Theatre Dimension Terms

[Matteo]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 6:13pm

Right now, I'm working on beginning city works projects for Detroit (yes, I know i'm 16), and one of the things I was interested in was the theatre aspect of it. I'm trying to see how our theatre sizes compare to New York theatres (considering that we are the 2nd largest theatre district in the US), but looking at dimensions of the stages with no architectural background is rather difficult.. Could someone explain to me what these terms mean, using the Majestic as the example?

Proscenium Opening: 40' 10"
Height of Proscenium: 30' 10"
Depth to proscenium: 37' 10"
Depth to front of stage: 47' 10"
Stage Type: Proscenium

Any help is appreciated!

[Janos5303]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 6:53pm

Hi Matteo, the Proscenium is that frame around the stage that the play takes place in. So that means that the distance across the stage from edge to edge of the Proscenium is 40'10". The height of the proscenium is measured from the stage floor to the bottom edge of the proscenium frame- 30'10". The depth to the proscenium is measured from the back wall of the stage, 37'10"- whereas the depth to the front of the stage is another 10' past the proscenium at 47'10". That is a massive stage to design scenery for :)

Good Luck
DisTD

[Matteo]

Posted: 1/11/10 at 9:59pm

Thank you! I knew what a proscenium was, but everything else just got me confused :)

thanks again!
matteo

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 1:32am

I live in Detroit, just making sure I heard you correctly, we have the 2nd largest theater district in the US?

[Eris0303]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 1:37am

I thought Minneapolis was the 2nd biggest?

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 3:20am

That's incorrect. Detroit doesn't have the "2nd biggest" (whatever that exactly means...)

[latitudex1]

Posted: 1/12/10 at 7:38am

"That's incorrect. Detroit doesn't have the "2nd biggest" (whatever that exactly means...)"

Wikipedia says (with sources) that Detroit's theatre district has the second most theatrical venues (12) -- behind Broadway. It also has the second largest theatre in the country (Fox Theatre) -- behind Radio City Music Hall. It's not really Broadway, but on any given day you can always seem to find some regional, touring, or college show.
Updated On: 1/12/10 at 07:38 AM