The Rivals - Visual, Aural, Spatial

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The Rivals

Visual, Aural, Spatial

18th Century Theatre

The architectural structure and other staging conventions that mostly remain today were strongly influenced by Italian theatre.

The seating for the audience consisted of benches in front of the stage and galleries divided into box seating along the sides of the auditorium. A proscenium arch separated the audience and the stage.

Although the stages were large and deep set in 18th Century theatre, the actors would stand as close to the front of the stage as possible, partly due to the relatively poor lighting, but also to create a more intense and intimate atmosphere with the audience.

The elaborate and fashionable costumes used in 18th Century theatre helped to clarify to the audience the social status of the different characters, as well as making the visual element on stage more interesting. The costumes would have been modern at the time, and also added to the fashionable status that the Theatre held at the time. Where the actress playing Lydia would have worn an expensive and fashionable dress, Lucy would have been dressed in a simple, rather plain outfit, to signify her lower position in society.