The many different types of Theatres and Stages.

Sometimes people confuse theatre with an actual place that cost money to rent, but actually any location can be a theatre. One important word that gives theatre its custom, is "platform stage". A platform stage is the stage itself and can be setup anywhere with any size. Some places even use crates as a stage. The idea is to have a place where people can sit around and watch a performance. A good example, is watching little kids play house, it may not appear to them what they are doing, but if they had an audience they would actually be performing. Some other forms of theatre stage setups include:

1. The arena stage, where the stage is in the middle and the audience is all around.
2. The proscenium stage, where the audience is seated in the front of the stage. The apron or arch most commonly is in the front of the stage, some don't have an arch at all.  
3. Thrust stage, which seats the audience on just three sides excluding the back of the stage.
4. There are also other profile, flexible or traverse stages often used for fashion shows or basketball games.

The idea is to put the center of attention in an environment that can be seen.