Audience Space

The ancient Greek theatre is often quoted as an example of 'democratic' seating. Only the first rows were reserved for priests and public officials. Yet there was some kind of organisation in the audience space. The central part of the auditorium, right behind the seat for priest of Dionysos, was used by guests of honour and at the sides of the auditorium foreigners and latecomers were seated. In the Renaissance, Andrea Palladio copied this idea of 'democratic' seating in Teatro Olimpico. Also in this theatre only the first row was reserved for special spectators. Also to scenery was in a way 'democratic'. Through the use of multiple vistas spectators could have an 'ideal' view on one of the perspective vistas. Sebastiano Serlio (1475-1550) wrote about the organisation of the theatrical and audience space. In his second book of architecture (1545) he adopted the democratic seating of the Greeks to his time and made a hierarchical subdivision of the auditorium:

The proscenium is marked D. E is the orchestra raised one-half foot from the ground. F indicates the seats reserved for the nobility. The first tiers, which are marked G, are for the most noble ladies; the ladies of lesser rank are placed higher up. The broader levels, marked H and I are passageways between which are tiers reserved for the noblemen. Men of lesser rank will sit on the tiers above. The large space marked K is for the common people and may vary in size according to the dimensions of the hall.

Scamozzi changes the ideas of hierarchy in Teatro Sabbioneta. He departed from the ideas of Serlio and Palladio and placed the duke, the most important man, apart from the rest of the audience. Due to the fact that the first perspective drawings of Serlio were designed for higher, further away ideal spectator, the loggia was placed on the second floor at the back of the theatre. The loggia is semi-circular and separated from the rest of the theatre by its position and 12 Corinthian columns with statues on top. Though the loggia had an open structure through which the duke could make his appearance before his subjects. The position of the loggia symbolises the exalted and special place of the duke in the society. The division of the audience space got a whole new political and social meaning. Kurt Foster stays in 'stagecraft and statecraft':

In simple terms, the stage signified 'city square', the ducal loggia indicated 'urban place'. They were held in balance, but reality was on the side of the princely spectator, who stood among real columns against a representation of Roman emperors, while the fake architecture of the stage was internally conditioned in its perspective dislocation by the princely point of view.

Although the ideal view on the perspective scenery was reserved for the duke, the other spectators could see a large part of scenery and experience the effect of depth in it. The single vista stage was more clearly perceived compared to Teatro Olimpico were the view on the scenery was limited by its frons scenea. It is uncertain how the audience space of Sabbioneta was really divided. Except for the loggia, where the duke and noble ladies were seated, Carlson distinguishes two other audience space is in the theatre. U-shaped seating banks in the auditorium were probably reserved for aristocratic man, while the rest of the audience was standing or sitting on removable chairs in the orchestra. It is not sure if woman were seated also in the orchestra or if their presence was limited to the loggia.

The auditorium and stage are separated from each other by the rectangular part of the orchestra. Auditorium and stage are about equal in size, a third part of the theatre. According to Izenour (Theater design), the theatre can bear around 300 to 350 spectators, 175 seated and 170 standing. In the next centuries the hierarchical division of the audience space in a separated, raised space for the Prince and the rest of the auditorium for the public, became standard throughout Europe.