STAGE MOVEMENT VOCABULARY

MOVEMENT MOVEMENT- TO CHANGE LOCATION

GESTURE GESTURE- AN EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENT OF THE BODY OR LIMBS

BLOCKING BLOCKING- PLANNED STAGE MOVEMENT ALWAYS TAKEN FROM THE ACTORS PERSPECTIVE

BLOCKING NOTATION BLOCKING NOTATION- ABBREVIATIONS FOR STAGE MOVEMENT EXAMPLES- =STAND =SIT X =CROSS CX =COUNTER CROSS XT =EXIT NTR =ENTER

HOW DO I USE BLOCKING NOTATION? WRITE BLOCKING IN YOUR SCRIPT NEXT TO THE LINE WHERE YOU MOVE. ALWAYS WRITE IN PENCIL, JUST IN CASE YOU NEED TO ERASE. MEMORIZING BLOCKING IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS MEMORIZING LINES. WHEN YOU ARE TOLD “ENTER STAGE RIGHT AND CROSS TO THE TABLE AND SIT DOWN ON THE DOWNSTAGE CHAIR” IT CAN BE WRITTEN QUICKLY LIKE THIS; NTR SR X TO TBL DS CHR. DIRECTORS DON’T HAVE TIME TO WAIT, SO LEARN TO WRITE BLOCKING QUICKLY, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS TO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. CREATE A SHORTHAND THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

PANTOMIME PANTOMIME- TO ACT WITHOUT WORDS OR SOUND

USR Up stage right US Up stage USL Up stage left SR Stage right CS Center stage SL Stage left DSR Down stage right DS Down stage DSL Down stage left Front of the stage/Audience