The Theater ClipArt gallery includes 58 views of theaters, amphitheaters, stages, performances, masks and other items related to the theatre. See also the Actors and Actresses, and the Playwrights ClipArt galleries in the People section.

"Roman amphitheater at Pola, Dalmatia." -Breasted, 1914

Amphitheater

"Roman amphitheater at Pola, Dalmatia." -Breasted, 1914

The Roman amphitheater in Arles built in the Middle Ages.

Amphitheater

The Roman amphitheater in Arles built in the Middle Ages.

Sectional view of an Amphitheater.

Amphitheater

Sectional view of an Amphitheater.

"Amphitheatre at Rome." — Goodrich, 1844

Roman amphitheatre

"Amphitheatre at Rome." — Goodrich, 1844

"The remains of Ampitheater of Arles, France. "-Whitney, 1902

Ampitheater

"The remains of Ampitheater of Arles, France. "-Whitney, 1902

"The remains of Ampitheater of Nimes, France. "-Whitney, 1902

Ampitheater

"The remains of Ampitheater of Nimes, France. "-Whitney, 1902

"In Belgium the Roman Renaissance was introduced about the same time as in France: but an unmistakable distinction is visible between the two styles. The buildings in Belgium have a certain stamp by which they essentially differ from those of France; in fact, the whole style might be designated as modern Belgian. The peculiarity of the treatment lies mainly in a predilection for that Renaissance which is called the Roccoco style in conjunction with heavy and often very [skillfully] managed; but still the details are for the most part heavier and more robust than those that belong to the best Renaissance style. [This image] shows this peculiarity, but it is somewhat less marked than in many other instances."

View of the Opera House in Paris

"In Belgium the Roman Renaissance was introduced about the same time as in France: but an unmistakable…

An illustration of Bowery Theater, a playhouse in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. Although it was founded by rich families to compete with the upscale Park Theater, the Bowery saw its most successful period under the populist, pro-American management of Thomas Hamblin in the 1830s and 1840s. By the 1850s, the theater came to cater to immigrant groups such as the Irish, Germans, and Chinese. It burnt down 5 times in 17 years, a fire in 1929 destroying it for good. Although the theater's name changed several times (Thalia Theater, Fay's Bowery Theater, etc.), it was generally referred to as the "Bowery Theater".

Bowery Theater

An illustration of Bowery Theater, a playhouse in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. Although…

An illustration of Castle Garden, known today as Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton. Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton was once a circular sandstone fort now located in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, New York City, in the United States. It subsequently became a beer garden, a theater, the first immigration station (predating Ellis Island), a very popular public aquarium, and finally a national monument.

Castle Garden

An illustration of Castle Garden, known today as Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton. Castle Clinton or Fort…

An illustration of the interior of Castle Garden, known today as Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton. Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton was once a circular sandstone fort now located in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, New York City, in the United States. It subsequently became a beer garden, a theater, the first immigration station (predating Ellis Island), a very popular public aquarium, and finally a national monument.

Castle Garden (Interior)

An illustration of the interior of Castle Garden, known today as Castle Clinton or Fort Clinton. Castle…

The Colosseum is an immense amphitheater built at Rome by Flavius Vespasian, AD 72.

Colosseum

The Colosseum is an immense amphitheater built at Rome by Flavius Vespasian, AD 72.

An illustration of the Roman Colosseum.

Colosseum

An illustration of the Roman Colosseum.

"The vast Flavian amphitheater at Rome now called the Colosseum." -Breasted, 1914

Colosseum

"The vast Flavian amphitheater at Rome now called the Colosseum." -Breasted, 1914

The Colosseum in Rome.

Colosseum

The Colosseum in Rome.

The Colosseum at Rome was the greatest of Roman ampitheatres.

Colosseum at Rome

The Colosseum at Rome was the greatest of Roman ampitheatres.

