Changes

Another key feature of the kabuki stage is the ''mawari-butai'', or rotating stage. A large circular section within the rectangular stage is able to rotate, allowing scene changes to be done quickly and dramatically, with one rotating out of view, and another, formerly upstage, set rotating into view. Though the revolving stage, lifts & trap doors, and other physical effects are today operated electronically, they would have traditionally been operated by a team of stagehands beneath the stage equipped with ropes and pulleys; in the case of the ''mawari butai'', a group of stagehands would simply push on spokes attached to the ''mawari butai'' above them, slowly turning it.

Another key feature of the kabuki stage is the ''mawari-butai'', or rotating stage. A large circular section within the rectangular stage is able to rotate, allowing scene changes to be done quickly and dramatically, with one rotating out of view, and another, formerly upstage, set rotating into view. Though the revolving stage, lifts & trap doors, and other physical effects are today operated electronically, they would have traditionally been operated by a team of stagehands beneath the stage equipped with ropes and pulleys; in the case of the ''mawari butai'', a group of stagehands would simply push on spokes attached to the ''mawari butai'' above them, slowly turning it.

Though today kabuki theaters are typically filled with Western-style seating, traditionally, the area today called "orchestra seating" would have been composed of ''masu-gata'' seating - a grid of square areas separated by a thin wooden rail elevated a short distance above the floor. Audience members would gather in these squares, bringing food and drink, and sitting on the floor, enjoying a somewhat picnic-like atmosphere. Productions went on all day, typically including one ''jidaimono'', and one ''sewamono'', within which the audience could expect to see at least one ''[[shosagoto]]'' dance number. Audience members would come and go, eating, drinking, chatting, and even commenting out loud about the play (including shouting at the performers). It is easy to imagine how the practice of ''kakegoe'', shouting one's excitement or appreciation of the appearance of a favorite actor or favorite dramatic moment, would have developed in such a laid-back atmosphere.

Though today kabuki theaters are typically filled with Western-style seating, traditionally, the area today called "orchestra seating" would have been composed of ''masu-gata'' seating - a grid of square areas separated by a thin wooden rail elevated a short distance above the floor. Audience members would gather in these squares, bringing food and drink, and sitting on the floor, enjoying a somewhat picnic-like atmosphere. Expensive box seats to either side of the "house" (audience area), known as ''sajiki'', could go for as much as eighteen times the price of the ''kiriotoshi'' seats directly in front of the stage; viewers who didn't mind viewing the whole production from behind the stage, seeing chiefly just the backs of the actors, could have even cheaper seats in an area known as the ''rakan dai''.<ref>Timothy Clark, "Edo Kabuki in the 1780s," ''The Actor's Image'', Art Institute of Chicago (1994), 34.</ref> Productions went on all day, typically including one ''jidaimono'', and one ''sewamono'', within which the audience could expect to see at least one ''[[shosagoto]]'' dance number. Audience members would come and go, eating, drinking, chatting, and even commenting out loud about the play (including shouting at the performers). It is easy to imagine how the practice of ''kakegoe'', shouting one's excitement or appreciation of the appearance of a favorite actor or favorite dramatic moment, would have developed in such a laid-back atmosphere.

[[File:Kabukiza-curtains.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The distinctive black, green, and orange kabuki stage curtain, seen here at [[Kabuki-za]] in 2008.]]

[[File:Kabukiza-curtains.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The distinctive black, green, and orange kabuki stage curtain, seen here at [[Kabuki-za]] in 2008.]]