Lights, Camera, Action: Learning the Different Parts of a Stage
I can also vividly recall the bright costumes, the magical transformations of stages as the set brought the stage to life, the musicals and the dramatic flair of actors and actresses that left a lasting impression on me. Throughout the years I have laughed hard, and I have even been moved to tears. After all, performing arts is not solely for entertainment but a means of social commentary on real life issues which are sometimes very disturbing.
Now that I am a Literature teacher, having realized that many of my high school students in the Turks and Caicos Islands have never been to a theatre or watched a live play, I try to make the drama curriculum very practical and memorable. Before we can use a stage, whether improvised or real, I generally teach the types of stages and parts of a stage. This will enable them in their capacities as stage directors, set managers, actors and playwrights in their school production, to effectively incorporate or interpret stage directions. Within this blog I will identify the different parts of a stage and explain some functions of the main parts of a stage.
Image 1
(Noel et al., 2001, p. 170)
The backdrop – The backdrop is a painted
board or cloth hung at the back of a theatre stage. The
backdrop helps to
create the scenery. In more recent times backdrops have also
been
electronically created with the help of optical gadgets such as projectors that
can be used to cast images on a surface.
Flats/Wings – The flats are, as the name suggests, flat wooden panels. Again, this
can be created
with
the use of wood or black cloth. The panels create the wings for the actors to
enter and exit.
The flats also establish the boundary between on stage and
backstage. A
performer who is standing near the flats awaiting a cue to make an
entrance is
referred to as waiting in the wings. The wings prevent the audience
from seeing what
is offstage. (Noel et al., 2001, p. 174)
Backstage - "Except in the case of the arena stage, theatres have an area, just out of sight of the
audience, where the actors prepare to ‘come on’ and where they exit and then go to
change costumes” (Noel, 2001, p. 174). This area is known as backstage.
Image 2
Image 2 illustrates the sight lines of the audience and shows how the wings/flats work to prevent the audience from seeing backstage.
When labelling the different parts of the stage, the visible part of the stage used for acting, it is of paramount importance that it be understood that the parts of the stage are labeled in relation to where the audience sits. The labeling / the identification of each part should never be done from the vantage point of the audience looking on the stage but rather, from the vantage point of the actor/ actress who is on stage and facing the audience. Therefore, the audience’s right side will be the to the left side of the stage and the audience’s left side will be to the right side of the stage. Another key factor to consider when identifying the parts of the stage is that the front of the stage is referred to as downstage since that would require actors to move down towards the audience. An actor/ actress moves upstage when she /he moves towards the backdrop/ away from the audience. Below is a video which offers a more detailed explanation.
Image 3
Comments
Post a Comment