Hayley Thompson
Actress/Singer/Dancer
What is a Conventional space ?
A conventional space is basically something that is convenient to use for a performance such as a theatre. It would be classed as a conventional space as a theatre is prepared and can easily adapt for a variety of performances. A conventional space will have all of the equipment at hand or easily available, such as:
lighting equipment
There are several types of stage lighting in a theatre which can be house lights, flood lights, spotlights, dimmed lighting, different coloured lights to set scenes and many more. The functions of lighting can be used to section the ability of whats to be seen on stage, setting the mood, directing the audiences attention on something, it could let the audience what time of day the performance is set in such as night or day time, projection of a image can be classed as lighting and also the plot.
Sound Equipment
Sound equipment in a conventional performance space can be Mics for the performers to wear so the audience can hear them speak clearly. The audio come from the mics can also be alterd by sound affects and turning the volume up and down. Some mics can also make a performer sound like they can sing better. Another equipement for sound can be the speakers which would be placed all around the theatre and can be altered which speakers would play the sound throughout the performance. The volume can also be adjusted through the speakers. House music would also be played when the performance is not on stage and when the audience are waiting for the performance to start or throughout the internval.
Seating for an audience
A conventional space would already have a space where the audience will watch the performance from. The space will normally have a number of chairs for the audience to sit in.
Box Office
In a theatre they normally have a box office where you can sell your tickets for your performance and sometimes they can help you with advertising for an additional cost. The box office would sell the tickets and also recieve the tickets when the audience are arriving at the theatre.
Close to local amenaties
This means that normally for a convenient space there would be local transport in the area such as parking for coach travel, near by bus stops and even trams. Before looking for a convenient theatre for your performance it is good to know what local amenaties there are so you can advertise this to your audience so it will attract more buyers.
Refreshments and drinks bar
Normally in a theatre there will be a bar selling drinks to your audience and also some refreshments such as crisps, nuts and bags of sweets.
All of these things that are available at a theatre is what makes it conventional as you dont have to find them yourself. All you have to do to get these essentials is to pay extra and the staff will do what you tell them to do to get them working and what lighting and sound it needed. Normally staff will also work along with you during the performance so you also have extra helpers to make it more convenient for you.
Conventional performance spaces
The Theatre Royal is a excellent example of a conventional space as it has all of the equipment and essentials listed above. There are more than one Theatre Royal located in the UK such as :
The Theatre Royal in Newcastle has a lot of equipment and essentials to run along with your production and are listed on their website that is titled Technical Specification. The list includes :
FOH
Plan Lighting Facilities
Facility Schedule
On stageFacilities
Lighting Positions
Orchestra Pit Layout
Orchestra Pit Plan
Orchestra Pit Formats
Auditorium Plans
Stalls
Grand Circle
Upper Circle
Amphi theatre & Gallery
Auditorium Facilities
Any many more
As you can see reading from the list because they supply these essentials for a performance is makes it easier for the owner of the company to run a show at this theatre. Therefore it is convenient for them and that makes this theatre a conventional space.
Sunderland Empire Theatre Is another conventional space as it also is equipt with all the essentials a performance will need. Aswell as the equipment that is listed in The Theatre Royal here is a list of facilities that The Sunderland Empire Theatre can also supply for a performance:
Accessibility
Facilities for Hearing Impaired Visitors
- Induction loop system.
Guide Dogs Permitted
Ramp / Level Access
Toilets for Disabled Visitors
Payment Methods
American Express accepted
Booking essential
Delta accepted
Groups Accepted
Maestroaccepted
MasterCard accepted
Max group size - 200
Min group size - 10
Special group rates - Not for all shows
Visa accepted
Target Markets
Family Fun
Marketed Towards Children
Marketed Towards Families
Marketed Towards Senior Citizens
Marketed Towards Students / YouthProvider Features
In town/city centre
Indoor Attraction
No Smoking Attraction
Parking & Transport
Parking (charge) - Nearest - Bridges Carpark 5 mins walk
Provider FacilitiesToilets
Tours and Demonstrations
Educational Visits Accepted
Guided Tours Available for Groups
The list containing what facilities this theatre has and having the same equipment as the Theatre Royal makes this venue a conventional space.
