Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 4, No. 360.  Sunday, 6 June 1993.
 
From:           Tom Loughlin <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date:           Saturday, 5 Jun 1993 1:23 pm EDT (17:23:30 UT)
Subject:        WSF Stage Space
 
Steve asked about the stage space at Wisconsin.  I can tell you that the actual
theatre itself is small and intimate, seating at a maximum about 225. The floor
seats about 180 and there are two balcony levels which are only one row deep
each.  The theatre is modeled after the Cottleworth (sp?) Theatre in England as
far as architectural patterns go.  The theatre is a thrust, since two rows of
floor seats and the balcony wrap around the stage.  The theatre is long rather
than wide: if you're sitting in the front row the depth of the stage is pretty
interesting.
 
The actual on-stage elements have changed over the years.  I've played
on that stage when it contained only two levels, giving it a flat and long
look.  There was also a time when the stage was very Elizabethan in the
sense that it was totally symmetrical, with an above and a below, and two
staircases on either side with a landing platform halfway up at about the
level of the first balcony (which allowed for entrances and exits through
the first balcony).  This year there is a new design for the on-stage space
which I have not even seen yet, so I'll have to do all my initial blocking
on the fly this year.
 
It's a very open, intimate space which allows for a good balance between
large spectacle and large acting without denying the ability to create
quiet, intimate moments.
 
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      Tom Loughlin                *   BITNET
      Dept. of Theatre Arts       *    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      SUNY College at Fredonia    *   INTERNET
      Fredonia NY 14063           *    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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