proscenium

noun

pro·​sce·​ni·​um prō-ˈsē-nē-əm 

1

a

: the stage of an ancient Greek or Roman theater

b

: the part of a modern stage in front of the curtain

c

: the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium and provides the arch that frames it

2

a

: foreground sense 1

b

: foreground sense 2

Examples of proscenium in a Sentence

The host walked onto the proscenium.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tensions heightened in the bedroom, located at the top of the proscenium stage, which charts unexpected territory, literally and figuratively. —Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023

The guys with the mics rhyme not from a proscenium, but amidst the crowd. —Vulture, 15 Sep. 2023

With proscenium, thrust and in-the-round formations, there are 60 stage-audience arrangements of 90-950 seats. —Ronald Blum, Fortune, 14 June 2023

The original, set to a score by Cage — it won’t be played at the beach, which provides its own score — was created for the proscenium stage. —Gia Kourlas Amir Hamja, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2023

Second-level seating offers a ringside view for the first few rows, though audiences in the cavernous rear mezzanine are far flung, especially from the recessed proscenium. —Naveen Kumar, Variety, 20 July 2023

But though London’s National Theater, in 2014, and the Seattle Repertory Theater, in 2017, were able to accommodate the production’s clubby atmosphere, which has most audience members standing for its 90-minute duration and dancing around the cast, Broadway’s proscenium stages resisted. —Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 20 July 2023

The $35 million, 35,000-square-foot venture — targeted to open in 2025 — would provide a state-of-the-art proscenium theater, black box theater and ample community space for the area’s sizable arts scene. —Tiana Woodard, BostonGlobe.com, 11 June 2023

Uniting these disparate offerings was the palpable concentration directed toward the proscenium. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek proskēnion front of the building forming the background for a dramatic performance, stage, from pro- + skēnē building forming the background for a dramatic performance — more at scene

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing proscenium

• proscenium arch

• proscenium arch

Kids Definition

proscenium

noun

pro·​sce·​ni·​um prō-ˈsē-nē-əm 

1

: the part of a stage in front of the curtain

2

: the wall containing the arch that frames the stage