Dictionary

proscenium en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /pɹoʊˈsiː.ni.əm/ (US)
• /pɹəʊˈsiː.ni.əm/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Latin proscaenium (“in front of the scenery”), from Ancient Greek προσκήνιον (proskḗnion), from πρό (pró, “before”) + σκηνή (skēnḗ, “scene building”).

Meanings

1. (in a modern theater) The stage area between the curtain and the orchestra.
   • It looks like a film, a meticulous, detailed, visually balanced wide-screen Wes Anderson one. There’s no proscenium, no stage, no wings, no audience. 2023 June 15, Manohla Dargis, “‘Asteroid City’ Review: Our Town and Country”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
2. (in an ancient theater) The stage area immediately in front of the scene building.
3. (in an ancient theater) The row of columns at the front of the scene building, at first directly behind the circular orchestra but later upon a stage.
   • The front of the scene-building and of the parascenia came to be decorated with a row of columns, the proscenium (πρό, "before"+σκηνή). 1936, Roy C. Flickinger, The Greek Theater and Its Drama, 4th edition, page 58:
4. A proscenium arch.
   • Screamers trumpeted from the roof of the supermarket, white storks rattled their bills as their surveyed the town from the proscenium of the filling-station. 1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 19:

Forms

Coordinates

parascenium · thymele · auditorium · parodus · episcenium · orchestra · logium

Deriveds

proscenium curtain

Translations (22)

ca prosceni (ancient theatre: row of columns at the front the scene building) · ru проске́ниум (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building) · ca prosceni (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · es proscenio (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · pl proscenium (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building) · la proscaenium (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building) · el προσκήνιο (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · el προσκήνιο (ancient theatre: row of columns at the front the scene building) · de Bühnenfassade (ancient theatre: row of columns at the front the scene building) · ca prosceni (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building) · pl awanscena (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · pl przedscenie (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · tl prosenyo (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · da proscenium (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · bg авансце́на (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · mi tuaaroaro (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · grc προσκήνιον (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building) · grc προσκήνιον (ancient theatre: row of columns at the front the scene building) · pl proscenium (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · da proscenium (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building) · ru авансце́на (modern theatre: stage area between the curtain and the orchestra) · el προσκήνιο (ancient theatre: stage area immediately in front of the scene building)