Staging a play and performance techniques

30 min

Where you stand is part of the story

Two actors argue. If both stand side by side at the back of the stage, facing each other in profile, the audience sees two ears and hears half the words. Move them forward, angle their bodies a little towards the audience and put one on a step higher than the other, and the same lines suddenly show who is winning. Staging is the art of placing and moving everything on stage so that the audience sees, hears and understands.

Definition

Staging: planning how a play is presented in a space: the type of stage, the set, and where the actors stand and move.

Upstage: the part of the stage furthest from the audience. Downstage: the part nearest the audience. Stage right and stage left: the actor's right and left when facing the audience.

Projection: making the voice carry clearly to the back of the audience without shouting. Diction: speaking each word clearly.

Types of stage

Stage	Where the audience sits	What it means for actors
Proscenium (end-on)	in front only, looking through a frame or arch	keep the body open to the front; the picture is seen from one side
Thrust	on three sides of a stage that juts out	keep moving and turning so that no side sees only a back
Arena (in the round)	all around	no "front"; turn often and use the diagonals
Open-air or found space	wherever the space allows: a courtyard, a classroom, a field	project more; agree on a clear acting area and entrances

The stage areas

Directors divide the acting area into nine parts and use their names to give quick instructions: "Keza, cross down left." Because the names come from the actor's view, stage right is on the audience's left.

Downstage centre is the strongest position: whoever stands there draws the eye. Upstage areas suit entrances, crowds and quieter moments. In a script or prompt book, blocking is written in short form: X means cross (move), so "KEZA X DSL" means Keza crosses to down stage left.

Performance techniques

Area	Technique	What to do
Voice	projection	breathe low, send the voice to the back wall; never turn upstage to speak an important line
	diction	finish the ends of words, especially in a second language
	pace and pause	slow down for key lines; a pause before an answer builds tension
Body	open position ("cheating out")	stand at an angle so the audience sees your face while you talk to another actor
	gesture and facial expression	show feeling clearly enough for the back row to see
	levels	sitting, standing, on a step: height shows power and changes the picture
Focus	staying in character	keep reacting when you are not speaking; never laugh out of role
Focus	picking up cues	start your line as soon as the last one ends; gaps kill energy

Worked example

Worked example: block a moment. In scene 3 of The Broken Tap, Keza stands up at the village meeting. The adults sit in a half-circle upstage.

The adults sit USR, USC and USL, facing downstage at an angle, so the audience sees their faces.
Keza starts sitting at the edge, CSR. On "Whose water is it?" she stands: KEZA X DSC.
She is now the only person downstage and the only one standing: position and level both tell the audience that this is the climax.
She speaks her line out front, in an open position, with a pause before the question so it lands.

Video: "Stage Directions and Blocking | Theatre Essentials", Homegrown Theatre Camp. It shows the parts of a stage, how actors move around them and how blocking is written down. Check that its stage right and stage left match the diagram above.

Tip

Rehearse in the real space. A hall, a classroom and a courtyard all sound and look different. Hold at least one rehearsal where you will perform, with someone checking sight lines and sound from the back row.

Warning

Common mistakes. (1) Mixing up stage left and right: remember it is the actor's left. (2) "Masking": standing in front of another actor so the audience cannot see them. (3) Speaking while walking upstage, so the words go to the back wall.

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Practice

Which part of the stage is nearest the audience?
An actor stands centre stage facing the audience and walks to her right. Which area is she moving towards?
What do the letters USL stand for?
What is the difference between a proscenium stage and a thrust stage?
Write in short form: Mugabo crosses to down stage right.
Name three voice techniques and explain one of them.
Your play will be performed outdoors on the school field, with the audience on three sides. Give three changes you would make to the staging and the acting.

Show answersHide answers

Downstage.
Stage right (CSR, from centre).
Up stage left.
A proscenium stage is watched from the front only, through a frame; a thrust stage juts out with the audience on three sides.
MUGABO X DSR.
Any three of projection, diction, pace, pause, tone, with a correct explanation, e.g. projection: making the voice reach the back row by breathing low and aiming at the back, without shouting.
Any three: treat it like a thrust stage and keep turning so that no side sees only backs; project more, as sound is lost outdoors; mark the acting area and entrances clearly; avoid placing actors in a line that masks each other; use levels (benches, steps) so all can see; rehearse on the field.

Remember

Upstage = away from the audience; downstage = towards it; stage right and left are the actor's.
Downstage centre is the strongest position.
Voice: projection, diction, pace and pause. Body: open position, gesture, levels. Stay in character.

1Where you stand is part of the story

2Types of stage

3The stage areas

4Performance techniques

Where you stand is part of the story

Types of stage

The stage areas

Performance techniques