Blocking Advice
Practical Considerations
Preplan. It’s a good idea to get as much of the blocking sketched out ahead of time. Of course, when you actually start moving real actors around a real stage, things will change, but you should go into the first rehearsal with a good idea of how each scene should look — who exits where, who crosses when, who sits, who stands, etc. Have a “blueprint” to follow in constructing the framework of movement in each scene.
Draw pictures. It’s often quite effective to have a diagram of the stage on which to mark out the blocking step by step. This is especially useful for complicated scenes or scenes involving a large group of actors who appear on stage together. (Hint: Pioneer Drama’s director’s books have a stage diagram sketch on the facing page of every single page of dialogue.)
Set out some obstacles. Usually, blocking rehearsals are held far in advance of anything remotely resembling a finished set, but it is important for the actors to know where furniture and other set pieces are going to be. Mark out the floor plan in your practice area. Chalk or tape on the floor might work, but it’s even better to have something the actors can actually practice walking around — chairs can represent tables, doorways, trees, beanstalks, or whatever else.
Teach proper stage terminology. Especially if you have new actors, make sure everyone knows which way is up, where the apron is, and how to wait in the wings.
Avoid crashes. Too many people using the same entrance at the same time will cause problems. Avoid congestion by spacing out the timing of the entrances and exits and, if possible, utilizing opposite sides of the stage. During busy scenes, make sure each actor has a specific route that does not interfere with another actor’s intended path. Also, teach your actors to anticipate each other’s entrances and exits and thereby clear the way for whoever is coming (or going) next.
Don’t skip the basics. Novice actors often find it awkward to turn “through the audience,” to gesture with the proper (upstage) arm, and to avoid being upstaged. Your job as director is to drill them in the basics of stage movement until these things become second nature.
Artistic ConsiderationsPay attention to relative strength. Movement brings emphasis. To emphasize a character’s words, add movement. Walking in a straight line communicates greater strength and purpose than walking in an arc. Moving downstage or to a more brightly lit area strengthens stage presence, while moving upstage or out of direct light usually weakens it. The closer to center stage a character is, the more attention she will command from the audience. The same is true for vertical level. Standing is a stronger position than sitting, and standing on a dais or platform communicates more strength than standing at floor level.
Use the whole stage. It’s as if you’re a painter, and the stage is your canvas. Paint the corners and borders of your stage — that is, include them in the action of the play. Vary the location of the climax of successive scenes, as this will heighten interest. As William Cowper said, “Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.”
Group your crowds. Imagine you’re a photographer, and you’re composing a well-balanced photograph. As a general rule, “balance” the stage by keeping approximately the same number of characters on the right as on the left. Remember that raising someone vertically adds more “weight” to that person, as does moving him closer to the audience. Aesthetic balance becomes even more important in scenes with a large number of actors, such as the chorus in musicals.
Motivate each movement. Every movement on stage must have a motivation. For some movements, the motivation is easy. A line such as “I’ll get the door” should provide enough direction for the actor to know where to go and why. Other motivations, however, are not so straightforward. You may need an actor to move closer to the window so that he can later open it and jump out, but you’ll have to devise a motivation to get him to the spot he needs to be.
Be enthusiastic that the blocking rehearsals are bringing the play to life. Proper blocking marks out the ebb and flow of the play’s natural action. With a little thought and planning, even “talky” and expository scenes can be visually interesting and dynamic.
http://www.pioneerdrama.com/Newsletter/Articles/Blocking_Tips.asp
Here are some things to consider when blocking your actors in a play:
1. Let the script do most of the work for you. As a director, you may have plenty of ideas on changing the setting or the costumes or the dialogue, but leave the basic stage direction as intact as possible. You aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, just making sure your actors know where to stand and when to cross. Most scripts already contain enough staging information to allow you to form a rough idea of blocking. You should know when the characters are supposed to enter and exit, and what obstacles are in their way during their dialogue. Trust the script notes to paint the broadest strokes you will need to do basic blocking.
2. Avoid clutter- keep the audience in mind. A traditional proscenium stage should be viewed as a living painting. No artist would dare place all of his painting's elements on one side of the painting. Balance the stage movements so that the audience has a feeling of aesthetics. If a character has no interaction with others in the scene, move them to the opposite side of the stage for balance. If you have furniture on stage, avoid piling every actor on the couch center stage. You might set up more furniture on both sides of the stage to keep your actors from crowding each other. You might also consider building various levels to keep all actors in plain view. Build up different parts of the set, and when one actor moves to a different 'level', move another actor to replace them. If done subtly, the audience should not notice the continuous shift.
