1. Chapter Five Stage Directing Rehearsing: Staging, Shaping and Polishing (© Jim Patterson, 2004)

2. OVERVIEW BLOCKING THE ACTORS INVENTING BUSINESS DEVELOP THE ACTORS BODY LANGUAGE ESTABLISH TEMPO SHAPE THE PRODUCTION POLISH THE PRODUCTION

3. A PLANNING STRATEGY Devise a production schedule that manages time efficiently Follow these guidelines in devising schedule - Study and conceptualization - Organization - A safety net - One hour rehearsal for every minute of playing time -Spread rehearsals over time

4. REHEARSAL PROCESS Rehearsal is primarily about the actors Set realistic goals for each rehearsal Divide the rehearsal schedule into thirds - Explore the script (table work) - Memorization and Blocking - Polishing and Technicals Get help...a dedicated assistant is indispensable

5. STAGE BASICS The actors on the proscenium stage...divide the floor into Upstage/Downstage/Right/Left in a grid SIX basic acting positions - Open - Closed - Half open - Three-quarters open - Three quarters closed - Shared

6. Taking, Giving, Sharing Take means to open to another actor Give means to close to another actor Share means ¾ or profile Crossing generally requires countering Open (flat) and closed (circle) turns

7. Prompt Book Shorthand X = cross @ = at // = pause S = sofa C = chair T = table W = window Ex = exit Ent = enter

8. Non-proscenium stages Entrances and exits are often through tunnels or voms US and DS are sometimes faces of a clock In arena, alley and thrust: position actors away from one another so that individuals can be seen

9. Composing the action Composit ion is the technical aspect of blocking that allows the audience to see what the director believes to be important, like a snapshot or freeze-frame Picturization is the storytelling aspect of blocking and is revealed through movement, like a storyboard, frame by frame Effective staging is influenced by the space, concept size of the audience and the playscript

10. Blocking Ensure that actors are visible to the audience Blocking should be pointed Expressive Fluid Lively Varied

11. Elements of composition What character or characters should the audience focus on? Are the characters pleasingly arranged? Is symmetry or asymmetry more important to balance? How is the acting are defined?

12. 8 elements of focus Dominance through body position (dominance) Arrangement of characters in groups (grouping) Space around central characters (space) Visual and actual lines (line) Stage position (area) Height of characters or group (level) Contrast Lighting

13. Studies in composition Ford Madox Brown (1855) Jesus Washing Peters Feet

14. Hans Baldung Grein (1512) The Crucifixion

15. Matthias Gruenwald (1515) The Crucifixion

16. Jacopo Bassano (1542) The Last Supper

17. Leonardo da Vinci (1498) The Last Supper

19. Jan Van Eyck (1434) Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

20. Leonardo da Vinci (1504) La Joconde

21. Vincent Van Gogh (1888) The Night Café

22. Edward Hopper (1942) Night Hawks

23. Salvador Dali (1931) Persistence of Time

24. Pieter Bruegel (1565) Hunters in the Snow

25. Pieter Bruegel (1568) Peasant Wedding

26. Ford Madox Brown (1860) Work

27. Edouard Manet (1863) The Luncheon on the Grass

28. Henri Matisse (1910) The Dance

29. Pablo Picasso (1905) Family of Saltimbanques

30. Pablo Picasso (1907) Les Demoiselle d’Avignon

31. Pablo Picasso (1937) Guernica

32. Georges Seaurat (1885) Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jatte

33. Henri de Toulous-Lautrec (1892) At the Moulin Rouge

34. Vincent Van Gogh (1889) Room at Arles

35. Ford Madox Brown (1851) Seeds and Fruits of English Poetry

36. Focus through Lighting

47. Proscenium Actor-audience relationship 1. Center areas are stronger than R and L 2. Character closest to audience is more emphatic 3. SR is usually more emphatic than SL 4. DS areas are generally stronger than US o Balance 1. Symmetry suggests equilibrium 2. Sometimes asymmetry can be unsettling

48. Picturing the acting Picturization and composition make up STAGING Some STAGE AREAS are stronger than others BODY LANGUAGE should support dramatic action BUSINESS is what the actor handles MOVEMENT attracts attention

50. MOVEMENT Different plays have different requirements Director should decide if play should be seen or heard Movement animates play and provides vitality Movement cannot be artificially imposed Movement can be weak or strong Movement can affect perception of LINE

52. When NOT to Move Don’t cross on another actor’s line unless you want to pull focus away from the speaker Limit a speaking character’s movement while speaking so as not to detract from the line Important lines might not be clearly understood if the actor says them while moving Don’t permit business while another actor is speaking unless you want to direct the audience’s attention to the business

53. Business & Movement Create Meaning Spatial relationships (proximity carries meaning) Kinds of movement (direction conveys meaning) Business activities (everything a character does has meaning) The “stamp of the director” (DON’T indulge)

54. Staging and Dramatic Action Communicates director’s understanding of the script Variety is important to movement Dramatic action must propel staging choices Movement should not seem forced or arbitrary Rehearsal allows directors to “work” scenes to get them right

56. Blocking Functional groundplan is essential Blocking is director-centered (pre-blocking) or collaborative (shared with actors) or actor-centered (time consuming and improvisational) Use the method that gives the best results Beginning directors need to use a combination style Flexibility is the key to success

57. Patterson’s Blocking Checklist Are actors empowered Are the characters fully revealed Does the staging communicate dramatic action Is it interesting Does it sustain the action Are all areas of the stage used Is there depth in composition and picturization

58. Shape the Production Master the words Develop tempo and pace Determined by play’s action – Analagous to heartbeat Pace is a variety of tempos to keep audience interest Pace varies from unit to unit Pace should not be arbitrary

60. Intensifying the Action Actors need to play their wants fully Director must multitask For actor, rehearsal should go from general to specific Actors and objectives Express as an active (transitive) verb Main action is superobjective Additional objectives are discovered in each unit If scene is not working, look at objectives

62. OBJECTIVES Must be playable Actors cannot play verbs of “being” Actors cannot play the audience’s response (be funny) Lead actors to translate adjectives, adverbs and nouns to “actable verbs”

64. GIVING NOTES Encourage actors to intensify Give notes to clarify objectives, wants and goals At techs, give acting notes separate from tech notes

65. Making Choices No right or wrong objectives, only poorly phrased objectives Re-examine choices if something doesn’t work Sometimes progress is slow, sometimes immediate Lead actors away from INDICATING Side-coaching can be helpful in intensifying Polishing rehearsals require a different approach

66. DISCOVERIES Actor’s DiscoveryDirector’s Discovery ContinuityStorytelling ConnectionsCharacters & relationships ClarityClimaxes Entrances & exitsShape ConfidenceTransitions RelishBusiness

68. Curtain Calls Tied to tradition and etiquette Clear break between end of play and bows Technical and Dress Rehearsals Allow sufficient time to integrate the physical production with the acting.