Stage height, steps and railings
Common deck heights, step rise and run, when a stage needs rails, skirting versus fascia, and glow tape.
Staging guide
Stage configurations for corporate events.
By Troy Halsey ·
Where the stage sits and which way the audience faces decides more about an event than almost anything else in the room. It sets how close presenters feel, where the screens can go, how much floor the seating gets and what the cameras see.
There are six configurations most event designers start from. They are a vocabulary rather than a closed list: the interesting designs usually come from varying and combining them.
The six configurations at a glance
| Configuration | What it is | Good for | Watch out for | Screens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End stage (apron) | The stage at one end of the room, scenery upstage as a backdrop, no arch. | Most corporate general sessions. Presenters stand close to the audience. | Little — it is the default for a reason. | On the stage wall, either side of or behind the presenter. |
| Proscenium | An end stage behind a frame. Venues sometimes have one; designers often build one from black drape or scenery. | Clean edges and big openings, such as a traveler curtain that parts to reveal the set. | Everything happens behind the frame, so the audience can feel outside the show. | Inside or behind the frame. |
| Thrust | The deck pushes out into the audience, with seats on three sides. | Pulling the audience into the action; a more intimate feel. | Presenters drift to face the center, so the side sections watch them in profile. | The main wall plus screens the side sections can see. |
| Runway | A narrow stage strip through the audience; the two sides face each other. A T-shaped version adds a cross-piece the audience faces. | Fashion shows and product walks. | Someone is always behind the presenter. Screens have to go behind each seating side; with a T, heads turn hard whenever the runway is used. | Behind each seating side, or either side of the stage on a T. |
| In the round | The stage in the middle of the room with seats facing it from every side. | A discussion feel rather than a presentation, with presenters who know how to work it. | A presenter faces about a quarter of the room at a time. Tall scenery blocks sightlines. | Hung overhead, or video in place of scenery. |
| Vignette | Several small stages around the room. | Award shows that rotate presenters, or one stage per use, such as a band on one and speakers on another. | Works best when every stage favors the same side of the room, so nobody twists around in their seat. | Planned per stage; seats aim at the combined stage area. |
How to choose one
Settle the physical questions first, then the feel. A configuration that doesn't fit the room, the budget or the schedule is not an option, however good it would look.
- How will the stage be used: one keynote speaker, panels, performers, awards walks?
- How big is the room, and how much of it does the audience need?
- What is the budget for staging, scenery and screens?
- Do any performers' riders (their production requirement lists) specify the stage?
- Can it be loaded in and struck in the time the venue gives you?
- Then the feel. If the audience should feel part of it, think about a low stage in the round. If it should feel larger than life, think about a tall thrust inside a dressed proscenium.
Screens follow the configuration
Screens are where configurations most often go wrong, because the audience faces different directions in each one. On an end stage or a proscenium the screens share one wall with the stage. On a thrust the side sections need their own sightline to a screen. A runway puts the audience on opposite sides, so each side needs screens behind the other. In the round, anything tall blocks someone, which is why the screens usually hang overhead.
Size the screens for the back row's viewing distance, then check them from the worst seats, not the best ones.
Trying configurations in EVT3D
EVT3D's Event Wizard lays out a starting General Session or Breakout in any of the six configurations — End Stage, Proscenium, Thrust, Runway, In the Round and Vignette — from the room and the headcount. Because it is fast, you can lay out two or three and compare them in 3D before choosing, then check each one from the seats with Chair View.
Questions we get
What is the most common stage configuration for corporate events?
The end stage with an apron: the stage at one end of the room, scenery upstage behind the presenters, and no proscenium arch. It keeps presenters close to the audience and puts the screens on the same wall as the stage.
What is the difference between a thrust stage and a runway?
A thrust pushes a deck into the audience with seating on three sides. A runway is an extreme version: a narrow strip through the audience, with the two sides of the house facing each other across it.
Where do the screens go for an in-the-round stage?
Usually overhead, hung above the stage so every side can see them, because anything tall on the floor blocks the people behind it.
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Lay it out in 3D before you build it.
EVT3D is browser-based 3D event design software. Put the stage, steps, ramp and seating in a real venue at real dimensions, check it from the seats, and share it with your client as a 3D walkthrough. The free plan needs no credit card.