What exactly is a black box theatre? (read first please)?

Question:My highschool is getting renovations, and in these renovation our theatre program is losing 1500 sq feet of space and being pushed into one clasroom and a cafetorium.

A group of us our going to speak at the board meeting this week to try and convince the school board to give us at least what we have, preferably more.

A parent emailed the board to complain, and suggested that we get a black box theatre. The board responded that they are building a black box theatre. So we are assuming they have a misconseption of what we are exactly a black box is.

My question is, can anyone find a credible source on what exactly a black box is, and/or suggested sizes and equipment. If we go to them with information from wikipedia, they will laugh in or faces.

Thanks for your help saving our theatre.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My highschool is getting renovations, and in these renovation our theatre program is losing 1500 sq feet of space and being pushed into one clasroom and a cafetorium.

A group of us our going to speak at the board meeting this week to try and convince the school board to give us at least what we have, preferably more.

A parent emailed the board to complain, and suggested that we get a black box theatre. The board responded that they are building a black box theatre. So we are assuming they have a misconseption of what we are exactly a black box is.

My question is, can anyone find a credible source on what exactly a black box is, and/or suggested sizes and equipment. If we go to them with information from wikipedia, they will laugh in or faces.

Thanks for your help saving our theatre.

Oh my Lord, that's horrible! I hope this helps.

Black-Box:
A black-box theater is a space where no permanent stage or seating area is built-in. The stage and the audience can be set up in-the-round, thrust, or proscenium style, depending on what the director wants. This kind of theater gives complete control to each director and designer, allowing them to decide what setup will best tell their story. This flexible theater style became popular towards the end of the 20th century. Black-box theaters can also be built inside existing buildings, such as warehouses, or even in your own garage at home (copied from my source, listed below).

So that is probably how the Board defines black-box. I understand how you might think differently, though, because that wouldn't be my definition of one either. I picture a black-box theater like a smaller college theater, with seating around three sides and a stage in the center, the walls and floor usually being black. At my school, we have a smaller theater (seats around 175) with stadium seating. It's like a regular theater with a wooden stage and great acoustics.

If I were you, I would refrain from using the term black-box, if the defined term is not what you had in mind. Be specific about what you want and make sure you explain how it would benefit the school. Good luck :)

a black box theater is a flexible performance space named for its black, box-like appearance.

A black box is a room for theatre where there is no fixed interior except for lighting and sound systems. Seats and stage platform, if there is one, are all moveable, making the black box theatre a most flexible stage type, as the audience can be placed anywhere in the room. It is common practice to paint every surface in the room black to make for neutrality and to reduce reflections, and this is the origin of the name.

The black box theatre was invented in the last half of the 20th century, the first permanent black boxes being constructed during the 1960s.

Most black box theatres are small in the sense that they would rarely handle an audience of more than 200, a fact that also has a certain impact on what kind of plays you can see at a black box theatre. The stage type is popular amongst smaller, professional theatres, but major productions that rely on massive audience turnout would normally go for a traditional proscenium, which is the most common type of theatre stage.

For some reason, a lot of black box theatre owners seem to be highly unimaginative when it comes to names, which means there is a multitude of black box theatres worldwide simply called "The Black Box Theatre".

I hope this helps. Perhaps they are thinking the classroom will also be utilized as the theatre space? I would check about that. Without the proper lighting and sound equipment built in you will have a very weak theatre. Theatre can be put up just about anywhere. In NYC there are store fronts where plays are mounted and as you know there is also theatre in the park. But if your school is creating a space specifically for theatre purposes you are right to make sure it is being done right.

Good luck!