The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms - Ross Murfin 2018

Proscenium

Proscenium: In ancient Greek and Roman theater, the stage, a raised area in front of the backdrop; in modern Western theater, the front part of the stage, between the curtain and the orchestra. The proscenium arch is the arch from which the curtain hangs, framing the main stage and formally separating it from the audience. While proscenium theaters remain prevalent today, more intimate forms of staging, such as thrust stages (open to the audience on three sides) and arena stages (theater-in-the-round, in which the audience surrounds the stage), have become increasingly common.