Precise positioning of actors on a stage
"Downstage" redirects here. For the former Wellington theatre, see
Downstage Theatre
.
Actors positioned on stage in a production of
Macbeth
In theatre,
blocking
is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a
play
,
ballet
,
film
or
opera
.
[1]
Historically, the expectations of staging/blocking have changed substantially over time in Western theater. Prior to the movements toward "realism" that occurred in the 19th century, most staging used a "tableau" approach, in which a stage picture was established whenever characters entered or left the stage, ensuring that leading performers were always shown to their best advantage. In more recent times, while nothing has changed about showing leading performers to their best advantage, there have been changing cultural expectations that have made blocking/staging more complicated.
There are also artistic reasons why blocking can be crucial. Through careful use of positioning on the stage, a director or performer can establish or change the significance of a scene. Different artistic principles can inform blocking, including minimalism and naturalism.
Etymology
[
edit
]
Both "blocking" and "block" were applied to stage and theater from as early as 1961.
[2]
The term derives from the practice of 19th-century theatre directors such as Sir
W. S. Gilbert
who worked out the staging of a scene on a miniature stage using a block to represent each of the actors.
[3]
Gilbert's practice is depicted in
Mike Leigh
's 1999 film
Topsy-Turvy
.
[4]
Blocking in theater and film
[
edit
]
In contemporary theater, the director usually determines blocking during rehearsal, telling actors where they should move for the proper dramatic effect, to ensure
sight lines
for the audience and to work with the lighting design of the scene.
Each
scene
in a play is usually "blocked" as a
unit
, after which the director will move on to the next scene. The positioning of actors on stage in one scene will usually affect the possibilities for subsequent positioning unless the stage is cleared between scenes.
During the blocking rehearsal, the assistant director,
stage manager
or director take notes about where actors are positioned and their movements on stage. It is especially important for the stage manager to note the actors' positions, as a director is not usually present for each performance, and it becomes the stage manager's job to ensure that actors follow the assigned blocking from night to night.
[5]
In film, the term is sometimes used to speak of the arrangement of actors in the frame. In this context, there is also a need to consider the movement of the camera as part of the blocking process (see
Cinematography
).
Stage directions
[
edit
]
House left and right are from the audience's perspective.
The stage itself has been given named areas to facilitate blocking.
[6]
- The rear of the stage area, farthest from the audience, is
upstage
. The front, nearest the audience, is
downstage
. The terms derive from the once common use of
raked stages
that slope downward toward the audience.
- In English-speaking cultures generally,
stage left
and
stage right
refer to the actors' left and right when facing the audience. Sometimes the terms
prompt
and
bastard/opposite prompt
are used as synonyms. (See also
Prompt corner
)
- House left
and
house right
refer to the audience perspective. In productions for film or video, analogous terms are
screen left/right
and
camera left/right
.
- To
cross
is to move. An actor placed up-stage right in blocking may be instructed by a director to
cross down-stage left
when speaking a line.
Non-English-speaking cultures
[
edit
]
French
[
edit
]
Map of the Theatre des Tuileries
In French, house right is
cote cour
(courtyard side) and house left is
cote jardin
(garden side). The history of the term goes back to the
Comedie-Francaise
, where since 1770, the troupe performed in the
Theatre des Tuileries
in the former
Tuileries Palace
: the venue had the
Louvre
courtyard on one side, and the
Tuileries Garden
on the other side.
[7]
Before that time the house right was called "cote de la reine" (Queen side), and the house left "cote du roi" (King side), because of the respective positions of the Queen and King galleries. This designation was abandoned after the
French Revolution
.
Cantonese opera
[
edit
]
In
Cantonese opera
, stage right is called
yi bin
(the side of clothing) and stage left is
zaap bin
(the side of props).
Other languages
[
edit
]
In German, Italian and Arabic,
left
and
right
always refer to the audience perspective.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Novak, Elaine Adams; Novak, Deborah (1996).
Staging Musical Theatre
. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books.
ISBN
978-1-55870-407-7
.
OCLC
34651521
.
- ^
Harper, Douglas.
"block"
.
Online Etymology Dictionary
.
Harper, Douglas.
"blocking"
.
Online Etymology Dictionary
.
- ^
How, Harry (October 1891).
"ILLUSTRATED INTERVIEWS, No. IV. MR. W. S. GILBERT"
.
The Strand Magazine
(2): 330?341
. Retrieved
14 August
2017
.
The green and white striped blocks may be 'tenors'; the black and yellow 'sopranos'; the red and green 'contraltos'; and so on.
- ^
Topsy-Turvy
(Motion picture). 1999. Event occurs at 1:41:52.
- ^
Spolin, Viola (1985).
Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director's Handbook
. Evanston, Ill:
Northwestern University Press
.
ISBN
978-0-8101-4002-8
.
OCLC
222012533
.
- ^
Cameron, Ron (1999).
Acting Skills for Life
. Toronto:
Dundurn Press
.
ISBN
978-0-88924-289-0
.
OCLC
43282895
.
- ^
Manceron, Claude (2009).
Les Hommes de la liberte
(in French). Omnibus.
ISBN
9782258079571
.
Au lieu de dire " Poussez au roi !… poussez a la reine !… " suivant le cote ou devait se porter l'acteur, les semainiers trouvaient plus image maintenant de leur indiquer : " Poussez au jardin !… Poussez a la cour !… " Un nouveau terme de theatre etait cree.