Blocking (stage)

In theatre, blocking is the precise staging of actors in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. 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 blocks to represent each of the actors. (Gilbert's practice is depicted in Mike Leigh's 1999 film Topsy-Turvy.)

In contemporary theatre, the director usually determines blocking during rehearsal, telling actors where they should move for the proper dramatic effect, ensure sight lines for the audience and 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 both 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.

Upstage (film)

Upstage (also known as The Mask of Comedy) is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Monta Bell, starring Norma Shearer and New York musical comedy star Oscar Shaw.

Plot

Dolly (Norma Shearer) is a stagestruck girl whose career has begun to wane until she displays show-must-go-on courage by standing-in as target in a knife-throwing act.

Cast

Preservation status

References

External links

Upstage (magazine)

Upstage was a free monthly publication founded by Gary Wien that covered arts and entertainment in New Jersey, US. Each issue covered music, art, film, theatre, dance, poetry, literature and comedy. The magazine first appeared in October 2003 and was distributed in New Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, Red Bank, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Woodbridge, Rahway and Point Pleasant. In 2006, Upstage partnered with Black Potato Entertainment and expanded to a statewide publication and distribution. The magazine received an Asbury Music Award for Top Music Publication and ceased publication in 2008. It was succeeded by New Jersey Stage, an online music magazine edited and published by Gary Wien.

References

External links