Exploring different staging vis-a0vis envisioning the script- Staging your performance

1. VENN DIAGRAM
SCRIPT A SCRIPT B

2. EXPLORING DIFFERENT
STAGING MODALITIES VIS-A-
VIS ENVISIONING THE SCRIPT
STAGING
YOUR
PERFORMAN
CE

3. STAGING YOUR PERFORMANCE
BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO SET YOUR WORK AND REHEARSE IN DETAIL,
YOU SHOULD CONSIDER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMERS
AND AUDIENCE. THERE ARE A VARIETY OF STAGE SHAPES YOU CAN
CHOOSE FROM YOUR WORK. EACH PROVIDES A DIFFERENT
EXPERIENCE FOR THE AUDIENCE.
THINKING CAREFULLY ABOUT WHERE THE CHARACTERS ARE
PLACED ON THE STAGE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. AVOID
USING TOO WIDE SPACE WHICH WILL DISTANCE THE AUDIENCE.
DECIDE HOW CLOSE TO YOU THEY SHOULD BE.
ONCE YOU’VE ESTABLISHED THE CONTENT OF YOUR WORK YOU
NEED TO CONSIDER ITS STRUCTURE. THE ORDER OF THE SCENES
WILL HAVE A BIG EFFECT ON THE JOURNEY ON WHICH YOU TAKE
THE AUDIENCE. IF YOUR PIECE IS NON-NATURALISTIC YOU MAY
WANT TO REPEAT SCENES OR MOMENTS THROUGH THE PIECE AND
SLOWLY REVEAL THEIR SIGNIFICANCE TO THE AUDIENCE AS THE
PIECE UNFOLDS.

4. STAGING YOUR PERFORMANCE
YOU COULD CHOOSE TO START AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY
AND BUILD IN TENSION TOWARDS A CLIMAX AT THE END OF THE
PIECE. WHEN YOUR WORK RUNS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIKE
THIS, IT IS CALLED A LINEAR STRUCTURE. IF YOUR WORK IS
INSPIRED BY STANISLAVSKI YOU SHOULD USE A LINEAR STRUCTURE
TO ENSURE IT IS NATURALISTIC.
IF YOU DECIDED TO BEGIN BY PRESENTING THE OUTCOME OF THE
STORY FIRST AND THEN MOVE BACK IN TIME TO HOW IT ALL
BEGAN, THIS WOULD BE A NON-LINEAR STRUCTURE. IT DOESN’T
RUN IN A CHRONOLOGICAL TIME SEQUENCE BUT MOVES ABOUT IN
TIME. THIS BUILDS TENSION IN ANOTHER WAY. REVEALING EVENTS
AND INFORMATION BIT BY BIT FOR HE AUDIENCE AND PROVIDING
CLUES TO WHAT HAPPENED KEEPS THEM ENGAGED. THE WORK IS
LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE FOR THE AUDIENCE WHICH FINALLY MAKES
SENSE WHEN ALL THE PIECES ARE IN PLACE. CHANGING THE

5. STAGING YOUR PERFORMANCE
PART OF CONDUCTING A STAGE PRODUCTION IS ALSO
CONSIDERING THE STAGE LAY OUT OR STAGE MODALITIES.
THERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL STAGING CONSIDERATIONS
THAT PLAYWRIGHTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHEN
CONSTRUCTING A PLAY.
BEGINNING AND ENDINGS, “TOPS AND TAILS”, THE FLOW ONE
SCENE INTO ANOTHER IS ONE SUCH CONSIDERATION.
PLAYWRIGHTS NEED TO KNOW HOW THEIR CHARACTERS WILL
MOVE FROM ONE SCENE INTO THE NEXT AND WHAT
DEMANDS CHANGES IN STORY LOCATION AND OTHER STORY
VARIABLES IMPOSE ON ACTORS AND STAGE CREW, WHO MUST
REALIZE THESE CHANGES PHYSICALLY.

