciting moment of visiting the theater comes, it is not difficult to get confused. After all, there is a difficult task of buying tickets ahead. How to make the right choice? Is the stalls in the theater really the most convenient and expensive area? Let's try to take a little digression and understand what really should be chosen.
What is a parterre?
The concept of "parterre" came to us from ancient Rome. In the theaters of that time, located, as a rule, in the open air, around the stage with the actors there were semicircular areas filled with spectators. The audience was diverse. Both wealthy and poor people stood and looked at the performance. Already at the end of the 19th century, there were 2 rows of chairs near the stage. Behind them was a space filled with cheap-ticket audiences who enjoyed the spectacle standing up. The word "parterre" itself has French roots (par - by, terre - land) and means "on the ground."
The general definition is as follows: stalls - seats in the theater located on the floor plane parallel to the stage and below its level. In most theaters, the plane is understood a little towards the back rows. This improves the overview. The parterre in the theater is considered to be the most demanded and privileged place. There is an orchestra pit between the stage and the stalls.
Pros and cons of the partner
It doesn't matter what genre you prefer. Whether it's a musical, dramatic performance or opera, the stalls in the theater will allow you to:
Enjoy the richness and coherence of musical accompaniment;
See and examine the faces and costumes of the characters.
It should be noted that in different parts of the stalls these positive nuances are very individual. It all depends on the technical characteristics of the hall itself:
acoustics;
Stage heights.
The disadvantages include the need to keep your head up.
If you are not too lucky with the acoustics of the room, in the first rows, as well as in the side parts of the stalls, on the contrary, the purity of the sound can be distorted. But this rarely happens. The most convenient and panoramic is the central part of the seventh row.
In what cases will seats in the stalls really spoil the real pleasure of what is happening on stage for you? This can happen when the action is full-scale, where a large number of extras are involved. The parterre will not allow you to see everything that is happening more voluminously, in other words, “grab” the whole picture. This often happens in ballet productions. The genre of music can also play an important role. Parterre's shortcomings are especially acutely felt in the Philharmonic, and not in the theater.
In addition to all that has been said, places in the stalls impose certain obligations. This part of the hall is well visible, and many people's eyes can be fixed on you. And this means that you need to look and behave accordingly.
In some performances, a great emphasis is placed on the auditorium. In such productions, you can be not only a spectator, but also, in a sense, a participant in what is happening, because the stalls in the theater are considered as extras. Be alert. Do not abuse perfume or cologne. Think about those who sit next to you. And if you really want to enjoy watching, you need to take care of buying tickets early. After all, the stalls in the theater are still the most convenient and desirable place for any spectator.
A good theatergoer knows what performances to watch, an excellent theatergoer knows from what place any performance will seem brilliant. We offer you to figure out which seats to choose when buying a ticket to the theater.
Modern acting often implies an unexpected arrangement of spectators and actors in space. However, most metropolitan venues prefer the traditional hall layout, where it is easy enough to choose the right seat by following simple rules.
The most important thing for any performance, be it a classical opera, Chekhov's comedy or a plastic performance, is to make the viewer feel comfortable, to be able to see and hear everything. In each theater, the hall scheme is divided into several zones. In the largest hall, their number can reach five. This includes the stalls, the amphitheater, mezzanine, balcony and box.
Scheme of the hall of the Bolshoi Theater
Parterre
The lower floor of the auditorium is located closest to the stage. When choosing seats in the stalls, you should pay attention that seats in the front row will cost more, but not all theaters will have a better view from them. In most cases, viewers have to watch the whole action with their heads up. In addition, extraneous behind-the-scenes noise is perfectly audible from the first row.
If you are going to a classical production, for example, to a ballet, give preference to the so-called "director's" - the eighth row. From here you will see an excellent picture enclosed in a frame, which is commonly called the stage portal. However, keep in mind that every theater has a "sound pit" that is roughly between the fifth and tenth rows. Here the sound flies over the viewer.
Photo courtesy of coronatours. Parterre La Scala
Amphitheater
The area immediately behind the stalls is called the amphitheater, and usually rises above the stalls with small ledges. In fact, the first rows of the amphitheater can be considered the most comfortable. Here the viewer gets an excellent overview, audibility and the opportunity to simultaneously see all the action.
Photo from the Belcanto website. Opera Garnier in Paris
mezzanine and balcony
The mezzanine is located one tier above the stalls and the amphitheater. A balcony is everything that is on the tiers above the mezzanine. From the first rows, an excellent view of the stage opens up, but it will no longer be possible to examine the stage in detail. However, these places are ideal for listening to operas, operettas and musicals.
Photo courtesy of nrfmir. Hall of the Mariinsky Theater
Lodge
Separate parts of the hall, which are located on the tiers on the sides of the stalls, are called lodges. They are an individual hall for several people with a separate entrance. Traditionally, representatives of high society were here, not only to watch the performance, but also to show themselves. Until now, these seats remain the most expensive and most inconvenient, since the stage is not fully visible, and for the most part the performance has to be watched half-turned.