"Ground Plan of the Colosseum at Rome, with representation of the Tiers of Seats, and of the Substructure. The shape of the amphitheatre was borrowed from that of the theatre. Since no stage was necessary, and with a view to securing as many rows of seats as possible, the semicircular form of the theatre was done away with, and the whole became a circle, or rather an ellipse, which was afterwards the recognized shape for all buildings of this nature, whether at Rome or in the provinces."

Ground Plan of the Colosseum

"Ground Plan of the Colosseum at Rome, with representation of the Tiers of Seats, and of the Substructure.…

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Colosseum, Half Plan

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium,…

Ford's Theatre in Washington, where President Lincoln was assassinated.

Ford's Theatre

Ford's Theatre in Washington, where President Lincoln was assassinated.

Ford's Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

Ford's Theatre

Ford's Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

This drawing represents the interior of Her Majesty's Theater of England.

Interior of Her Majesty's Theatre

This drawing represents the interior of Her Majesty's Theater of England.

Lincolns assassination at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth.

Lincoln Assassination

Lincolns assassination at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth.

An illustration of a magician conducting a magic show.

Magician

An illustration of a magician conducting a magic show.

A Mexican clay mask.

Mask

A Mexican clay mask.

An illustration of a mask from the statue of Thalia.

Thalia Mask

An illustration of a mask from the statue of Thalia.

"While Greek tragedt grew farther and farther away from the humor and burlesque so characteristic of the old satyr dances and songs, comedy arose to incorporate within itself much of this early spirit. The comedies supplied entertainments, pure and simple, yet at the same time did much to mold public opinion." — The Delphian Society, 1913

Comedy masks

"While Greek tragedt grew farther and farther away from the humor and burlesque so characteristic of…

"Tragedy masks. The origin of Greek drama is to be found in the yearly celebrations in honor of Dionysus, god of wine. Riotous festivals were held, during which the god of wine was extolled with carousals and boisterous songs, these having been introduced to Greece from Thrace, where they were even wilder in their nature." — The Delphian Society, 1913

Tragedy masks

"Tragedy masks. The origin of Greek drama is to be found in the yearly celebrations in honor of Dionysus,…

An illustration of Mr. Punch, a puppet from the popular English puppet show Punch and Judy. Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known since Victorian times as a Professor

Mr. Punch

An illustration of Mr. Punch, a puppet from the popular English puppet show Punch and Judy. Punch and…

Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Madison Square Garden in New York

Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Opera glasses, also known as theater binoculars or Galilean binoculars, they are compact, low power optical magnification devices, usually used at performance events, whose name is derived from traditional use at opera performances. Magnification power below 5x is usually desired in these circumstances in order to minimize image shake and maintain a large enough field of view. A magnification of 3x is normally recommended. The design of many modern opera glasses of the ornamental variety is based on the popular lorgnettes of the nineteenth century

Opera Glass

Opera glasses, also known as theater binoculars or Galilean binoculars, they are compact, low power…

The Paris Opera House was built by architect Charles Garnier, who was chosen by Emperor Napoleon III. It was built in the late 19th century in a Neo-Baroque style.

Paris Opera House

The Paris Opera House was built by architect Charles Garnier, who was chosen by Emperor Napoleon III.…

"A mask. Masks were worn by Greek and Roman actors in nearly all dramatic representations. This custom arose undoubtedly from the practice of smearing the face with certain juices and colours, and of appearing in disguise, at the festivals of Bacchus. Now as the Greek drama arose out of these festivals, it is highly probable that some mode of disguising the face was as old as the drama itself. Choerilus of Samos, however, is said to have been the first who introduced regular masks. Other writers attribute the invention of masks to Thesuis or Aeschylus, though the latter had probably only the merit of perfecting and completing the whole theatrical apparatus and costume. Some masks covered, like the masks of modern times, only the face, but they appear more generally to have covered the whole head down to the shoulders, for we always find the hair belonging to a mask described as being a part of it; and this must have been the case in tragedy more especially, as it was necessary to make the head correspond to the stature of an actor, which was heightened by the cothurnus. The annexed cut represents the grotesque mask of a Satyr, together with a tragic mask, which are contined in the British Museum. some of the oldest manuscripts of Terence contain representations of Roman masks, and from these manuscripts they have been copied in several modern editions of that poet. The cut annexed contains representations of four of these masks prefixed to the Andria." — Smith, 1873

