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proscenium

[proh-see-nee-uhm, pruh-]

Origin

noun, plural pro·sce·ni·a

[-nee-uh] . Theater.

Also called proscenium arch. the arch that separates a stage from the auditorium. Abbreviation: pros.

(formerly) the apron or, especially in ancient theater, the stage itself.

Origin:
1600–10; < Latin proscēnium, proscaenium < Greek proskḗnion entrance to a tent, porch, stage (Late Greek: stage curtain), equivalent to pro- pro-² + skēn(ḗ) (see scene) + -ion neuter noun suffix

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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to drive, or cause to move, forward or onward

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Collins

World English Dictionary

proscenium (prəˈsiːnɪəm)

—n , pl -nia, -niums
1.	the arch or opening separating the stage from the auditorium together with the area immediately in front of the arch
2.	(in ancient theatres) the stage itself

[C17: via Latin from Greek proskēnion, from pro- before + skēnē scene]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

proscenium

1606, "stage of an ancient theater," from L. proscaenium, from Gk. proskenion "the space in front of the scenery," also "entrance of a tent," from pro "in front" + skene "stage, tent, booth." Modern sense of "space between the curtain and the orchestra" is attested from 1807.

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Matching Quote

"The history of theater from the medieval period until the nineteenth century has been in large part a history of further and further separations of the scene of dramatic action from the physical situation of the audience. Even as the subject matter—in the plays of Ibsen, Chekhov, and Strindberg—became more and more continuous with the life of the audience, the stage itself pulled in its apron, emphasized its proscenium, and became a room with an invisible fourth wall, allowing the audience to look in, while keeping it more definitely outside. The progress of film was the reverse. From the stylized and theatrical settings of the early dramas, silent films moved into greater and greater involvement with the actors. Previously the audience saw actors from a distance, with a sense of tableau and formal separation. Although they seemed to be like us, they were not: silent, hieratic, caught in frightened frenzies of comedy, tragedy, and melodrama."

-Leo Braudy

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proscenium

pro·sce·ni·um