Parquet (theater)
The parquet (also outdated parquet ) in a theater is the ground-level part of the auditorium directly in front of the stage . In the 19th century it was "the space between the orchestra and the ground floor with locking seats ". Ground floor was the name of the larger and less plush part of the ground- floor auditorium behind it, which at the time had no seats. Depending on the theater or cinema building, the terms are used as a distinction or synonymously. Since the theaters have been provided with seats throughout, there have been at most different seating categories with the names parquet and ground floor, such as blocked seats and boxes.
history
The name parquet is derived from the floor covering, in the sense of dance floor or dance floor . In the Baroque theater danced parallel to the stage presentation , the ballet on the floor, while the crowd according to their social rank in the ranks were staying the auditorium. The pattern of the floor served as a marker for the dancers. This can be clearly seen, for example, in the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth . Its elaborate parquet floor in the "parquet" is built over by the rows of chairs.
It was only when this ballet was no longer common that the dance floor was also furnished with chairs or used as a room for standing room. Often only individual chairs were placed on the parquet, which could easily be cleared away if the parquet was used for a dance ball (as is still the case today for the traditional opera ball in various houses). A clear separation between professional dancers and members of court society did not emerge until the 18th century. In the circus since the 19th century, on the other hand, the parquet room served as an arena, as in the Paris Cirque Olympique .
See also
Pit (theater) , the English way of parquet
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ph. J. Düringer, H. Barthels (ed.): Theater-Lexikon: Theoretical-practical manual for board members, members and friends of the German theater, Leipzig: Wigand 1841, Sp. 846.
