Traditional ways of experiencing plays. . .

The RSC Theatre


Traditionally, people viewed plays within a three-tiered arena, whereby the position in which your seat was reflected your status in society. The RSC stage reflects this archaic way of experiencing drama and performance. The three tiers of stalls, circle and upper circle are still used in the RSC theatre. The way in which the audience circles the stage enables broad creative potential in terms of the varying ways the actors can communicate and connect with a large-scale audience; they are able to easily enter and exit from a range of positions allowing the set design and prop manoeuvring to expand in possibilities.