In theater, a thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is connected to the back stage area by its up stage end. A thrust has the advantage of greater intimacy between audience and performer than a proscenium, while retaining the utility of a backstage area. Entrances onto a thrust are most readily made from backstage, although some theatres provide for performers to enter through the audience using vomitory entrances. An arena , exposed on all sides to the audience, is without a backstage and relies entirely on entrances in the house or from under the stage.

As with an arena, the audience in a thrust stage theatre may view the stage from three or more sides. If a performance employs the fourth wall, that imaginary wall must be maintained on multiple sides. Because the audience can view the performance from a variety of perspectives, it is usual for the Blocking, props and scenery to receive thorough consideration to ensure that no perspective is blocked from view. A high backed chair, for instance, when placed stage-right, could create a blind spot in the stage left action.

Thrust stage theatres

• Chichester Festival Theatre
• the Festival theatre at the Stratford Festival of Canada
• the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis
• the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England
• The Studio-théâtre at Place des Arts, Montreal