Theatre Design & Technology - May 1965 - 14

giving the effect of no proscenium when the full
opening size is used. Facing this opening, a
fixed bank of 402 seats rises in the rear half of
of the auditorium. The remaining 154 seats are
mounted on two wagons which pivot into any of
three arrangements: proscenium, arena, or apron.
House managers appreciate the fact that the number of seats and their identification temains the
same in all three arrangements. For the proscenium arrangement the seat wagons are directly
in front of the fixed seats and rest on three of
the apron elevators lowered four feet. This arrangement provides excellent sightlines throughout the house for a modest opening 30 feet wide
by 12 feet high, or extended to the maximum dimensions of the fixed opening. One man can
maneuver the wagons into an alternative arrangement in about an hour. With the elevators flush
at the basic floor level it is a simple matter to
pivot each wagon outward about 90° on its front
outside corner leaving the apron now surrounded
with seats. Aside from the fact that the large
apron elevator and orchestra pit elevator may be
freely used to adjust floor height or permit entrances from below, two principal staging designs may be used: three sided arena with the
large opening completely closed, or thrust proscenIUm stage which may extend back to the
cyclorama and use the full opening (Sightlines do
become a problem in this case). The remaining.

H. U. LOEB DRA.MA eTR.

EXPERIMENT AL
THEATRE

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~'_I'

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TO Sl10P

SCHEMATIC
PERSPECTIVE SKETCH
OF THE
LOEB MAIN STAGE
RIGHT SIDE

LEFT SIDE

SEAT 'HAGON SET FOR APRON 5T AGE

PANELS IN STORAGE POSITION
PASSAGE BEHIND WAGON CLEAR
LIGHTING BALCONY SHOWN ABOVE

SEAT WAGON SET FOR ARENA STAGE
PANELS OUT FOR PROSCENIUM STAGE
TORM WAGON SET FOR 40' OPENING

seating arran gement is ach ieved by pi vot in g the
seat wagons into the stage house facing the
fixed seats, leaving an acting area more than 40
feet across and the full width of the opening.
All four elevators are available in this case.
Two-sided arena is not the only possibility
offered in this case; for, either the seat wagons
may be ignored and covered and the area in front
of the fixed seats used as an open stage, or
seats may be brough tin fi II ing the sides mak ing
a four-sided arena. In both the arena and proscenium arrangements full height sliding panels
eight feet wide may be moved into the apron wing
area to mask lighting and entrances. When the
panels are not used in the proscenium arrangement an additional staging style is offered, for
the apron wi ngs may be u sed as acti ng area
bringing the production into a partial wrap-around.
Interestingly enough the majority of productions
have been done with the proscenium arrangement,
panels out on the apron wings, tormentor wagons
rolled out, and winch-operated teaser lowered.
Settings may be modestly developed, the sightlines are very easy to work with, and the possibilities for lighting are the best in this case.
Only one production has used the wrap-around
wing aprons and then only briefly. The two-sided
arena proved to be the least attractive seating
arrangement, for the 154 peop Ie in the stage
house felt lost and intimidated by the mass of
people in the fixed seating; hence, this mode
was tried only once, during the first year. The
four-sided possibility, using rented chairs or the
seat wagons from the Experimental Theater has
not been tried yet. Lighting and controlling the
actors is particularly difficult in this seating
arrangement; for there are no special actor cross-

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THEAtRE DESIGN AND ITCHNOlOOY

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