6. STAGING YOUR PERFORMANCE
FOR EXAMPLE, DO ACTORS NEED TO CHANGE THEIR
COSTUMES OR AGE OR CHANGE THEIR CHARACTER’S
APPEARANCE IN SOME WAY? HOW LONG WILL THESE CHANGES
TAKE? HAVE YOU “COVERED” THESE CHANGES IN YOUR SCRIPT
SO THAT THE ACTION CONTINUES WHILE THE ACTORS ARE
ACHIEVING THE CHANGE? IF THE LOCATION CHANGES, HOW
DOES THE SET CHANGE AND HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE? FOR
EXAMPLE, DOES LARGE FURNITURE NEED TO BE STRUCK? HOW
LONG WILL THIS TAKE?
MUSIC/SOUND IS SOMETIMES USED TO LINK SCENES AND TO
COVER FOR CHANGES. AGAIN, HOWEVER, LENGTH OF TIME IS
IMPORTANT. STAGE TIME AND REAL TIME ARE NOT THE SAME
FROM AN AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE.

7. STAGING YOUR PERFORMANCE
Sometimes the style of the play can aid the writer in this
respect. Plays that allow the audience to watch set/costume
changes and other mechanisms of performance can increase
an audience’s tolerance of the time taken between scenes
because the audience becomes involved or interested in the
performance process itself. However, the time taken should
still be minimized to avoid losing the audience’s “contact”
with the story.
Generally speaking, long intervals between scenes break the
tension of a play and are therefore not desirable. The task of
the writer is to design the action of the play in a way that will
minimize the time taken between scenes to ensure a smooth

8. NARRATIVE AND PLOT
Your devised work may have one clear storyline, or
narrative, running throughout. If there are two or
more story lines in your piece, you’ll need to decide
how you deal with these separate stories when
structuring your work. You could run each story
consecutively or decide that it’s more interesting to
break up each story and interweave them, cutting
from one to the other. This is called a fractured
narrative. The trick is to leave each story at a point
which keeps the audience wanting to know what
happens next. It’s like a jigsaw that the audience have

9. PERFORMANCE CHECKLIST
In the two weeks prior to performance make sure that you have:
• Rehearsed in the space that you will be using for performance.
• Tried out work in front of an audience and responded to feedback.
• Used set and props that you will need in performance.
• Checked audience sight lines for your chosen staging.
• Practised in the costume you will wear.
• Written cue sheets for lighting and sound and briefed your
operators who have had a technical rehearsal.
• Prepared multimedia clips in the correct order and checked for
technical issues.
• Analyzed your own work so far, deciding whether it meets your
aims and intentions. If the narrative or message isn’t clear, this is the
time to add to or improve work so you have devised a piece of drama

10. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
When you stage a
performance, identify the
purpose of your work and
the target audience.
Choose a suitable style and
stage layout. Remember

11. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
Arena stage
• Pros: The audience feel included.
Creates an intimate atmosphere.
• Cons: Sight lines might be an
issue so there needs to be lots of
movement around

12. ARENA STAGE

13. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
Proscenium theatre
• Pros: Sight lines are
excellent and work is easy to
stage.
• Cons: The audience can feel

14. PROSCENIUM
THEATRE

15. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
Thrust stage
• Pros: The audience feel
included and an intimate
atmosphere is created. Having
one end which is visible to all
provides a ‘back’ to the stage.
• Cons: Sight lines can still be an

16. THRUST STAGE

17. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
Theatre in the round
• Pros: An intimate and
exciting atmosphere.
Audience feel included.
• Cons: Sight lines can be
very tricky.

18. THEATRE IN THE
ROUND

19. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
Traverse
• Pros: The audience on either side
can clearly see work that happens at
two sides. The audience can see each
other, creating intimacy.
• Cons: The opposing sides of the
audience might see two entirely
different shows and sight lines are
still an issue.

20. TRAVERSE

21. CREATING AND STAGING A DEVISED
PERFORMANCE
Promenade stage
• Pros: Can work brilliantly when locations suit the
work presented. Interesting experience for the
audience.
• Cons: Moving between locations can break the
tension of the piece and take some time.
Remember you can also create an informal stage in
any location. Plays have been known to be
performed in forests, supermarkets and on the
beach to name but a few. The world is your stage!

22. PROMENADE
STAGE