Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - proscenium

 noun  Etymology: Latin, from Greek proskenion front of the building forming the background for a dramatic performance, stage, from pro- + skene building forming the background for a dramatic performance — more at scene  Date: 1606  1.  a. the stage of an ancient Greek or Roman theater  b. the part of a modern stage in front of the curtain  c. the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium and provides the arch that frames it  2.  a. foreground 1  b. foreground 2