Sunderland Empire Theatre is classed as a Proscenium arch theatre. This is because the arch of the stage acts like a picture frame when the performance is performing. The stage is more sqaure or rectangular with the audience facing forward and having a left and right wing for the performers to enter and exit the stage. The wings are normally used to store set, props and normally a area were the actors will wait without being scene to come on stage when needed.
The Theatre Royal is classed as a Ampitheatre which means that the stage is in a circle or a oval shape and the audience are placed around it. The term Ampitheatre came from the ancient greek times as the
ampitheatres were built outside
without a roof and used for
entertainment,
performances and sports.
The seating tiers would be
surrounding the performance
area. It looks similar to our
modern football stadiums.
Technically the Theatre Royal
should not be classed as a
Ampitheatre because it is
built indoors and has modern technology and new equipment. The Theatre Royal should be classed as an Arena.
Another type of Proscenium Arch is a Priscenium Arch with a Apron. The differennce is the apron at the front of the stage and facing the audience. The Apron is normally used for actors to come through the auditorium and to enter the stage from the front and to address the audience directly. Most theatres built in the 1950s usually have a apron.
The Crucible Thestre is known for one of the venues that holds snooker tornaments in Sheffield. Aswell as holding snooker games the theatre still holds all types of theatre performances. Shakespeare performances work well in this venue as it was the same type of stage Shakespeare used for his productions as it is called a thrust stage. I would say that this theatre is conventional because it is up and ready for a performance to be performed in and holds the equipment that is listed below :
Octagonal thrust stage with a shallow proscenium on the fourth side The main performing area is 10.6m wide by 10.75m deep to the front edge in front of the proscenium arch, with 4.8m behind the proscenium arch to the up-stage flying bar.
Proscenium opening 10.6m wide by 6.8m high to house border, 7.7m high to structural beam.
Demountable Stage Plan Area Approx 185.5 m2 (17.5 m x 10.6 m) Static Payload 7.5 kN/m2 Rigging 9 across-stage Flying bars and 3 No. 4 line movable points, all direct lift electric motor Maximum Payload: 350 kg Bar Length: 10.780 m Pickup Centres: 3.350 m Number of Suspensions: 4 Suspension Bars: 48 mm nominal diameter barrel with levelling adjusters Flying Centres: variable centres
Maximum Flying Height: 8.9 m Control System: Artisan Control system by Centre Stage. Sound and Communications Paging, ring intercoms and a dual channel infra-red system assisted listening / audio description system are provided along with a comprehensive wiring infrastructure for audio, video, loudspeaker and Ethernet.
Sound mixers, amplifiers, loudspeakers and other loose equipment were already owned by the end users.
Production Lighting Production Dimmers 296 x 3kW and 26 x 5kW ETC Sensor plus 48 x 3kW non-dimmed 18 x
Houselight dimmer/non dim circuits Lighting Desk and Luminaires pre-existing equipment Touring Power 250A TPN (including Powerlocks), 125A TPN and 63A TPN (Sound)
Aswell as letting the performance companys what equipment this theatre holds they have also let us know the widths and sizes of certain equipment, the stage and the proscenium opening. This would make it convenient for the companys as they can then work around these mearsurments during their rehearsals.
Even though this stage as a proscenium arch to it, it is still counted as a thrust stage because of the way the audience seats are placed. Also the proscenium arch is only small compared to the whole venue so it would not affect what type of stage this is.
A Thrust stage is known for it being a open stage as it has the audience surrounding the stage on three sides. The audience can see the act on the stage from all angles so the performers have to keep this in mind as they would not be acting straight out infront. They would have to be aware to perform arround the stage and using the space that is provided. Enterances onto a thrust stage are normally throught the audience. Many shakespeare performances are usually performed on a thrust stage as the Royal Shakespeare company as the Globe Theatre also has a Thrust stage. Thrust stages are becoming more popular now as the Strattford shakespeare company of canada have brought performing onto a thrust stage back when performing in a festival.
