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stagecraft
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stagecraft summary

stagecraft

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Written by
Written by
Clive Barker
Senior Lecturer in Theatre Studies, University of Warwick, England. Coeditor, New Theatre Quarterly. Author of Theatre Games.
Clive Barker,
Stanley Dufford
Film and theatre make-up artist. Make-up and Wig Designer, Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Stanley DuffordAll
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Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

The classic Greek theatron (literally, “a place of seeing”) was built in the open air, usually on a hillside, and placed so that the afternoon sunlight came from behind the audience and flooded the performing area with light. The larger Roman theatres were also outdoors, but the added luxury of a coloured awning stretched over the spectators softened the glare of the sun. Later, in the Middle Ages, miracle plays and mystery plays were...

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