ABSTRACT
Traditionally, at the centre of the space are the bodies of actors, with scenery and other supporting objects around them. Yet while their movement around one another appears to be the central concern of the stage, because these bodies are what actually represent through choreography, figures and mobile architectures. The proscenium forms the key performance zone: the separation, contact or link between the house and the stage. Conceived in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Italy and derived from the necessity to hide the machinery and hide the effect of perspective, the proscenium arch has given rise to various different permutations: from the Arch of Triumph to the majestic colonnades and the forestage boxes within the space of the proscenium itself. Naturally, the stage space is also made up of unmoveable elements hence the importance and versatility of sliding canvases to carry out changes of scenery during intermissions; during the performance, by putting the house in darkness.