3. Allow the actors to improvise and contribute to the blocking process. During the rehearsal process, a director must be an benevolent dictator and democratic leader at the same time. There are some blocking directions that should be seen as immutable, such as exits, dramatic crosses and entrances. These movements need to be fixed and unchanged, so that lighting directors and other technical people can get a proper fix on actor positions. But some elements of blocking, such as internal monologues and staged arguments, can be modified through improvisation and actor input. You should listen carefully to your actors' ideas, even if you still veto them. Actors can get a feel for where their characters would want to move during a scene, so their input can be very useful indeed. During a conflict scene, you may feel that the couple would naturally move away from each other to get some emotional distance, whereas the actors involved may feel like moving in closer to increase the tension between them. Both actions seem reasonable, so see which movements improve the scene. Be prepared to adjust your original ideas accordingly- move other actors out of the scene or change the stage layout.
4. Never let the props or set do the acting. If your set has a lot of furniture or levels or props, keep their presence to a minimum. Make sure your actors' movements upstage the furniture, rather than risk the furniture upstaging the actors. Unless the stage directions call for it, do not allow actors to perform entire scenes BEHIND a prop or furniture. Keep the actors visible and clutter-free. If a prop is misplaced or a set piece is in the way of an actor's path, tell your actors to get it out of the way by any means necessary. No one should feel obligated to tip-toe around a piece of misplaced scenery. I once saw a play in which an ashtray was accidentally left on center stage while sets were being changed. It stood out as if it were a 50 foot Godzilla. The next set was a
carver's workshop, which did not call for an ashtray. The actor who was scheduled to enter the scene simply scooped up the ashtray as he came through the door, then proceeded to light a cigarette and hold the ashtray in his hand as he spoke. The prop stopped being the center of attention, and the scene was saved. Your actors should have this same flexibility when blocking problems arise.
http://www.essortment.com/basic-stage-blocking-techniques-play-directors-63943.html
Preplan. It’s a good idea to get as much of the blocking sketched out ahead of time. Of course, when you actually start moving real actors around a real stage, things will change, but you should go into the first rehearsal with a good idea of how each scene should look — who exits where, who crosses when, who sits, who stands, etc. Have a “blueprint” to follow in constructing the framework of movement in each scene.
Draw pictures. It’s often quite effective to have a diagram of the stage on which to mark out the blocking step by step. This is especially useful for complicated scenes or scenes involving a large group of actors who appear on stage together. (Hint: Pioneer Drama’s director’s books have a stage diagram sketch on the facing page of every single page of dialogue.)
Set out some obstacles. Usually, blocking rehearsals are held far in advance of anything remotely resembling a finished set, but it is important for the actors to know where furniture and other set pieces are going to be. Mark out the floor plan in your practice area. Chalk or tape on the floor might work, but it’s even better to have something the actors can actually practice walking around — chairs can represent tables, doorways, trees, beanstalks, or whatever else.
Teach proper stage terminology. Especially if you have new actors, make sure everyone knows which way is up, where the apron is, and how to wait in the wings.
Avoid crashes. Too many people using the same entrance at the same time will cause problems. Avoid congestion by spacing out the timing of the entrances and exits and, if possible, utilizing opposite sides of the stage. During busy scenes, make sure each actor has a specific route that does not interfere with another actor’s intended path. Also, teach your actors to anticipate each other’s entrances and exits and thereby clear the way for whoever is coming (or going) next.
Don’t skip the basics. Novice actors often find it awkward to turn “through the audience,” to gesture with the proper (upstage) arm, and to avoid being upstaged. Your job as director is to drill them in the basics of stage movement until these things become second nature.
Artistic ConsiderationsPay attention to relative strength. Movement brings emphasis. To emphasize a character’s words, add movement. Walking in a straight line communicates greater strength and purpose than walking in an arc. Moving downstage or to a more brightly lit area strengthens stage presence, while moving upstage or out of direct light usually weakens it. The closer to center stage a character is, the more attention she will command from the audience. The same is true for vertical level. Standing is a stronger position than sitting, and standing on a dais or platform communicates more strength than standing at floor level.