Persona

"A mask. Masks were worn by Greek and Roman actors in nearly all dramatic representations. This custom…

"A mask. Masks were worn by Greek and Roman actors in nearly all dramatic representations. This custom arose undoubtedly from the practice of smearing the face with certain juices and colours, and of appearing in disguise, at the festivals of Bacchus. Now as the Greek drama arose out of these festivals, it is highly probable that some mode of disguising the face was as old as the drama itself. Choerilus of Samos, however, is said to have been the first who introduced regular masks. Other writers attribute the invention of masks to Thesuis or Aeschylus, though the latter had probably only the merit of perfecting and completing the whole theatrical apparatus and costume. Some masks covered, like the masks of modern times, only the face, but they appear more generally to have covered the whole head down to the shoulders, for we always find the hair belonging to a mask described as being a part of it; and this must have been the case in tragedy more especially, as it was necessary to make the head correspond to the stature of an actor, which was heightened by the cothurnus. The annexed cut represents the grotesque mask of a Satyr, together with a tragic mask, which are contined in the British Museum. some of the oldest manuscripts of Terence contain representations of Roman masks, and from these manuscripts they have been copied in several modern editions of that poet. The cut annexed contains representations of four of these masks prefixed to the Andria." — Smith, 1873

Persona

"A mask. Masks were worn by Greek and Roman actors in nearly all dramatic representations. This custom…

Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character.

Punch (Puppet Character)

Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his…

An illustration of a typical Punch and Judy show. Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer, known since Victorian times as a Professor

Punch and Judy

An illustration of a typical Punch and Judy show. Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet…

An illustration of the Punch and Judy Show, including Punch, Judy and their child.

Punch and Judy Show

An illustration of the Punch and Judy Show, including Punch, Judy and their child.

An illustration of the Punch and Judy Show, where Judy is beating Punch with a long stick.

Punch and Judy Show

An illustration of the Punch and Judy Show, where Judy is beating Punch with a long stick.

Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character. The show is traditionally performed by a single puppeteer.

Punch and Judy Show

Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular English puppet show featuring the characters of Punch and his…

An illustration of the Punch and Judy Show, where Punch is riding his steed.

Punch on His Steed

An illustration of the Punch and Judy Show, where Punch is riding his steed.

An illustration of a puppeteer putting on a puppet show.

Puppet Show

An illustration of a puppeteer putting on a puppet show.

Three puppets

Puppets

Three puppets

Mark Twain illustrating an Italian newspaper as saying a cop in a theater of opera in Wallace, Indiana, had willed to expel a spectator which continued to smoke in spite of the prohibition, who, spalleggiato by his friends, manifold revolver shots.

The Revolveration in Theatre

Mark Twain illustrating an Italian newspaper as saying a cop in a theater of opera in Wallace, Indiana,…

The Arles Amphitheatre is a Roman amphitheatre in the southern French town of Arles.

Roman Amphitheatre at Arles

The Arles Amphitheatre is a Roman amphitheatre in the southern French town of Arles.

One of the first Greek amphitheaters, located in the political center of the Elymian people.

Theater of Segesta

One of the first Greek amphitheaters, located in the political center of the Elymian people.

A divider illustrated with theater masks and vines.

Theater Mask Divider

A divider illustrated with theater masks and vines.

An illustration of the theater of Dionysus at Athens.

Theater of Dionysus

An illustration of the theater of Dionysus at Athens.

A medium sized greek theater.

Epidauros Theater

A medium sized greek theater.

