Theater

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Stage, Playhouse, Play Theater, Performing Arts

Category

Public Facilities, Entertainment, Tourism, Services, Recreation

Message / Function

To indicate the location of a theater
Note: the referent Amphitheater is not included here

	Source	Description
	Unknown	Antique temple like building with base, four columns, triangular roof
a9)	Unknown	Contour of building with one wall missing, eye inside
b2)	ÖNORM A 3011	Human figure with arms arms spread out between curtains gathered on both sides
b3)	ON Testdesign	Human figure with arms arms spread out between curtains gathered on both sides
b5)	Unknown	Silhouette of human figure wearing robe and crown, with arms arms spread out, between curtains gathered on both sides
a8)	Dreyfuss	Female figure inside cone shaped light beam
	CNIS	Curtains gathered on both sides, heads and shoulders of three human figures below
a7)	Unknown	Heads and shoulders of six human figures arranged in two rows
	Milkghost Studio	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face inside rectangle, audience indicated by heads and shoulders of three human figures
	McLaren & Braunstein	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face inside silhouette of house
	DER	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face plus ribbon
	Québec	Two masks indicating smiling and sad face, sun above
	Catalunya	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	KSA	Two masks indicating a sad and a smiling face in differing styles
	Bolivia	Two masks indicating a laughing and a sad face
	Québec	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	Pierce	Two masks indicating a sad and a smiling face (tragedy and comedy masks)
b4)	Bad Aachen	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	Slovenia 2015	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face, masks overlapping
	Avanti PUM	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face, masks overlapping
	SVI	Two masks indicating a sad face with a tear and a smiling face
	Transport for London	Two tilted masks indicating a smiling and a sad face
	APEC	Two tilted masks indicating a smiling and a sad face
	Aicher & Krampen	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
a2)	Unknown	Two overlapping masks in outline
	BVG	Two masks, each with mouth only, indicating a smiling and a sad face
a3)	Picto'grafics	Profiles of two crowned heads in outline, indicating a smiling and a sad person
	BS 8501:2002	Mask indicating differing moods in each half
b1)	Ehrenfels	Mask and a sprig of laurel
	Unknown	Mask vertically cut in two pieces
	Unknown	Mask
	Unknown	Mask
*)	O'72 modified	Hand holding neutral mood mask
a1)	O'72	Hand holding neutral mood mask, horizontal bar above
	EJP	Human face with typical Kabuki make-up
*)	Simlinger & Falkner	Mask showing neutral mood
	Vuković	Lines and circles forming a face
	Pannicke & Eschenbach	Two overlapping masks shaped like Iberian style shields, one in outline

Discussion

The examples shown above already point out that no single visual stereotype exists to indicate the location of a theater. There are several general concepts and a multitude of visualizations, but the vast majority of pictograms found are renderings of masks, either showing a single mask or two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face, sometimes with additions like a sprig of laurel or some kind of ribbon. Such comedy and tragedy masks already appeared in the theater of ancient Greece and often are used to represent the performing arts. Searching the internet one will find hundreds of such mask based variants.

Several studies in our database, but from two countries only, cover most concepts presented in the table above regarding the referent Theater:

Kraft (1976) examined nine pictogram variants for Theater (including two variants for Amphitheater) using an Appropriateness Ranking Test with 50 respondents at an age between 16 and 75 years. The renderings judged as most appropriate were all mask based variants, with the variant created for the Summer Olympics 1972 in Munich, marked a1), on the first position, followed by the variant marked a2) and the Picto'grafics design showing profiles of two crowned heads in outline marked a3). The pictograms marked a7) to a9) were judged as least appropriate, as well as the two variants for Amphitheater. Also the antique temple like building at the top of the table above was judged as rather inappropriate.

In a follow-up Comprehension Test, the two mask based variants marked with *) were studied (Brugger, 1977). Only 16 % correct answers were registered for the almost abstract test design by Simlinger & Falkner just as for the modified symbol of the Olympics 1972 in Munich. About one third of the respondents did not provide any answer when these masks were shown.

Based on these findings the working group 6 of the relevant Austrian Standards committee FNA 133 developed several new test designs. Then Brugger (1979 a) compared twelve pictogram variants for the message Theater, again using an Appropriateness Ranking Test. The five pictograms judged as most appropriate are labeled b1) to b5) following the ranking order based on the test results. Except for two mask based variants, pictograms displaying a person on a stage with curtains were rated as most appropriate. Subsequently three differing image contents judged best were examined concerning comprehensibility (Brugger, 1979 b). While 81 % of the answers for the later ÖNORM pictogram labeled b1), showing a person on a stage with curtains, could be classified as correct, the best mask based variant by Ehrenfels, marked b1), reached a score of 68 % correct and the variant from Bad Aachen 52 %. 22 % of the responses for the latter variant were Carnival and Masked Ball.

When Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol similar to the version labled DER, but without ribbon, 67.8 % of the responses were classified as correct. Wrong answers registered again were Carnival and Masked Ball, among others.

Considering all test results, these reveal the following facts:

Pictograms with a person on a stage with curtains reach better comprehensibility and are rated as more comprehensible than variants based on masks.
There are significant differences between the mask based symbols: the ones with additional elements to indicate theater relevance get far more associations to theater than variants showing neutral mood.
Renderings of masks have a tendency to get confused Carnival and Masked Ball.

Abstract symbols like the face or mask at the bottom of the table above, designed by Radomir Vuković for the Belgrade pedestrian zone, as well as the masks by Pannicke & Eschenbach, are rather incomprehensible and would require labeling respectively a legend or systematic learning.

Recommendation

Symbol 83 of ÖNORM A 3011

Based on these test results we recommend the use of symbol 83 of ÖNORM A 3011 part 4 to signify Theater.

Tests of pictograms of referent Theater

Brugger, Ch. (1977): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1977-10-04.

Brugger, Ch. (1979 a): Abschlußbericht über den Reihungstest für die Referents Theater, Kurmittelhaus, Sauna und Fahrradverleih. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1979-08-13.

Brugger, Ch. (1979 b): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1979-09-06.

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.

Kraft, M. (1976): Ranking-Test. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, September 1976.