What is a Thrust Stage?

From open air to arena, proscenium to promenade, there are lots of different types of theatre stages to learn about. Whether you’re a keen theatregoer, an aspiring thespian, or revising for your drama exams, we’ve got you covered. Check out our handy guide to thrust theatre stages below! 

What is a Thrust Stage?

A thrust stage is a common type of theatrical staging. As the name suggests, the stage in a thrust theatre extends, or ‘thrusts’ out into the audience, allowing audience members to observe the production from three sides. Thrust stages are generally open on these three sides, and have a back wall on the ‘fourth’ side, enclosing the action. This allows theatres to install a backdrop or setpiece at the back.

In a thrust theatre, the wings (used for prop and set storage and for entrances and exits) will generally be toward this back section and concealed either by a blocked off section at either side, or for a theatre that is fully open on all sides, the wings will be hidden directly behind the rear wall.

A thrust stage puts the audience up close and personal with the action, and so can give a deeper sense of intimacy and immersion for theatregoers. In comparison, proscenium arch or end-on staging can create a sense of distance. 

History of the Thrust Stage

Greek Ampitheatre and Medieval Pageant Wagons

The thrust stage is one of the earliest types of stages found in Western theatre. The type of staging began in Ancient Greece, where the stage in amphitheatres would jut out into the audience, with seating that encircled it from all three sides. 

It is believed that the staging type was then continued by Pageant Wagons during the Medieval period. A pageant wagon was a type of travelling theatre, performed on a stage which moved from town to town on a wheeled cart. These wagons varied in type, with some historical sources believing they had two levels, while others claim they were a very simplistic open stage which could, in theory, have been surrounded on all sides.

The early prototype of a thrust theatre can be found in a specific type of pageant wagon, which had a longer, rectangular stage with a small covered section at the back. This allowed for a backdrop or set piece, and the audience would need to gather on three sides, similar to a modern thrust stage.

The Globe Theatre and Groundlings

Thrust staging continued on through the Elizabethan age, with many permanent Elizabethan theatres such as the Red Lion and the Rose Theatre featuring this type of auditorium. Shakespeare’s Globe is one of the most famous examples of a theatre with a thrust stage still in use today, and standing patrons could watch the action from the pit, or yard, for the low price of just a penny – the equivalent of roughly £1 in today’s money!

Standing patrons were often from the poorer portions of society, and were known as Groundlings… or sometimes, a bit more unkindly, stinkards or penny-stinkers. The Groundlings could buy food and drink from the pit to enjoy during the show, and were often tightly packed together.

The thrust allowed the Groundlings to come right up to the edge of the stage, and these audience members allegedly weren’t shy about making themselves heard. They would often call out during the play, and some scholars believe that if they disliked some element of the performance, they may have thrown fruit, nuts or drinks at the stage. 

The term Groundlings first appeared in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where, during his famous Act 3 speech, Hamlet instructs the players he has hired not to “split the ears of the groundlings” (aka, shout). But what does the word ‘groundling’ actually mean? You might think it was because they stood on the ground, but you’d be wrong! The actual definition of a groundling is “a small fish that lives at the bottom of the water” – and the standing theatregoers were dubbed this, perhaps somewhat rudely, as they would look up at the actors from a ‘sea’ of people below. If they were shocked, pleased or absorbed by the action, their gaping mouths may have made them look a little like a shoal of fish, bobbing in an ocean. 

The original Globe Theatre burned down in 1613, and the period-accurate representation we know and love today was built in 1997. You can still have an authentic Groundlings experience by standing in the yard, and while the tickets may not be at the bargain price of 1p any more, these are still the lowest-priced tickets available to purchase at the venue. 

20th Century Thrust Stages

After Elizabethan times, the thrust stage fell out of fashion for a while. It’s believed that legendary film and theatre director Orson Welles brought the thrust stage back into the public eye with his 1937 production of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus for the Federal Theatre Project in New York. The show had an enormous, 20-foot thrust that spread over three rows of seats, and according to theatre critic Richard France, is believed to have been the first stage that ‘broke out’ of a proscenium arch in a Broadway theatre.

Today, there are some permanent thrust venues (see our list of examples at the bottom of this page!), and many venues with flexible layouts and movable seats may use a thrust stage depending on the show.  

Thrust Stage Pros and Cons

Like any type of theatre staging, a thrust stage has its own unique advantages and disadvantages for audiences, actors, directors and other theatre practitioners.

Where to Sit in a Thrust Theatre

It can be tricky to determine the best seat in a thrust theatre because, as stated in the cons above, there will inevitably be some moments where an actor must have their back to one side of the audience. Directors tend to consider this carefully, so a thrust theatre will offer a good view for most audience members a large percentage of the time.

The main draw of a thrust theatre is the immersion it offers, so the best place to sit or stand to take advantage of this is as close to the stage as possible, but seats from the upper levels can offer a great overview.   

Examples of Thrust Theatre Stages  

Here are some examples of theatres that have, or can have, a thrust stage:

Learn About Other Types of Theatre Auditoriums!

Now that you’re an expert on all things thrust staging, check out our guides to more theatre stage types, including:

• Proscenium Arch and End-on Theatre
• In-the-round Theatre
• and many more – including traverse and arena, in our full theatre stages guide!