What are the advantages of theatre in the round?

Answer 1

When a theater company has great actors within the troupe, those actors can sometimes be showcased via theater in the round.

From the perspective of the director or producer, theater in the round allows for greatly reduced props, sets and scenery - that alone can be a significant financial savings. With a reduced set and props budget, it can be advantageous to invest instead in costumes, which the audience can then enjoy more fully or which may fully complement the performances of the actors.

The audience is better able to focus on the performers themselves, and less on the visual distraction that sets, props and scenery may require. Unique ways of staging for theater in the round can include reduced sets that either rise from the floor, or drop from the ceiling - or remain constant as with unit or single set productions.

Audiences often relate well to theater in the round because they can be within arm's reach of the stage. Theater in the round, can provide a unique theater experience for audiences used to attending proscenium or thrust stage performances. With especially dramatic or emotional plays, theater in the round can enhance the production.