The concept of a box comes from the Italian language, from a variation of balco (a term that can be translated as “balcony” ). A box is the area with seats from which it is possible to watch a show .
A box is a structure that allows the public to sit comfortably and watch a theatrical performance, a concert or another type of event. This compartment usually has capacity for several people and has independent access, providing greater intimacy or privacy .
Generally, watching a show from a box is more expensive than doing so from another section of the theatre or stadium (such as the stalls ). This is due to the aforementioned characteristics of the box: the person is not surrounded by the rest of the audience and enjoys more comfort.
It is common for leaders and public figures to sit in a box. This way they achieve a certain degree of isolation and cannot be contacted or disturbed by the people in the room.
It is precisely in the nature of the box that privacy lies, the possibility of enjoying a play without the typical inconveniences that occur in cheaper locations, such as the following:
* people coughing, something that cannot be missing in any performance of opera or academic music, and which ruins the recordings unless a process is carried out to eliminate these unnecessary and common noises;
* the noise of candy and other food wrappers that the audience decides to open at the most inopportune moments, which generates interference as it dirties the sound and prevents the rest of the audience from hearing the work clearly;
* people who get up in the middle of the performance to leave the room . Although we have the right to stand up in an emergency, there are people who do so to attract attention and thus annoy all the unfortunate people who will be forced to let them pass.
Another benefit of watching a play from a box seat is that we can discuss it with our companions in a low voice without disturbing others. While some people prefer to remain silent until the intermission or the end, the most anxious need to share their excitement during the performance.
Several historic events took place in the box seats. One of the most famous is the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln , who was shot while enjoying the play “Our American Cousin” in a box seat at Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC .
That April night in 1865 , Lincoln sat in a box with his wife Mary , Major Henry Rathbone, and his partner, Clara Harris . In the second scene of the third act, John Wilkes Booth committed the assassination. In addition to shooting Lincoln , he stabbed Rathbone , who tried to stop him after the attack on the president .
The box is a type of architectural element , which is defined as each of the parts that make up an architectural work , both decorative, structural and functional. It is said that if we consider architecture as a "text", then each architectural element would be a "word".
From this point of view, the box is part of the group of architectural elements that serve the function of providing a space for the performance of a show or for watching it. Let's look at some of the most common boxes below:
* scenic : the stage itself, that is, the space in which the performance takes place;
* from the stalls : the one closest to the stage or the one on the same level;
* bathtub : it is located on the sides of the stage.