"The Berlin school, whose founder was Schinkel, the architect of the noble Berlin Theatre, and of the Museum, which is noteworthy for its magnificent façade, exhibited a decided inclination towards Grecian architecture, and strove to attain a certain purity of form, and delicacy and elegance in details, which where for the most part carried out in the Grecian style. He had to contend against a deficiency in building material. Owing to want of building-stone, the mouldings, and indeed all the architectural details, were unavoidably carried out in stucco; nor was this all, but in order to give the same durability, they were made to project as little as possible. Consequently this architectural style, with the exception of some few public buildings, seemed flat and wanting in power, especially in the case of private dwelling-houses, and frequently presented the appearance of pasteboard-work, or cabinet-work, rather than of a structural edifice. This facility also which stucco afforded for enriching the façade, caused more attention to be paid to decoration than it was entitled to, for ornament should always be kept in subservience to the main and constructive architectural forms."The Konzerthaus Berlin (once called the Schauspielhaus Berlin) is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin. Since 1994 it has been the seat of the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin.The building's predecessor, the National-Theater in the Friedrichstadt suburb, was destroyed by fire in 1817. It had been designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans and inaugurated on January 1, 1802. The hall was redesigned by Karl Friedrich Schinkel between 1818 and 1821, and the new inauguration of the Königliches Schauspielhaus on June 18, 1821 featured the acclaimed premiere of Carl Maria von Weber's opera Der Freischütz. Other works that have premiered at the theatre include Undine by E. T. A. Hoffmann in 1816 and Penthesilea by Heinrich von Kleist in 1876.After World War I the Schauspielhaus reopened under the name of Preußisches Staatstheater Berlin in October 1919. Under the direction of Leopold Jessner it soon became one of the leading theatres of the Weimar Republic, a tradtion ambivalently continued by his successor Gustav Gründgens after the Nazi takeover in 1933, including his famous staging of Goethe's Faust and the premiere of Gerhart Hauptmann's tragedy Iphigenie in Delphi in 1941.Severely damaged by Allied bombing and the Battle of Berlin the building has been rebuilt from 1977 on and reopened as the concert hall of the Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester in 1984. The exterior, including many of the sculptures of composers by Christian Friedrich Tieck and Balthasar Jacob Rathgeber, is a faithful reconstruction of Schinkel's designs, while the interior was adapted in a Neoclassical style meeting the conditions of the altered use. The great hall is equipped with a notable four-manual pipe organ including 74 stops and 5811 pipes.

Theatre at Berlin

"The Berlin school, whose founder was Schinkel, the architect of the noble Berlin Theatre, and of the…

"The Berlin school, whose founder was Schinkel, the architect of the noble Berlin Theatre, and of the Museum, which is noteworthy for its magnificent façade, exhibited a decided inclination towards Grecian architecture, and strove to attain a certain purity of form, and delicacy and elegance in details, which where for the most part carried out in the Grecian style. He had to contend against a deficiency in building material. Owing to want of building-stone, the mouldings, and indeed all the architectural details, were unavoidably carried out in stucco; nor was this all, but in order to give the same durability, they were made to project as little as possible. Consequently this architectural style, with the exception of some few public buildings, seemed flat and wanting in power, especially in the case of private dwelling-houses, and frequently presented the appearance of pasteboard-work, or cabinet-work, rather than of a structural edifice. This facility also which stucco afforded for enriching the façade, caused more attention to be paid to decoration than it was entitled to, for ornament should always be kept in subservience to the main and constructive architectural forms."The Altes Museum (German for Old Museum), is one of several internationally renowned museums on Berlin's Museum Island in Berlin, Germany. Since restoration work in 1966, it houses the antique collection (Antikensammlung) of the Berlin State Museums. The museum was built between 1825 and 1828 by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the neoclassical style to house the Prussian Royal family's art collection. Until 1845, it was called the Royal Museum.

