Stage Movement

Body Positions

Body Positions - Vocabulary• Body positions – the different angles that actor’s position

onstage can be described in relation to the audience.

• Stage picture – an appealing and meaningful arrangement of performers on the stage; the picture that the audience sees onstage.

• Level – the actual head height of the actor as determined by his or her body position.

• Planes – imaginary divisions giving depth to the proscenium stage.

Body Positions - Vocabulary•  To open, or open up, means to position or turn the body

more toward the audience.• To give the audience a better view of the body and face,

actors cheat out during conversations, turning more toward the audience than they would in normal conversation.

• When an actor is told to turn in, turning should be toward the center of the stage.

• The direction turn out means to turn more to the side of the stage.

Body Positions - Vocabulary

• Share means that they are to assume positions of equal strength by opening up to the audience equally, thus sharing the scene equally.

• To give or give stage is when the actor moves to a different part of the stage to allow another actor more emphasis or attention. The actor receiving more emphasis takes the scene.

Body PositionsIn Relation to the Audience

Body PositionsIn Relation to the Audience

Ways for Actors to Share the Stage

Ways Actors Give and Take

What are body positions?What are body positions?

• Full frontFull front: : a strong position. a strong position. The boxer is fully "open" to The boxer is fully "open" to the audience and can be seen the audience and can be seen and heard by the audience.and heard by the audience.

• 1/4 Left and the 1/4 Right 1/4 Left and the 1/4 Right positions open and strong positions open and strong positionspositions

What body positions should be What body positions should be avoided on stage?avoided on stage?

• ProfileProfile - - not a strong position, the not a strong position, the audience members in left or right or audience members in left or right or only see the back of the performer only see the back of the performer who is facing away from them. who is facing away from them.

• ¾ Left/Right ¾ Left/Right - - a weak position that a weak position that should be avoided. This makes it should be avoided. This makes it hard for the audience to hear and hard for the audience to hear and see.see.

What body positions should be What body positions should be avoided on stage?avoided on stage?

Full Back Full Back - - far the weakest position. far the weakest position. No one can see the performers' faces No one can see the performers' faces and their lines are being said to the and their lines are being said to the back wall. back wall.

This is the dreaded  "Upstaging" position.

Try really, really hard not to upstage anyone

1. “A” can move upstage with “B”, which takes both of them further away from the audience.

2. “A” can talk to “B” while looking out toward the audience, or into the wings, or some other place where “B” isn't - which will look incredibly silly.

3. “A” can turn upstage to look at the other actor while they talk. The audience will be able to see and hear Jacques just fine, however, they will no longer be able to see or hear Sir Walter very well.

A Study on Movement