The purpose of this study is to analyze stage evacuation routes in theaters and to ensure the safety of performance workers in the event of an evacuation. To this end, the evacuation routes of 53 public theater stages South Korea were analyzed. As a result, the study was able to identify four main evacuation routes routes(Loading Dock, Stage Door, Lobby, and Seat). Based on the obtained results and selected criteria for audience evacuation, a procedural diagram was constructed to classify evacuations into four types (Types A, B, C, and D).

Employing the network reliability measurement method, it was quantitatively confirmed that evacuation routes in the “Loading Dock” and “Stage Door” directions and “Type A” and “Type B” evacuation types were the most favorable.
The findings of this study can enhance safety when evacuating theaters and serve as a basis for the design of stage evacuation plans. Below are the summarized results of this study, which theater operators and managers should take into account and incorporate into their stage evacuation plans.
1) The theater stage evacuation routes were categorized into four directions: “Loading Dock,” “Stage Door,” “Lobby,” and “Seat.” According to stage evacuation route types, they were classified into four types: “Type A,” “Type B,” “Type C,” and “Type D.”
2) Separate theatre space evacuation routes are needed for performance workers, such as “Loading Dock” and “Stage Door.”
3) The theater stage requires separate evacuation types for performance workers, such as “Type A” and “Type B.”
4) By incorporating the “door width” obstacle into the existing evacuation “distance” obstacle, reliability segmentation was attempted, to improve the precision of comparison of reliability between routes.
5) In addition, evacuation safety and crowd management can be quantitatively evaluated, and can be applied to safety management plans or disaster response plans in arena concerts and outdoor events.

This study confirmed the lower reliability according to distance; by considering the reliability of the door width obstacle, the evacuation reliability of the loading dock(0.2160) was found highest, with excellent evacuation performance. Among evacuation types, the highest reliability was confirmed for Type A (0.1541).
The results of this study can serve as basic reference data for theater safety managers and operators in establishing stage evacuation guidelines for their own contexts and developing safety management plans. Moreover, the findings can be applied to other spaces requiring crowd management in similar venues (e.g., concerts, outdoor events). Further follow-up research is anticipated to be necessary in the future of this study.