ABSTRACT
If a play is staged in an alternative setting, such as thrust or arena, a number of considerations must be made by the director. Much of directing in alternative settings is similar to directing for the proscenium. The director can use this "upstage" area to create stage pictures with similar viewing angles for the audience. Presenting a scene in the aisle offers unique opportunities for the director to further increase audience proximity and engagement as well as providing a unique alternative for staging. Major consideration for directors working in alternative configurations is the entrances and exits from the stage. There are a number of physical concerns that are different for the director when working in alternative configurations. Considering arena theatre can provide one of the most intiMate environments, the director should capitalize on this whenever possible. The thrust theatre configuration is a compromise between a proscenium and an arena stage.
