Parts of the Stage

What is stage left? How do you tell upstage from downstage? And what is a fly space? This guide will define the parts of the stage, from stage zones to the technology used in productions.

Terminology

• Apron: The usually curved area of the stage, in front of the proscenium, closest to the audience.
• Backdrop: The area of the theatre not accessible or visible to the audience.
• Backstage/Offstage: Usually the entire stage area not visible to the audience.
• Batten: A type of bar that hangs above the stage from which curtains, backdrops, or other set decoration hang.
• Catwalk: Narrow paths above the stage and/or audience where technicians can hang lights, create special effects, or use spotlights.
• Center: Center of the stage.
• Cyclorama: A large, usually white, curtain that is lit to create setting and masks the back of the stage behind the set.
• Downstage: The area of the stage that is the closest to the audience.
• Electric: A type of bar that hangs above the stage with electrical outlets for lighting instruments.
• Fly Loft/Space: The area above the stage where curtains and set pieces are stored and hidden during a production.
• Fourth Wall: The imaginary wall between an audience and actors. To “break the fourth wall” means that actors acknowledge that the audience is there.
• Grand Drape/Main Drape: The front, often decorative, curtain of a stage.
• House: The area of the theatre in which the audience sits.
• Legs: Narrow curtains in the wings to mask the backstage areas.
• Lip: The very edge of the stage.
• Proscenium: An arched opening through which the audience sees the stage. Also a style of theater with the audience seated predominantly in front of the stage.
• Orchestra Pit: The space immediately in front of or underneath the stage where the musicians sit.
• Scrim: A type of curtain, usually right behind the main drape, that can be opaque or transparent, depending on how it is lit.
• Stage Left: The left side of the stage from the actor’s point of view (facing the audience).
• Stage Right: The right side of the stage from the actor’s point of view (facing the audience).
• Trap: An opening in the stage floor for actors to pass through to make entrances and exits.
• Traveler: A type of curtain at the back of the stage, similar to the main drape, that can be closed to hide the back wall of the stage.
• Upstage: The area of the stage that is the furthest from the audience.
• Valence/Border: Short curtains that run the length of the stage and are designed to hide lighting instruments.
• Wings: The spaces immediately offstage of the playing space, sometimes referred to by technicians as “the deck.”