Stage directions

I know I know, for many actors and performers this particular entry will be a bit basic. But for many of my readers who are just starting out into the world of acting it is an important one.

The stage is a place where we create worlds. Those worlds are usually created in the eye of a director. To create those worlds, a director needs to communicate his visual concept to you. And in order to do that, they use blocking. 


Blocking is a term we use in theater to tell us where and how an actor should move on stage during a play. It also can incorporate any "business" they need to do, (ironing a shirt, raking leaves, pouring coffee, training an elephant). It can include starting points in a scene, and movements or actions as the scene goes on. In a straight play, drama or comedy, blocking is important, but it takes on even greater importance in a musical, where choreography, dancing and movement, is placed in a scene.For example, in a musical, the orchestra may wait for an actor to move to a certain place to start up the music that will accompany them.( By the way, the word blocking comes from a time when stages literally had squares drawn on them like a chessboard. each was numbered, so a director could tell you to move from one block to another)

In terms of directions, we use simple codes or abbreviations in our scripts to note what action we are to follow.

Stage Directions

SL-Stage Left- The actors left when facing the audience.

SR-Stage Right- The actors right when facing the audience.

DSL- Down Stage Left- moving left toward the audience.

DSR- Down Stage Right- moving right toward the audience.

USL- Up Stage Left- moving left away from the audience.

USR- Up Stage Right- moving right away from the audience.

C- Center- the middle of the stage

RC- Right of Center

LC- Left of Center

(Downstage and Upstage come from ancient theater, which was often performed on the side of a hill, so that the audience on a flat piece of ground could easily see all the actors. So Upstage is literally up the hill, away from the audience, and Downstage is down the hill toward the audience).


So we can form simple notations by using these codes. If I am standing in the upper right corner of the stage (the actor looking at the audience), and the director tells me to move to the edge of the stage on the left hand side, I simple write XDSL. This tells me to cross down stage left. if I am then told to move to a position just to the right of the middle of the stage, I could write X R of C, which tells me to cross right of center.


Keep in mind these are simple directions I can jot in the script to get the framework of movement, this allows for the actor and director to now play with the underlying themes.....you know, that acting thing!

                                        J.T. TURNER
                               THE ACTORS SENSEI
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