Use the whole stage. It’s as if you’re a painter, and the stage is your canvas. Paint the corners and borders of your stage — that is, include them in the action of the play. Vary the location of the climax of successive scenes, as this will heighten interest. As William Cowper said, “Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.”
Group your crowds. Imagine you’re a photographer, and you’re composing a well-balanced photograph. As a general rule, “balance” the stage by keeping approximately the same number of characters on the right as on the left. Remember that raising someone vertically adds more “weight” to that person, as does moving him closer to the audience. Aesthetic balance becomes even more important in scenes with a large number of actors, such as the chorus in musicals.
Motivate each movement. Every movement on stage must have a motivation. For some movements, the motivation is easy. A line such as “I’ll get the door” should provide enough direction for the actor to know where to go and why. Other motivations, however, are not so straightforward. You may need an actor to move closer to the window so that he can later open it and jump out, but you’ll have to devise a motivation to get him to the spot he needs to be.
Be enthusiastic that the blocking rehearsals are bringing the play to life. Proper blocking marks out the ebb and flow of the play’s natural action. With a little thought and planning, even “talky” and expository scenes can be visually interesting and dynamic.
http://www.pioneerdrama.com/Newsletter/Articles/Blocking_Tips.asp
Here are some things to consider when blocking your actors in a play:
1. Let the script do most of the work for you. As a director, you may have plenty of ideas on changing the setting or the costumes or the dialogue, but leave the basic stage direction as intact as possible. You aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, just making sure your actors know where to stand and when to cross. Most scripts already contain enough staging information to allow you to form a rough idea of blocking. You should know when the characters are supposed to enter and exit, and what obstacles are in their way during their dialogue. Trust the script notes to paint the broadest strokes you will need to do basic blocking.
2. Avoid clutter- keep the audience in mind. A traditional proscenium stage should be viewed as a living painting. No artist would dare place all of his painting's elements on one side of the painting. Balance the stage movements so that the audience has a feeling of aesthetics. If a character has no interaction with others in the scene, move them to the opposite side of the stage for balance. If you have furniture on stage, avoid piling every actor on the couch center stage. You might set up more furniture on both sides of the stage to keep your actors from crowding each other. You might also consider building various levels to keep all actors in plain view. Build up different parts of the set, and when one actor moves to a different 'level', move another actor to replace them. If done subtly, the audience should not notice the continuous shift.
3. Allow the actors to improvise and contribute to the blocking process. During the rehearsal process, a director must be an benevolent dictator and democratic leader at the same time. There are some blocking directions that should be seen as immutable, such as exits, dramatic crosses and entrances. These movements need to be fixed and unchanged, so that lighting directors and other technical people can get a proper fix on actor positions. But some elements of blocking, such as internal monologues and staged arguments, can be modified through improvisation and actor input. You should listen carefully to your actors' ideas, even if you still veto them. Actors can get a feel for where their characters would want to move during a scene, so their input can be very useful indeed. During a conflict scene, you may feel that the couple would naturally move away from each other to get some emotional distance, whereas the actors involved may feel like moving in closer to increase the tension between them. Both actions seem reasonable, so see which movements improve the scene. Be prepared to adjust your original ideas accordingly- move other actors out of the scene or change the stage layout.
4. Never let the props or set do the acting. If your set has a lot of furniture or levels or props, keep their presence to a minimum. Make sure your actors' movements upstage the furniture, rather than risk the furniture upstaging the actors. Unless the stage directions call for it, do not allow actors to perform entire scenes BEHIND a prop or furniture. Keep the actors visible and clutter-free. If a prop is misplaced or a set piece is in the way of an actor's path, tell your actors to get it out of the way by any means necessary. No one should feel obligated to tip-toe around a piece of misplaced scenery. I once saw a play in which an ashtray was accidentally left on center stage while sets were being changed. It stood out as if it were a 50 foot Godzilla. The next set was a
carver's workshop, which did not call for an ashtray. The actor who was scheduled to enter the scene simply scooped up the ashtray as he came through the door, then proceeded to light a cigarette and hold the ashtray in his hand as he spoke. The prop stopped being the center of attention, and the scene was saved. Your actors should have this same flexibility when blocking problems arise.
http://www.essortment.com/basic-stage-blocking-techniques-play-directors-63943.html