Theatre at Berlin

"The Berlin school, whose founder was Schinkel, the architect of the noble Berlin Theatre, and of the…

"In Dresden, owing to the method of instruction in the technical schools, as well as to the influence of the buildings, as, for instance, those by Zwinger, and the new theatre by Semper, the Renaissance style is the one preferred by the architects who have been there educated."The Semperoper is the opera house of the Saxon State Opera Dresden (German: Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden) and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden in Dresden, Germany. It was first built in 1841, by architect Gottfried Semper.The building style itself is debated among many, as it has features that appear in the Early Renaissance style, Baroque and even features Corinthian style pillars typical of classical Greece (classical revival). Perhaps the most suitable label for this style would be Eclecticism; where influences from many styles are used- a practice most common during this period.It had to be rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in 1869. The citizenry demanded that Gottfried Semper do the reconstruction, even though he was in exile at the time because of his activities in the May Uprising in Dresden in 1849. So the architect had his son Manfred Semper complete the second opera house with his father's plans. This second one was constructed in Neo-Renaissance style in 1878. During construction, performances were held at the Gewerbehausall, which opened in 1870.The building is considered to be a prime example of "Dresden-Baroque" architecture. It is situated on the Theater Square in central Dresden on the bank of the Elbe River. On top of the portal there is a Panther quadriga with a statue of Dionysos. The interior was created by such famous architects of the time as Johannes Schilling. Monuments on the portal depict famous artists such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller, William Shakespeare, Sophocles, Molière and Euripides. The building also features work by Ernst Rietschel and Ernst Julius Hähnel.In the pre-war years, the building premiered many of the works of Richard Strauss.During the last weeks of World War II in 1945 the building was destroyed again - this time by Allied bombing and the subsequent fire storms. Exactly 40 years later, on February 13, 1985 the opera was rebuilt almost the same as it was before the war. It reopened with the same opera that was performed last before the destruction in 1945: Weber's Der Freischütz.During the flood of the Elbe in 2002 the building suffered heavy water damage. With substantial help from around the world, it reopened in December 2002.Today, most operas are accompanied by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.

Theatre at Dresden

"In Dresden, owing to the method of instruction in the technical schools, as well as to the influence…

The theatres were originally built on a very large scale to accommodate the large number of people on stage, as well as the large number of people in the audience, up to fourteen thousand. Mathematics played a large role in the construction of these theatres, as their designers had to able to create acoustics in them such that the actors' voices could be heard throughout the theatre, including the very top row of seats.

Ground Plan of the Theatre at Iassus

The theatres were originally built on a very large scale to accommodate the large number of people on…

"The theatre was essentially like the Grecian in its arrangement; it formed a semicircle with seats rising in the form of an amphitheatre for the spectators, at the chord of which was the stage, with its permanent decorations."

Ground Plan of the Theatre at Pompeii

"The theatre was essentially like the Grecian in its arrangement; it formed a semicircle with seats…

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped amphitheater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof, and was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000.

Ground Plan of the Theatre of Herodes Atticus

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis…

O, orchestra; L, logeion; P, paraskenai; SK, skene; ST, stoa.

Plan of Greek Theatre

O, orchestra; L, logeion; P, paraskenai; SK, skene; ST, stoa.

"Theatrum, a theatre. The Athenians before the time of Aeschylus had only a wooden scaffolding on which their dramas were performed. Such a wooden theatre was only erected for the time of the Dionysiac festivals, and was afterwards pulled down. The first drama that Aeschylus brought upon the stage was performed upon such a wooden scaffold, and it is recorded as a singular and ominous coincidence that on that occasion (500 b.c.) the scaffolding broke down. To prevent the recurrence of such an accident, the building of a stone theatre was forthwith commenced on the south-eastern descent of the Acropolis, in the Lenaea; for it should be observed, that throughout Greece theatres were always built upon eminences, or on the sloping side of a hill." &mdash Smith; 1873

Theatrum

"Theatrum, a theatre. The Athenians before the time of Aeschylus had only a wooden scaffolding on which…

"Masks used in Tragedy" — Morey, 1903

Tragedy Mask

"Masks used in Tragedy" — Morey, 1903

The Theater of Vitruvius was a Roman Theater, named after Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius Marcus Pollio.

Theater of Vitruvius

The Theater of Vitruvius was a Roman Theater, named after Roman writer, architect and engineer Vitruvius…

An illustration of a woman and a dog on a stage.

Woman & Dog on Stage

An illustration of a woman and a dog on a stage.

An illustration of a woman bowing.

Woman Bowing

An illustration of a woman bowing.