Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers, typically actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience. The specific place of the performance is also named by the word “theatre” as derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, “a place for viewing”), itself from θεάομαι (theáomai, “to see”, “to watch”, “to observe”).
Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements. Theatre artist Patrice Pavis defines theatricality, theatrical language, stage writing and the specificity of theatre as synonymous expressions that differentiate theatre from the other performing arts, literature and the arts in general.Modern theatre includes performances of plays and musical theatre. The art forms of ballet and opera are also theatre and use many conventions such as acting, costumes and staging. They were influential to the development of musical theatre; see those articles for more information.
Theater (noun)
A place or building, consisting of a stage and seating, in which an audience gathers to watch plays, musical performances, public ceremonies, and so on.
Theater (noun)
A region where a particular action takes place; a specific field of action, usually with reference to war.
“His grandfather was in the Pacific theater during the war.”
Theater (noun)
A lecture theatre.
Theater (noun)
An operating theatre or locale for human experimentation.
“This man is about to die, get him into theater at once!”
Theater (noun)
A cinema.
“We sat in the back row of the theater and threw popcorn at the screen.”
Theater (noun)
Drama or performance as a profession or artform.
“I worked in the theater for twenty-five years.”
Theatre (noun)
alternative spelling of theater
Theatre (noun)
a building or outdoor area in which plays and other dramatic performances are given.
Theatre (noun)
the activity or profession of acting in, producing, directing, or writing plays
“what made you want to go into the theatre?”
Theatre (noun)
a play or other activity or presentation considered in terms of its dramatic quality
“this is intense, moving, and inspiring theatre”
Theatre (noun)
a cinema.
Theatre (noun)
a room or hall for lectures with seats in tiers.
Theatre (noun)
an operating theatre
“respiratory function is carefully controlled and monitored throughout the patient’s stay in theatre”
“the theatre nurse”
Theatre (noun)
the area in which something happens
“a new theatre of war has been opened up”
Theatre (noun)
denoting weapons intermediate between tactical and strategic
“he was working on theatre defence missiles”