The devil is in the details

By Jessica Sage

Dear Jessica,

In regard to theater, I value the production details — such as sets, costumes, lighting — nearly as much as I value the plays themselves. Having watched Rogue Theater Company unfold in its Grizzly Peak Winery home through the last several years, I’m always eager to get into the performance space and see how the company has configured the stage for a particular presentation. What are the considerations in regard to the stage configuration choice and who makes the final decision on that?

— David B.

Dear David,

Wow, David! Knowing theatergoers like you are out there makes every detail that we at Rogue Theater Company (RTC) attend to feel worthwhile. From the most obvious aspect of a production — and maybe the stage would be in that category — to the smallest detail such as a single special effects sound or a specific lighting moment, a production team endeavors to bring an entire production to a single focus. In other words, as I like to think of it, a well-done production hums in its strength and harmony.

But in regard to the stage itself, let’s talk briefly about stage configurations first. Although no one’s ever exactly said, “Build a better stage, and the world will beat a path to your theater,” theater, as a whole, is always looking to up the theater experience. And how the stage interacts with the audience (and vice versa) is a major consideration in that experience. Through the years, the shape of the stage has taken many forms. Those forms have a number of different names and variations, but for the purposes of this discussion, let’s talk about a few of the well-known styles:

• Proscenium stage: This may be the type of stage people think of first when talking about a stage. It features a frame or arch that separates performance space from the seating area; the stage is deep from front to back and may extend into the audience area. This setup includes wings for off-stage activity and on-stage access, etc., and sometimes an orchestra pit.
• Thrust stage: This stage, often rectangular in shape, has the audience surrounding it on three sides, immersing the performance into those experiencing the piece. A fourth side leads to the backstage area. The extension of the stage into the audience creates an intimacy between audience and actors but also maintains some ease of movement for actors, props, and staging.
• Theater-in-the-round: As its name suggests, this setup usually has the stage centered, with the audience completely surrounding the performance space. This stage setting makes for an intimacy between actor and audience but can present blocking and audio challenges that keep actors moving so as not to give any part of the audience their backs, or sides, for too long.
• Black-box theater: Often literally painted all black — floor, walls and ceiling — this stage is easily reconfigured. That simplicity is its hallmark, and a typical setup includes moveable seating that starts on the same level as the performance space, minimalist settings and props that avoid clutter and emphasize sight lines, etc. — all of which enhance the focus on simplicity.

Now that we know a little bit about the configuration possibilities — and we’ve truly just scratched the surface — let’s talk about choosing a stage for a particular play. That decision, like so much of what gets decided for a theater production, is a team effort, this one the result of, in great part, the converging visions of the director and the set designer. If one can boil down a director’s role to one that envisions a particular artistic take on a play, the set designer’s role can be thought of as the visual presentation of that. As these two work to meld their vision into one shared intent, the various stage configurations are considered, taking into account the play the performance space, the number of actors, the strengths of each stage setup, and so on. Eventually a determination of which stage configuration best embodies all that the team wants to accomplish with its production emerges.

And there you have it!

In all sincerity, encapsulating the process as I have done here makes the process look easy. Sometimes it is; but in all likelihood, it takes discussion, imaging of the pros and cons to any given design — and a lot of flexibility within the team. The easiest part is knowing that everyone wants the choice to be the best showcase for the work. With that as a starting point, the rest eventually falls into place.

I hope I’ve given you some good material for thought, David, and maybe even enough information to bring more questions to mind. Thank you again for your question and continued interest in theater and in Rogue Theater Company.

Do you have questions about theater, acting, stagecraft, etc.? I’d love to hear them. Send your questions to contact@roguetheatercompany.com.

Jessica Sage is the producing artistic director of Rogue Theater Company. RTC’s 2025 season opened in February and the final production of this season, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” closes on Nov. 2. For more information about the theater company — see roguetheatercompany.com. Information about the upcoming 2026 season will be posted on Nov. 9.