Photo from mosmonitor website. Lodges of the Bolshoi Theater
Blackbox
In modern theaters, a new hall layout is more common - a “blackbox” or a transforming hall. The director, based on his idea, can arrange the chairs in any way. Often the first row is on the same level with the actors and the viewer enters the space of the performance. In order not to miscalculate with visibility, take tickets in the center of the hall, to the good old "director's" row.
Photo courtesy of meyerhold. Blackbox at CIM
Dear friends! Of course, you know that for productive work you need to be able to relax. One of the pleasant and cultural ways of recreation has long been considered a visit to the theater. But behind the first doors, in the lobby, we find ourselves in a world full of secrets and mysteries. In the truest sense of the word. We are captivated by a stream of unfamiliar, and often incomprehensible words: foyer, administrator, stalls, mezzanine... What to do? Where can I find an administrator? Where is it better to take a ticket: to the stalls or mezzanine? Where is the lobby? Let's try to figure it out.
Start over. What is theater?
Theater(Greek Θέατρον - the main meaning is a place for spectacles, then - a spectacle, from θεάομαι - I look, I see) - a form of performing art.
Theater is a synthesis of all arts, it includes music, architecture, painting, cinematography, photography, etc. The main means of expression is the actor, who, through action, using various theatrical techniques and forms of existence, conveys to the viewer the essence of what is happening on the stage.
In this case, the actor does not have to be a living person. It can be a doll or some object controlled by a person. The theater is considered the most powerful means of influencing people, because, seeing what is happening on the stage, the viewer associates himself with one or another character. Through catharsis (purification through suffering), changes occur within him. The main workers of the theater: directors, actors, make-up artists, cloakroom attendants, illuminators, ushers, choreographers, artists, stage workers. But about them a little later.
Having opened the first entrance doors, we find ourselves in the lobby.
I, m. public. In many theaters, it is in the lobby that the box office and the administrator's window are located.
IN box office you can buy a ticket for the current performance or for future theater performances. In the event of a performance being canceled, it will also be possible to return the ticket here or find out when the canceled performance will be given. The administrator's window is also located there.
Administrator- a member of the theater team responsible for the organizational side and the daily work of cashiers, ushers and other theater personnel, often also for providing free or reduced tickets for and during a particular performance; responsible for compliance with the rules and safety precautions while the audience is in the theater. After passing through the second door, you find yourself in the theater foyer.
Neskl., Wed. A room in the theater (cinema, circus) for the audience to stay before the start of the performance, session, performance, as well as for the public to relax during the intermission. From the foyer on the ground floor you can access the cloakroom.
- a room or a specially designated space in the entrance lobby, where spectators can leave outerwear, hats, umbrellas (etc.) for storage during the performance. If the theater building contains several floors, then the foyer will be present on each of them.
And so you enter the room. Before you is a stage and rows of chairs that "diverge" from it in rows and tiers. How to figure out where to go? On the one hand, the administrators in the hall will always help you. On the other hand, here are our hints: the rows of seats that are closest to the stage are called the stalls, followed by the amphitheater, around them and slightly higher are boxes and a mezzanine, above them there is a balcony in tiers.
Parterre(fr. parterre - on the ground) - the lower floor of the auditorium in the theater with seats for the public in the space from the stage or from the orchestra to the opposite wall or to the amphitheater. The ancestor of the stalls was the bench for senators in the theaters of ancient Rome. In the 17th century, after the appearance of a tiered theatrical building, the stalls also changed, taking on a more modern look. The parterre was intended for the lower class, so for a long time it did not have seats - the spectators of the parterre had to watch the performance standing up. Seating in the stalls appeared at the beginning of the 17th century in private indoor theaters in England. Then the seats were arranged as needed. Currently, the seats are most often arranged in rows that rise from the stage to the amphitheater and are parallel to the edge of the stage. The seats are separated by walkways to exit the stalls.
Amphitheater- these are places for spectators behind the stalls, located in a towering semicircle.
Lodge- this is a separate, in the form of a small internal balcony, room in the auditorium, intended for several spectators. Lodges, as a rule, are located on the sides and behind the stalls, on tiers, as well as on the sides of the proscenium or adjacent to the orchestra pit (such lodges are called "benoir"). Characterized by insufficient view of the scene; sometimes used for lighting equipment.
Mezzanine- places in the auditorium, as a rule, located in a semicircle or along a curved line, behind and above the stalls and the amphitheater. Sometimes considered as a balcony of the first tier of the theatre.
Balcony- these are places for spectators located above the stalls, in different tiers of the auditorium. Note: often in English literature, the word "balcony" refers to the balcony of the first tier. You took your seat and froze in anticipation of the performance ...
The definitions of the terms presented are taken from the websites.
