How To Write Blocking In Your Script

Blocking is the theater term for the actors’ movements on the stage during the performance of the play or the musical. Every move that an actor makes (walking across the stage, climbing stairs, sitting in a chair, falling to the floor, getting down on bended knee) falls under the larger term “blocking.”

Blocking is decided by the director and explained to the actors and stage manager. Actors are expected to write down any blocking that applies to them in their script. The stage manager writes down all of the blocking for every character in the show.

Actors need to memorize their blocking just as they would memorize their lines, songs, and choreography. The stage manager keeps a record of all blocking in order to remind actors and so that the stage manager has a record of how the show is supposed to run.

Actors (and the stage manager) should develop a short-hand (or code) to write blocking quickly and without taking up space. Your specific code can be whatever you want, as long as you remember it! Stage Areas/Directions As long as you (the actor) know where the audience is, you can find your stage directions. REMEMBER: “the actor is always correct.” When the actor faces the audience, their right is stage right and their left is stage left.

SR = Stage Right USR US USL SL = Stage Left CS = Center Stage DS = Down Stage (towards the audience) SR CS SL US = Up Stage (away from the audience) DSR = Down Stage Right DSL = Down Stage Left DSR DS DSL USR = Up Stage Right Audience USL = Up Stage Left

Why is it called Up and Down when an actor is walking away or towards the audience? In most of today’s theaters and stadiums, the stage is flat and the audience sits at a slant. In historical times, the stage used to be slanted while the audience was flat. This was called a raked stage. When the actor walked toward the audience, the actor would walk down the slant and when the actor walked away from the audience, the actor would walk up the hill.

Other Common Blocking Symbols

X = Cross (move across to another place) = stand up ent = Enter ex = Exit = sit/kneel/lay down to = to/towards / btwn = Between or = turn @ = at

Remember to abbreviate all character names to 2-3 letters. (Rafiki becomes RAF, etc) Writing Blocking Worksheet

Use your new knowledge of blocking symbols to decipher these codes.. What does each blocking direction say?

1) ZZ ex SR.

______.

2) YS ent SL, X to PB.

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3) MUF X to RAF, both

______

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4) YN / . X to YS, pin

______, ______

______, ______.

5) SAR X btwn Sc & N to ex

______

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6) TIM look @ PB, lead X USR, PB follow.

______, ______

______,

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