Proscenium

Proscenium, word which is classical in origin, and in the later Greek theatre meant the area in front of the stage. It was used in Renaissance Italy for the draperies surrounding the stage picture, introduced into England by Inigo Jones with his scenery for Court masques, and in its modern meaning is applied to the permanent or semi-permanent wall dividing the auditorium from the stage. It has hanging in it the front curtain, and can be made smaller by the use of a false pros(cenium). It was once a feature of considerable architectural complexity, forming an essential link between the auditorium and the scene, but it is now generally regarded as a hindrance, particularly in the production of Elizabethan plays and modern epic theatre. The tendency is to abolish it wherever possible in favour of the open stage or theatre-in-the-round, but one obstacle which confronts those who wish to experiment with these new forms in the older London theatres is the presence within the proscenium arch of the Safety Curtain demanded by fire regulations.