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thrust stage

thrust stage

1 7.7
A stage that sticks out into the audience with seats on three sides
  • noun
  • /θrʌst steɪdʒ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : escenario en voladizo
  • the audience on the thrust stage

Examples

  • The thrust stage does create acoustical challenges.

    Blog text (25)
  • You soon actually, very quickly forget the side people in an auditorium for a thrust stage and play it straight out; it's curious, but it's easier than it looks or than you think it's going to be.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The play was more engaging due to the unique design of the thrust stage that surrounded the audience on three sides.

  • In many modern theaters, the thrust stage allows for a closer connection between performers and the audience.

  • The actors appreciated the thrust stage configuration because it made their performances feel more intimate.

How Close

arena theater
  • US
4.4
thrust stage
  • Jargon
1 7.7
proscenium
  • Specialized
3 9.1

Surface Forms

thrust stage singular
thrust stages plural

Morphology

thrust + stage

The compound combines 'thrust' (to push/extend forward) with 'stage' (performance platform), so a learner can plausibly infer a stage that projects into the audience. However, the precise theatrical meaning (a stage with seating on three sides) is a specialised usage and not fully predictable from the ordinary noun senses, making the relation partially clear but requiring some domain knowledge.

Etymology

Thrust stage gets its name from the image of a thrust, a strong 'push', where the stage is pushed forward into the audience with seats on three sides. That's why it means a stage that reaches into the audience and brings actors close to viewers.