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Green room



 
 
A green room is a room in a theater, studio
Studio

A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, photography, graphic design, cinematography, animation, radio or television broadcasting or the making of music....
, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers
Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms of art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical work of art....
 or speakers
Public speaker

A public speaker is a person who makes Public speakinges in public settings. A speaker may address a large assembly of people or small gatherings....
 when not required on the stage
Stage (theatre)

In theatre, the stage is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience....
.

Its function is as a break/touch-up lounge so that performers do not have to go back to wardrobe/dressing rooms and are still easily accessible for their call.

The first recorded use of the term was in 1701 but the origin of the term is unknown and is the source of many folk etymologies such as:



ome theatre companies, the term green room also refers to the director's critique session held after a rehearsal or performance, since it is often held in the "green room." This session is used for a pep talk, bonding among actors, and/or warmup exercises.

The "green room" is also another location where patrons or fans may meet and greet the famous musician(s)/performer(s) after a concert.






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A green room is a room in a theater, studio
Studio

A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, photography, graphic design, cinematography, animation, radio or television broadcasting or the making of music....
, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers
Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms of art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical work of art....
 or speakers
Public speaker

A public speaker is a person who makes Public speakinges in public settings. A speaker may address a large assembly of people or small gatherings....
 when not required on the stage
Stage (theatre)

In theatre, the stage is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience....
.

Its function is as a break/touch-up lounge so that performers do not have to go back to wardrobe/dressing rooms and are still easily accessible for their call.

The first recorded use of the term was in 1701 but the origin of the term is unknown and is the source of many folk etymologies such as:

  • The term Green Room can be easily traced back to the East End of London England. In Cockney rhyming slang, Greengage is Stage, therefore Greengage Room is Stage Room and like most rhyming slang it gets shortened, hence Green' Room. (this info came from the late great comedian and dancer Max Wall).
  • In some explanations it is said that the colour was a response to limelight
    Limelight

    Limelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an Oxyhydrogen is directed at a cylinder of lime , which can be raised to 2572?C before melting....
     – early stage lighting.
  • Green is also thought to be a calming and soothing colour.
  • The most widely accepted origin of the term dates back to Shakespearean theatre. Actors would prepare for their performances in a room filled with plants and shrubs. It was believed that the moisture in the topiary was beneficial to the Actors' voices.
  • Richard Southern
    Richard Southern

    Sir Richard William Southern was a notable English medieval historian, based at the University of Oxford.Southern was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle and at Balliol College, Oxford where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in History....
    , in his studies of Medieval theatre in the round
    Theatre in the round

    Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area. In 1947, Margo Jones established America's first professional theatre-in-the-round company when she opened her Theatre ?47 in Dallas....
    , states that the acting area was "The Green". The central space, often grass-covered, was used by the actors, while the surrounding space and circular banks were occupied by the spectators. Since then "The Green" has been a traditional actor's term for the stage. Even in proscenium arch theatres there was a tradition that a green stage cloth should be used for a tragedy
    Tragedy

    Tragedy is a form of The arts based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific Poetic tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western culture....
    . The green room is thus the room on the way to the green. Technical Staff at some West End theatres (such as the London Coliseum), still refer to the stage as "the green".
  • It has been suggested that the original 'green room' was in a London theatre converted from office buildings. The room behind the stage had previously been used to cut deals and was known as the 'agreeing room,' and the phrase has become corrupted over the years.
  • According to a professor of theatre history, long before modern makeup was invented the actors had to apply makeup before a show and allow it to set up or cure before performing. Until the makeup was cured, it was "green" and people were advised to sit quietly in the "green room" until such time as the makeup was stable enough for performing. Uncured makeup is gone, but the green room lives on.
  • Some studies state that the green room was originally called the retaining room. The ensemble of a production would wait there for their appearance onstage, listening to the performance of the principal actors and critiquing their acting. When made aware of this practice, the leads began to call the retaining room the green room, mocking the envy of the "lesser actors".


Expanded meaning

In some theatre companies, the term green room also refers to the director's critique session held after a rehearsal or performance, since it is often held in the "green room." This session is used for a pep talk, bonding among actors, and/or warmup exercises.

The "green room" is also another location where patrons or fans may meet and greet the famous musician(s)/performer(s) after a concert. A fee is usually paid to gain access to this area.

The Green Room is an Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway

Off Broadway theater is an umbrella term for a defined set of Play , musical theater or revues performed in New York City. Originally referring to the location of a venue and its productions on a street intersecting Broadway in Manhattan's Theatre District, New York, the hub of the theater industry in the United States, the term later becam...
 theater in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
.

Other meanings

In surfing
Surfing

Surfing refers to a person or boat riding down a wave and thereby gathering speed from the downward movement. Most commonly, the term is used for a surface water sports in which the person surfing is carried along the face of a breaking ocean surface wave standing on a surfboard....
 the "green room" is the inside of a barrel that is produced by a wave. This term was coined due to the color of light reflected into the barrel.

In the White House
White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian architecture and has been the executive residence of every U.S....
 the Green Room
Green Room (White House)

The Green Room is one of three state parlors on the first floor in the White House, the home of the President of the United States. It is used for small receptions and teas....
 is one of three state parlors located on the state floor.

Sources