ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains about the planning and construction of buildings for live entertainment. It also explains how theater buildings come into being. But not just theater buildings - also concert halls, opera houses, casino showrooms, and other related building types. The heterotopic quality is one of the ways in which theater buildings are a distinct building type. In fact, theaters possess multiple characteristics that make them an extraordinary building type. And these characteristics are additional reasons for the fascination they hold for both architects and the public. With the exception of the Middle Ages, the theater has been a persistent architectural type from ancient Greece up to the present day. The book discusses the people and the processes involved in bringing these buildings to life.
