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.

Stage Right (Pittsburgh)

Stage Right is a theatre company located in the Fox Chapel area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in the mid-1960s, the theatre has staged productions of contemporary plays such as Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular,Ken Ludwig's Leading Ladies,Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet, and Yasmina Reza's 'Art'. Stage Right's productions are held in the Boyd Community Center in O'Hara Township and utilizes local actors from Pittsburgh's theatre scene. The company has also produced plays in conjunction with the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

See also

Theatre in Pittsburgh

References

Stage Right!

Stage Right! is a professional theatre company as well as a performing arts school located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Established in 1998 as an organization for young people to take classes in musical theatre by Chris Rizk, Stage Right! also became a professional theatre company in 1999, established by artistic director Anthony Marino, Rizk's brother. The company produces a full season of musicals, utilizing professional actors from the Pittsburgh theatre scene as well as students from their classes.

In spring 2013, Stage Right moved its studio a few blocks to a larger space at 105 W Fourth Street, Greensburg.

The season is supplemented with many other opportunities to utilize the talents of the students, including an "all-county musical" featuring students from local high school theatre programs, children's plays, summer camp productions, and Books Come Alive!, a series of adaptations of children's books performed at libraries throughout the area. The company is also notable for its annual production of The Rocky Horror Show every Halloween. Many of Stage Right!'s students have had success in Pittsburgh Public Theater's Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest, as well as going on to well-respected college theatre programs such as Carnegie Mellon University, Point Park University, New York University, Seton Hill University, Syracuse University, and Shenandoah University. Stage Right! alums have also had success in professional theatre, working in such venues as York Theatre, Off the Wall Productions, Bricolage Production Company, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, Prime Stage Theatre, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, St. Vincent Summer Theatre, City Theatre, Terra Nova Theatre Group, MCC Theater, and 12 Peers Theater, as well as having had their work featured in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.