How has theatre architecture changed over time?

In the early years, theatrical performances were normalised by the Romans who created amphitheatres that were designed to maximise the experience for the audience. These semi-circular structures were open air with banked seating and a raised stage. Fast forward to Medieval times and performance often happened on temporary stages that had been set up in halls or barns by travelling performers. This period also saw the beginnings of open air theatres, such as The Globe in London, that used natural daylight as its lighting tool and, again, required minimal sets. The 1880s to WWI are widely considered to be the heyday of theatre building with more than 1,000 professional theatres operating in Britain. After WWII there was funding for theatre and arts projects – the Arts Council was established in 1946, for example – and many theatres became protected buildings. In the early 20th century there were mass closures of theatres and music halls thanks to the early days of cinema. However, because they were so ideally designed for the purpose, many old theatres were soon refurbished and became the first cinemas. Set design has evolved considerably over time – as have the theatres that housed it in the early years – and today it is a vital part of performance on both stage and screen.

Theatre design, the art and technique of designing and building a space—a theatre—intended primarily for the performance of drama and its allied arts by live performers who are physically present in front of a live audience. The simplest theatres are cleared areas of ground around which people can stand or sit to view a performance. Theatre design, however, is concerned with elaborating such space—first, to provide the optimum conditions for the audience to experience a theatre performance and, second, to aid the performers in achieving the fullest expression of their art. The practice of theatre design can encompass open-air spaces or spaces that are fully enclosed. It can involve a temporary structure put up only on certain occasions or a complete stand-alone permanent building. It can include purpose-built areas within larger complexes or the modification of buildings originally built for other purposes. Because they are well designed for the gathering of a group of people and generally allow for controlled access, theatres tend to be used as multipurpose buildings that can provide assembly space for lectures, meetings, concerts, films, performance art, circuses, and even certain types of sporting events. But at its most basic level, a theatre provides a space for the performers to enact their performance and a space for the audience to experience that enactment. The space used for performance is most often referred to by the word stage in English. The space occupied by the audience is referred to by a variety of terms, of which auditorium may be the most common.

The first buildings used for theatrical performances in Britain were amphitheatres introduced by the Romans, who copied theatres from ancient Greece. These were semi-circular structures, constructed of wood initially and later stone. Medieval theatre was presented on elaborate temporary stages inside great halls, barns, or in the open courtyards of galleried inns. It was from these that Elizabethan timber-framed open-air theatres took their form, such as the Globe in London. They were often multi-sided buildings, with a covered platform stage against one side. After the restoration of the monarchy twenty years later, interest in theatre resumed, and theatre buildings began to change, influenced by those in Europe. They were now roofed, with stages for changeable scenery that was slid into position using grooves in their floors. Other scenery was flown in from above. To accommodate these elaborate stage sets more space was needed behind the stage. In the eighteenth century, companies of players began to travel on regular circuits between market towns, and they set up their own theatres, called playhouses, which were similar in shape and size. Their interiors were simple, consisting of a rectangular flat-floored room with a stage that projected into the audience. Theatres had mainly wooden interiors which were always at risk of fire. In 1794 the Drury Lane Theatre, London introduced the first iron safety curtain, which would eventually become a statutory requirement in all large theatres. By the end of the century the façades of many city theatres were built in the more imposing classical style. Some even had porticoes, similar to those seen on the front of large city homes or country houses.