Theatrical and Drama

Techniques
Stagecraft 1

Some Terminology for you to

know for stage management

ACT CHANGE
A change of either scenery, lighting, costume, props or
other technical elements between acts of a play or
musical. Theatres with little backstage space may
have to reconfigure scenery stored offstage during the
interval so that the next act runs smoothly.
ACTION PROP
A hand-held practical prop used by an actor for
combat or for a specific purpose.
ASIDE
Lines spoken by an actor to the audience and not
supposed to be overheard by other characters onstage.

AD LIB
From LatinAd libitummeaning "at one's
pleasure".
The presence of mind by an actor to improvise
when;
1) another actor fails to enter on cue
2) the normal progress of the play is disturbed
3) lines are forgotten
4) It may also be a bad habit developed by
some actors whereby unnecessary "gags" are
introduced into the dialogue.

BLOCKING
The process of arranging moves to be made
by the actors during the play, recorded by
stage management in the prompt script.
Positions at the start of scenes are noted, as
are all movements around the stage (using
terms such as 'Gardener X DSL' meaning the
Gardener crosses to downstage left.)
Stages which are not end-on must often use
alternative notation, sometimes based on the
clock face or the points of a compass.

Stage Management - Blocking Notation

More about Stage Management
Stage Plan :The role of the DSM in rehearsal is to keep
track of all actor movements (known as blocking) in
the prompt script.

DS = Downstage
US = Upstage
SR = Stage Right
CS = Centre stage
SL = Stage Left
RC = Right of centre stage
LC = Left of centre stage
DR = Down right
DL = Down left
UR = Up right
UL = Up left
UC = Up centre
DC = Down centre
C/L = Centre line
X = Cross

Stagecraft

Stagecraftis the technical aspect of theatrical,

film, and video production.
includes constructing and rigging scenery, hanging
and focusing of lighting, design and procurement
of costumes, makeup, procurement ofprops, stage
management, and recording and mixing of sound.
Stagecraft is distinct from the wider umbrella term
ofscenography.
Considered a technical rather than an artistic field,
it is primarily the practical implementation of a
designer's artistic vision.

in its most basic form, stagecraft is managed by a

single person (often thestage managerof a
smaller production) who arranges all scenery,
costumes, lighting, and sound, and organizes the
cast.
At a more professional level, for example modern
Broadwayhouses, stagecraft is managed by
hundreds of skilled carpenters, painters,
electricians, stagehands, stitchers, wigmakers,
and the like.
This modern form of stagecraft is highly technical
and specialized:

Whatdo you
thinkisincludedinstagecraft.?

Lighting:Lighting design, which involves the

process of determining the angle, size, intensity,
shape, and color of light for a given scene.
Hanging, focusing, procurement and maintenance
of lighting andspecial effectsequipment, aspects
ofshow control
Make-up/Wigs: The application of makeup and
wigs to accentuate an actor's features.
( theater/special effect
Mechanics: Design, engineering and operation
ofFlownscenery or flying of performers and
mechanised scenic elements and special effects.

Scenery, which includesset construction,scenic painting

,theater drapes and stage curtains , andspecial effects.
Sound design, which can include musicalunderscoring,
vocal and instrumentmixingas well as theatrical
sound effects.
Theatrical property, or props, which includes
furnishings, set dressings, and all items large and small
which cannot be classified as scenery, electrics or
wardrobe. Some crossover may apply. Props handled by
actors are known as hand props, and props which are kept
in an actor's costume are known as personal props.
Wardrobe:costume design,construction, procurement
and maintenance.

Theatre skills and crafts

Acting
Movement affects the audiences perception of the
character by creating visual images
- how can we show the audience by the way you move
that you are sad/happy/worried as you walk across the
stage?
Voice can be used in many different ways how do we
do this?
Do not speak too quickly pauses are as important as
speaking sometimes.
Physical gesture (eg folding arms if on defensive,
scratching nose if nervous etc) can add to the drama
how can you show that you are scared/happy/angry/ ?

Task 1
Go to this url: http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE35. html
Download the script The adventures of the Mousedeer
In grps :
1. design scenery, set, costume, the and stage lighting ( eg
Whatcolordoyouthinkworksbesttocreateasad/happymoodon
stage?
Whatcolordoyouthinkworksbesttomakethescenelook
likeitishappeningintheevening/afternoon?
Whataresomewaysthatyoucanuselighttocreatetheillusionof
beinginajungle?
(Hint:Creatingshadowscangivetheappearanceoflightfiltering
throughleaves.)

2. explain how you would use theatrical properties, theatre makeup and costume