Alley theater

Alley theatre is a form of theatrical staging in which the stage is surrounded predominantly on two sides by audience. It is also commonly known as a traverse or corridor theatre. In alley theatres, sometimes one end of the stage space ends in audience, similar to a thrust or three-quarter round stage. Other times the ends of the alleys are much larger than the alley itself allowing for more space for actors, sets, and scenery. Although not commonly used for the production of plays, this form of staging especially popular for fashion shows.

There are many practical implications for the actor performing in Traverse theatre, such as projection of voice (as when the actor faces one audience, he turns his back to the other) and making sure that every action is visble to both sides of the audience. From a design perspective, staging is very limited so as not to block sight lines across the stage. Furthermore, lighting the stage from one side only will cast a shadow over the actors' faces when viewed from the opposite side.

While not strictly an alley theatre-stage, the hanamichi of a kabuki stage, which is basically a wide catwalk that extended outward from the main stage to the rear, can be considered one.