This chapter is about basic theater words, and it also has games to help you learn them. The words in quotation marks in this chapter, such as “blocking” and “cross,” are used by professional actors and actresses in plays on Broadway, in your hometown theaters, and around the world. These words help the cast and crew talk to each other about their jobs. You can use them when you put on plays at school, in your home, or anywhere else.
You can practice your theater knowledge with the games in this chapter. Blocking and Upstage Downstage are games that explain the basics of movement onstage (which means the part of the stage that is visible to an audience, as opposed to “offstage,” which is the part of a stage that is not visible and lies behind the scenes). Stage Picture reminds you to never turn your back to the audience. The Directing Game puts you in the director’s chair, and Who’s Who in Theater explains everybody’s important role in creating and performing a play.
Actors are called “thespians.” This word comes from Thespis, a sixth century BCE Greek poet who is credited with being the founder of tragic drama and the first actor.
You don’t need a stage for theater games. Just pick an open space and decide where the (pretend) audience is sitting. Poof— instant stage! For example, if you’re in your backyard, the audience can be where the door to your house is, and if you’re in your classroom, the audience can be the desks.
And now, let’s get onstage and discover the magic of theater.
“Blocking” means where you stand and how you move onstage. “Stage directions” tell you where to go.
“Upstage” is the area on the stage that is furthest from the audience. “Downstage” is the area closest to the audience. “Stage right” is the actor’s right, not the audience’s. “Stage left” is the actor’s left. “Center stage” is in the middle.
Why is it called “upstage” and “downstage”? In the nineteenth century and earlier, theaters had “raked”—or sloped—stages. That means upstage was actually higher than downstage, and the stage slanted down as it got closer to the audience. This made it easier for the audience to see everyone onstage.
In theater, the word “cross” means to walk to a place on the stage. For example, you might say, “Cross the street,” while a director might say, “Cross to stage left.” In a script, stage directions are usually written within parentheses and italicized or written on the right side of the page. Actors don’t read them out loud, but they follow the stage direction instructions. For example, the script might read:
ALICE:
I wonder what will happen if I drink this. (Drinks from the bottle and grows taller.)
However, the actor portraying Alice says, “I wonder what will happen if I drink this,” and then performs the action described in parentheses.
The “fourth wall” is a term used for the imaginary wall between the actors and the audience.
Stage directions can be written in the script, or you can get them from the director of the play. The director is in charge of the actors’ movement onstage. The director also gets to cast the play. This mean he or she gets to decide who will play each part.
A stage direction or director might say, “Cross from downstage left to upstage right.” See if you can do this without turning your back to the audience.
Learning stage directions is an important first step to staging a play. Here’s a great way to learn them so you can understand where to go onstage.
This game is best played on a stage. If a stage is not available, chose a large space and decide where the audience or downstage is located.
Write the following stage directions on nine separate pieces of paper:
Fold each piece of paper and place them all in the hat. Choose one player to be the director. The director pulls out a stage direction from the hat. She reads aloud whatever stage direction she has pulled out of the hat, and all the other players must quickly move to the area that the director calls. For example, if the direction is upstage right, everyone must go to the back of the stage and to the right side when facing the audience. Then the director pulls out another stage direction and says, “Cross to … ,” then says the stage direction chosen. The other players cross or walk to that area of the stage, and the game continues from there.
After a few turns, let someone else be the director.
Think of other stage directions to add, such as:
The director can make the stage direction for only some of the people by saying, “Everyone wearing blue cross to … ,” or “Everyone who ate cereal for breakfast cross to …” When you’re playing with a group, see who can complete each stage direction first. See how many special stage directions you can come up with and add them to the hat.
This game is best played on a stage. If a stage is not available, chose a large space and decide where the audience is seated. During a play, if the audience clearly can see everything, that means the performers have created a “good stage picture.” It’s very important to face the audience and to make sure the audience can see everyone onstage. If you are blocking someone from being seen or if someone is blocking you, that’s called “upstaging.” The important things to remember in this game are
Choose one player to be the director. The director tells everyone to walk around. The other players walk around the stage, going wherever they want but staying where the audience can see them. At any time the director calls out, “Stage picture!” and everyone must immediately freeze and strike a pose in a good stage picture. The director can move from side to side in the “house” (which is where the audience sits) to make sure it is a good stage picture from any and every angle.
You are out of the game if, when the director calls “Stage picture,” you (a) have your back to the audience, (b) are upstaging someone, or (c) are being upstaged by someone. You must leave the stage. But then you can help the director decide who’s out. When he’s ready, the director says, “Walk around,” and the game continues.
Acting tip for making a good stage picture: If you’re downstage (see Upstage Downstage), you may want to kneel down so you don’t upstage anyone behind you. And, if you’re upstage, you may want to strike a nice tall pose (but be sure you’re not right behind anyone).
