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Green Room
The room where actors wait before they go on stage. First used in London theaters in the early 1700's. It is unknown why the color green was used. Some say it was called this because that is where the actors got paid, but money was not green at that time so that can't be true.
A site visitor emailed this:
Hello, While I was enjoying idiomsite.com , I noticed an error in the explanation of "green room".
As an amatuer actor, I hope I can clear up the dispute a little.
I've been in a few "green rooms", though none, to my recollection, were actually green. Most were, however, painted a subdued tone: soft yellows, pale violets, mellow blues and greys. None were wall-papered.
According to a few actors and directors with which I've spoken, green rooms were once painted green, and many still are. Why? Actors are occasionally a little nervous before a performance, or they're anxious about other aspects of their lives. Since, most of the time, we do our best work when we are calm and composed, it's a good idea to try to keep the cast in a relaxed mood before the show.
Green is known to have a calming effect on the mind, as is yellow. It can ease tensions and even help to alleviate headaches. Ever notice that hospitals are generally painted in pale blues and white, and brothels and clubs are often red, or illuminated in red? Red is the opposite of green, and tends to incite passion-- a woman will wear a red dress when she wants to be noticed, and to feel sexy and regal.
Hence, keeping the cast in a room with green (or softly-hued) walls (the green room at our local theatre is even underground-- quiet and windowless) should put them in a peaceful mindset-- and it works.
I can't imagine waiting in my bedroom, which is painted bright scarlet, before going out on stage-- I'd be so tense I'd forget my lines!
Keep up the good work, however-- I love the site. It helps me get over losing my beloved Idiom Dictionary.
--Aileen
Another site visitor emailed this:
Hi!
While viewing your idiomasite.com site, I noticed an error in the Green Room entry... and as a professional theatre adminsitrator I felt compelloed to write. Actually, though the exact origins of the term are unknown, the best guess at its origins that I've come across are that it comes from the cockney rhyming slang term "greengage" used to denote "stage". (A greengage is a type of plum.) In cockney rhyming slang, to go onstage was to on "the green", hence the backstage room for actors to gather in was the "green room".
Best,
E. Hamilton
Another site visitor emailed this:
The room where actors wait before they go on stage. First used in London theaters in the early 1700's. It is unknown why the color green was used.
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