Good value seats The Upper Circle provides excellent views of the stage, and the front section does not feel as distant from the stage as in other theatres. Aim to sit in the second or third row, as close to the centre as possible for the clearest views. These seats are often discounted to £5 for theatregoers under 25!
Is it better to sit in circle or stalls?
Stalls Seats – Stalls seats are on the ground level of the theatre. Typically, stalls seats can be regarded as some of the best seats in the auditorium, due to their close proximity to the stage. If you’re sitting in the first few rows of the stalls seats, you may even be able to touch the stage and see performers blink.
Which row is best for IMAX?
Final Thoughts About the Best IMAX Seats – Ultimately, a personal preference is where you think the best IMAX seats are. At the end of the day, just because a particular spot is “better” doesn’t mean you can’t like another area more! In terms of the mechanics of movie projection and sound, the best overall spot is in the center of the theater, a few rows from the back.
Where are the best seats in a cinema?
‘The ideal place is the middle of whichever row ensures that the edges of the screen are right at the edge of your peripheral vision. But if you’ve had a few beers before a movie or need to leave the theater quickly, an aisle seat is ideal since your bathroom trip won’t disrupt the other filmgoers.’
What are the high seats in a theater called?
Seating and audience – Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown, Maryland, showing the stage, proscenium and seating All theaters provide a space for an audience. In a fixed seating theatre the audience is often separated from the performers by the proscenium arch. In proscenium theaters and amphitheaters, the proscenium arch, like the stage, is a permanent feature of the structure.
- Stalls or arena (in North America, “orchestra”): the lower flat area, usually below or at the same level as the stage. The word parterre (occasionally, parquet ) is sometimes used to refer to a particular subset of this area. In North American usage this is usually the rear seating block beneath the gallery (see below) whereas in Britain it can mean either the area in front near the orchestra pit, or the whole of the stalls. The term can also refer to the side stalls in some usages. Derived from the gardening term parterre, the usage refers to the sectioned pattern of both the seats of an auditorium and of the planted beds seen in garden construction. Throughout the 18th century the term was also used to refer to the theater audience who occupied the parterre.
- Balconies or galleries: one or more raised seating platforms towards the rear of the auditorium. In larger theaters, multiple levels are stacked vertically above or behind the stalls. The first level is usually called the dress circle or grand circle. The next level may be the loge, from the French version of loggia, A second tier inserted beneath the main balcony may be the mezzanine, The highest platform, or upper circle, is sometimes known as “the gods”, especially in large opera houses, where the seats can be very high and a long distance from the stage.
- Boxes ( state box or stage box ): typically placed immediately to the front, side and above the level of the stage.
What are the different seats in a theatre called?
The three primary seating sections in a Broadway Theatre are: The Orchestra (green section), The Mezzanine (in blue), and The Balcony (purple).
What is the dress circle?
Singular noun. The dress circle is the lowest of the curved rows of seats upstairs in a theatre.
What is the difference between circle and stalls at theatre?
A summary of words used in London Theatre and on this site. Those seeking definitions of more technical terms might like to visit www.theatrecrafts.com for more information. Stalls: Seats at ground floor level, in front of the stage. The sixth to eighth rows generally offer the best views.
- In London Theatres the most legroom is generally found here.
- This site reviews each theatre by name.
- Dress Circle: Seats in the first balcony offering some of the best views in the theatre.
- Some theatres call this the Royal Circle or similar.
- Check on this site under theatre descriptions.
- Legroom is often cramped here.
Check each theatre listed for details. Upper Circle : Seats in the second balcony. Mostly quite high up and sold at similar prices to the rear stalls. Again this area sometimes gets a different name. Legroom is often cramped here. Again, check each theatre listed for details.
Balcony or Gallery : Seats in the third level balcony. Not all theatres have them. Where they do, they are very high up – often 100 feet or more from the stage, vertically! The audience is caged in behind elaborate safety bars. Legroom is often cramped here. Once more, see each theatre listed for details.
Boxes : Small private rooms built into either the space beside the stage, either between the stage front and the rest of the theatre; or else built behind or to the side of the main blocks of seating, recessed into the wall. The front of these private rooms opens onto the theatre, and seats are placed near the opening to face the stage.
Often the seats are movable dining table type chairs – some people may find this more comfortable than conventional theatre seats, though the space can be limited around them. The view is often restricted as the boxes are often sideways to the stage, so you can’t see into the near corners or back of it.
Do note that seats in boxes are often individually numbered, and if you don’t buy all of them, then the other tickets will be sold to other people. House Seats : Tickets kept by the theatre until the last minute in case a visiting dignitary or friend of the producer wishes to see the show.