When Is It OK to Cheat?
A director will often tell an actor to “cheat out.” This phrase means to face the audience as much as possible, even if her character is speaking to another character on her side or behind her.
Add more rules to make the game more difficult. For example, you can tell all players that their poses must be big and dramatic and that everyone must smile.
One of a director’s jobs is to give the actors ideas for how to say their lines and how to move onstage. This game lets you do just that.
Pick one person to be the director and have her sit in the director’s chair. Everyone else makes up a short scene—one that includes a lot of action. Here’s one example:
Two kids are playing in the park, when all of the sudden there is an explosion. The kids faint. Another person screams and runs to get the firefighters. The firefighters come in, put out the fire, and wake the kids.
Once the scene has been created, the director calls out, “Places!” This means everyone goes to his or her place for the beginning of the scene. Then the director calls out, “Action!” and the scene begins. The actors go through the entire short scene, and when the scene is over, the director calls out, “Cut!”
Next, the director assigns each actor a direction, such as, “Slow motion.” The director then calls out, “Places!” Once everyone is in place, she calls out, “Action!” and the actors begin acting out the same scene. But this time, they do it in slow motion. The actors continue to perform the scene until the director yells, “Cut!”
The director also can assign two directions at once, such as, “Slow motion, opera style.” The actors act out the same scene in slow motion, and instead of speaking or making regular sounds, they sing like opera singers—even for the fire engine or police siren!
The director can even assign three directions at once, such as, “Slow motion, opera style, while pretending to hula hoop.” It doesn’t take much to make this a wild and crazy game!
The “intermission” is the break between the acts of a play. During intermission, the audience can stretch their legs or get a bite to eat while the cast and crew prepare for the next act. It’s like halftime at a football game. Intermissions started when theaters were lit by candles. The candles had to be trimmed after an hour or so.
You can think of a lot more!
From the first idea for a play to the final applause, there are all sorts of important jobs involved in creating theater. Each job is important and must be completed to create a successful performance. (We’ll explore most of these jobs in more detail in chapter 10, “Behind the Scenes.”) Here’s the rundown on who helps the curtain go up.
Producer: The producer is in charge of the business part of theater. He or she hires the staff and manages all the money, which means paying the staff and making sure tickets are sold. To sell tickets, a producer might advertise in a newspaper or online and make posters for the play.
Director: The director is in charge of all onstage movement other than dancing. He or she casts the show and blocks the play. The director will coach the actors in developing their characters in the beginning of the rehearsal process, and he or she will also give them notes about how to improve the play during later rehearsals.
Actor: Actors are the performers. They memorize their lines and develop their characters. They also get to take bows (called “curtain calls”) and get a lot of applause for their contribution to a play production. Boys and girls can both be called “actors.” (It’s easier than saying “actors” and “actresses” all the time, and it makes everyone equal.)
Choreographer: The choreographer stages all of the dances in the play. He or she works with the director and musical director to make sure the dances will work well in the production; then the choreographer teaches the dances to the actors.
Musical Director: The musical director works with the director and choreographer to see that the music in the play fits in with the acting and the dancing. He or she helps the actors learn the songs for the play and gives them musical instruction. The musical director is also in charge of the musicians.
When a stage manager is calling a light or sound cue, he says, “Warning!” about thirty seconds before the cue, “Standby!” about ten seconds before, and “Go!” when it is time to do the light or sound effect. The stage manager usually announces to the actors when it’s five minutes to show time, and she will call, “Places!” when it is time to start the show.
Stage Manager: The stage manager helps the director during rehearsals. He or she writes down the blocking so there is a plan of movement on paper and so that everyone can remember it. The stage manager writes up the rehearsal schedule, makes sure the rehearsal space is set up for rehearsals, checks all the lighting and sound equipment to make sure it’s in working order, and makes certain that anything the actors or director need is available. During performances, the stage manager calls the show. “Calling the show” means telling the light and sound-board operators (see “crew”) when to fade or bring up the lights and sound throughout the performance. The stage manager is like a police officer who directs traffic backstage.
Designer: There are different types of designers. Some designers make the sets, costumes, lighting, sound, props, and makeup. First, the designers meet with the director to come up with ways to make a show look and sound just right. Then they design or create their part of the show.
Crew: During performances, the crew has a number of important jobs. The stage crew changes the set in between scenes, the lightboard operator fades the lights up and down, and the sound-board operator runs the music or sound effects. There might also be a spot-light or follow-spot operator who shines a spot light on the actor who is speaking. These people are usually in the light booth, where the light and sound boards are located.
Understudy: The understudy is like a substitute actor. He or she learns specific parts so that, if an actor gets sick or cannot perform for whatever reason, the understudy can replace the actor.