Theatre in the Round became increasingly popular in the late 1960s in the UK and Europe, with initially the format proving popular in smaller venues and studio spaces. The first “Theatre in the Round” theatre in the UK was the formed by Stephen Joseph in 1955, now called the Stephen Joseph Theatre. However, a permanent location was not found until 1988 by artistic director and playwright Alan Ayckbourn.
The first large Theatre in the Round was built in a disused corn exchange in Manchester in 1976 and was named “The Royal Exchange Theatre”. The Royal Exchange is now one of the country’s most well known theatre outside of London.
The first Theatre in the Round in America was the built at The University of Washington in 1940.
Theatre in the Round offers the audience a closer intimacy with the stage than proscenium theatre, and it also puts the audience in direct view of each other. A 360 degree sight line means that large scenery is out of the question unless it is suspended above the actors’ heads and out of the audiences’ view. Theatre in the Round tends to be a format chosen for intimate productions, although some large scale operas and theatre productions have also used the format.

Below Is a sketch/Diagram of The In the Round Theatre :

Traverse is a form of catwalk - though in its purest form it does not have the stage and back wall area that a fashion catwalk has - the purest form of traverse is illustrated above.
Traverse offers an intimate setting and has also been used to great effect in larger productions. For example in 1991 The Derby Playhouse Community Theatre mounted a large scale production based on the events on Christmas Day in the trenches of World War 2 in 1914. The German and British armies (composed of a cast of hundreds) faced each other across the stage.
Traverse is (not surprisingly) well suited to scenes of confrontation; however its catwalk feeling makes for dynamic fast paced entrances when called for. In this type of theatre The Performer Would I can Imagine feel rather intimidated by the fact there is an audience at either side of you. I have yet to perform on this type of stage But it is something I would Enjoy, I think the seating arrangements are perfectly Plotted, They slightly Raise Towards the back and the ones at the front are practicality next to the stage, It gives the performance an alive feeling as if you actually involved In the Goings on.
The Storeroom For Props Is normally kept at an entrance to the platform Or underneath the stage itself.
The performers have to be certain and remember to keep facing either side of their audience which could prove to be very difficult. I think the performers would also have to be high on co-ordination and remember were to go at the right times so the audience can follow it more positively rather than trying to focus on one end of the Stage rather than both.

Below Is a sketch/Diagram of a Traverse Theatre :