Often good seats in the Stalls or Dress Circle, they can be offered to the public just before curtain up – if we are lucky. Returns : Tickets sent back to the box office by people unable to use them. For sold out productions, they are normally sold on the day of the performance direct from the theatre itself, traditionally from 10am.
A popular show will see a “returns line” form from around 5am – and some even sleep out overnight to ensure a ticket! When the seats returned to the box office are called “Mark backs” this means they were returned by an agency who was unable to sell them.
Where is the best seat in an opera house?
You’ve bought your plane tickets. The hotel reservations have been made. Your itinerary of things to do is set. And it includes a night at the theater. The last thing you want is a theater ticket for a seat that doesn’t allow you to see the stage. Seats with obstructed views are uncommon in modern, state of the art theaters such as the National Theatre in London or the Opera Bastille in Paris.
- However, older, historic theaters such as La Scala in Milan often have a handful of seats that, surprisingly, don’t allow you to see the stage.
- Poor sight lines are typically caused by architectural elements such as the angle of the seating to the stage, or a beam or wall that are part of the building’s design and engineering.
In other cases, these troublesome seats, like the boxes, were built not for seeing the action on the stage, but for people watching. In the distant past, only the richest and most well heeled people sat in the box seats. This way everyone in the theater could see the wealthy and recognize their status in society.
- Where are the best seats? Each section of seats offers different views of the stage and, as a result, very different experiences.
- When you’re close to the stage, of course, you can see every, facial expression and hear every word and note.
- But sitting close to the stage makes it more difficult to take in the entire sense of the production, such as patterns created by the corps de ballet moving as a school of fish.
Still, seats too far back or higher, may leave you squinting to see the performers. Generally, the best seats in the house are going to be in the center orchestra and right in the center of the house. The right and left orchestra areas tend to have good seats for seeing the action taking place on the sides of the stage, provided the seats are reasonably close.
- Also, the first few rows in the center mezzanine, lower balcony or dress circle have good views of the entire stage.
- Eep in mind, that the further back that you sit, the higher you sit as well.
- At Teatro la Fenice in Venice, the seats in the upper galleries and within each box, where individual seats are not reserved, may present obstructed views.
The sight lines in Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera within the lateral boxes and upper gallery may have obstructed sight lines as well. How do I get a good seat? When buying tickets, select seats in or as close to the center orchestra as possible. Also, when you buy box seats, ensure that you are seated in the first row.
Theaters often sell seats with obstructed views at a reduced price. When you purchase a reduced price ticket, call the box office to find out if your seat has good sight lines. Obstructed view seating may not be worth the savings. If the thought of spending more than a $100 for ticket makes you cringe, you might risk getting the cheaper, partially obstructed view seats.
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Other times, when the music is good and the theater beautiful, you’ll get so much more.
What are stalls in a theater?
Front of house – Front of house describes the parts of the theatre that the audience has access to. Audiences enter a theatre via a foyer, The foyer contains a box office where tickets may be purchased or collected. Foyer and box office at the Shanklin Theatre, Isle of Wight Most theatres will have: a café or bar where drinks and food may be purchased before the performance and during the interval, toilets which are an essential element of all theatres to keep patrons comfortable, and a cloakroom to leave bags and coats in.
Some theatres have a merchandise stall or shop where memorabilia for the show or theatre may be purchased. These spaces are the first point of engagement for most audiences and experiences here will have as much of an effect on how they view their visit as the performance itself. The audience enters the auditorium via corridors with doors known as vomitories,
The auditorium (also known as the house) is where the audience sits to watch the performance. The seating may be at one or more levels depending on the size and type of theatre, The first level of seating directly in front of the stage, generally starting below stage level and slowly rising as it reaches the back of the auditorium, is known as the stalls,
- The rear of the stalls may be overhung by a balcony with further tiered seating commonly known as the dress circle or grand circle,
- This may curve round the sides of the auditorium to individual boxes close to the stage which generally fit between two and six people.
- These were originally built as private seating for the very rich as their occupants could be seen by everyone else in the auditorium.
They are less used today as they don’t always have a good view of the stage. Some theatres will have further balconies and boxes above the first balcony, but rarely more than three balconies in total. The second balcony is known as the upper circle and the top level of seating is known as the gallery or the gods, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, showing the stalls, balconies, boxes to stage right and part of the proscenium arch and safety curtain Many British theatres contain a proscenium arch which is the frame around the stage, dividing the auditorium from the backstage areas.
