Stage and venue terms

Apron

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The apron is the part of the stage extending toward the audience past the proscenium line (or past the main curtain). Thrusts and runways are aprons grown ambitious; front fills and downstage monitors live on it.

Proscenium

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The proscenium is the architectural frame around the stage opening in a traditional theatre, dividing house from stage. A proscenium venue watches the show through this picture frame; arena and thrust stages abandon it.

Deck

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The deck is the stage floor itself, and by extension the crew who work on it ("deck crew," "deck audio"). "On the deck" means at stage level, as opposed to in the air or at FOH.

Plaster line

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The plaster line is the reference line across the stage at the upstage face of the proscenium wall, from which stage depth measurements are taken in venue specs and ground plans.

Centerline

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The centerline runs up-and-downstage through the exact center of the proscenium opening. Plots dimension from centerline and plaster line; the spike at their intersection is the origin of the stage’s coordinate system.

Grid

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The grid is the structural steel floor at the top of a fly tower from which rigging hangs, walkable in most houses. "Gridding" a piece means flying it all the way up to the grid.

Fly space (fly tower)

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Fly space is the volume above the stage, ideally tall enough to lift (fly) full-height scenery out of view. A house with a full fly tower can make walls vanish; one without needs other tricks.

Fly rail

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The fly rail is the operating position for a counterweight fly system, where flypersons lock and run the linesets. The rail side of the stage (often stage right) inherits traffic rules because of it.

Crossover

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The crossover is the path performers and crew use to get from one side of the stage to the other unseen: behind the back wall, under the stage, or through a corridor. Shows without one discover it at the worst moment.

Orchestra pit

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The orchestra pit is the lowered area between stage and audience housing musicians in musical theatre and opera. Many pits sit on lifts and become extra stage or seating when no orchestra plays.

Vom (vomitory)

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A vomitory is an entrance tunnel passing through the audience seating, common in arenas and thrust theatres. "Entering through the vom" is the standard arena walk-on for performers and sports teams alike.

Barricade

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The barricade is the crowd-control barrier line in front of the stage at concerts, creating the pit lane where security and photographers work. Its shape (straight, curved, with thrust pockets) is a security design decision.

Dimmer beach

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Dimmer beach is the offstage area where lighting power distribution racks (historically dimmer racks) park. The name survives the technology; today it is as likely relay and data distribution as actual dimmers.

Loading dock

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The loading dock is where trucks meet the building: dock height, door count, and the push distance to the stage define how hard a load-in will be, which is why every advance asks about it first.

Back of house (BOH)

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Back of house covers every non-public area: docks, corridors, dressing rooms, kitchens, production offices. Its counterpart front of house (in the venue sense) is everywhere ticket holders go.

Part of the eventools.io Show Dictionary, a free glossary of live event production terminology.