Democrats consider the unconventional

It's a setup that has worked for everyone from William Shakespeare to Neil Diamond. Now, organizers of the Democratic National Convention are considering a theater-in-the-round stage that would place the presidential nominee smack in the middle of the FleetCenter floor at July's gala.

The idea is to inject life into the otherwise predictable proceedings with fresh camera angles that create the appearance of an interactive event. But the question remains: Are the Democrats agile enough to pull it off?

"Bill Clinton could do it in a blink, but some others would have more difficulty using that context," said Don Fowler, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "It would be a great theatrical ploy if you could do it."

In previous conventions, the stage has been built at a side or an end of the arena, with cameras mounted on platforms directly opposite. But cameras are mobile enough to be moved into position as necessary, as they are at sporting events, officials said.

Under the theater-in-the-round idea, the stage would be built in the area that's center court for the Celtics and center ice for the Bruins, in a setup similar to one used in wrestling events and some concerts at the FleetCenter.

By putting the presidential nominee and other dignitaries in the center of the building, with exuberant delegates fanned out in every direction, planners are hoping to create more compelling television broadcasts. They hope to reverse the recent drop-off in coverage of national political conventions.

"These conventions have evolved," said Rod O'Connor, chief executive of the Democratic National Convention Committee. "I'm not sure that we don't need to take a look at the design of the convention, to take a look at what can be done differently. . . . We want to push the envelope in going through the design process."

O'Connor said no decisions have been made regarding placement of the stage. The other options are putting the stage along one of the sides of the arena, or at one of the ends, behind where one of the baskets or goals are during games.

Production designers will be enlisted to work on mock-ups and make a recommendation on the best format in the months to come, O'Connor said. He said that rethinking the interior of the convention is crucial, because political conventions have become "communications tools."

O'Connor also wants to shift some of the speeches from the stage to other parts of the arena. And he has indicated he is open to inviting Comedy Central's Jon Stewart to broadcast from the convention to broaden the audience.

Beyond the new camera angles, a stage in the middle of the FleetCenter has some ancillary benefits for convention organizing. It would free up seats, allowing all of the nearly 5,000 delegates and alternates to sit in the lower levels during the four-day event. A stage built in a more traditional spot in the arena would sacrifice about 1,000 loge-level seats.

Perhaps just as important, a stage in the middle of the arena would allow all of the FleetCenter's 104 upper-level suites to be used by media outlets, dignitaries, and big donors. With a stage on a side or at the end, the skyboxes directly behind the stage would have no view of the platform, reducing their possible uses.

But a stage in the middle of the arena could raise security concerns, because a 360-degree perimeter is difficult to secure. The idea of a center stage has been floated by organizers of previous conventions, but security concerns have nixed the plans, said Fowler, the former DNC chairman. The Secret Service, which is in charge of security inside the convention hall, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

This week, convention organizers are meeting with media representatives who will cover next summer's convention. Yesterday, they invited local broadcast and print outlets to walk through the FleetCenter, and at least 450 members of the national media are expected to be in town for a similar event Thursday.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. Rick Klein can be reached at rklein@globe.com.