72:. Historically, the expectations of staging/blocking have changed substantially over time in Western theater. Prior to the movements toward "realism" that occurred in the 19th century, most staging used a "tableau" approach, in which a stage picture was established whenever characters entered or left the stage, ensuring that leading performers were always shown to their best advantage. In more recent times, while nothing has changed about showing leading performers to their best advantage, there have been changing cultural expectations that have made blocking/staging more complicated.
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or director 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
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Au lieu de dire " Poussez au roi !… poussez à la reine !… " suivant le côté où devait se porter l'acteur, les semainiers trouvaient plus imagé maintenant de leur indiquer : " Poussez au jardin !… Poussez à la cour !… " Un nouveau terme de théâtre était
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There are also artistic reasons why blocking can be crucial. Through careful use of positioning on the stage, a director or performer can establish or change the significance of a scene. Different artistic principles can inform blocking, including minimalism and naturalism.
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Before that time the house right was called "côté de la reine" (Queen side), and the house left "côté du roi" (King side), because of the respective positions of the Queen and King galleries. This designation was abandoned after the
121:, 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.
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In film, the term is sometimes used to speak of the arrangement of actors in the frame. In this context, there is also a need to consider the movement of the camera as part of the blocking process (see
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Both "blocking" and "block" were applied to stage and theater from as early as 1961. The term derives from the practice of 19th-century theatre directors such as Sir
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In contemporary theater, the director usually determines blocking during rehearsal, telling actors where they should move for the proper dramatic effect, to ensure
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who worked out the staging of a scene on a miniature stage using a block to represent each of the actors. Gilbert's practice is depicted in
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The green and white striped blocks may be 'tenors'; the black and yellow 'sopranos'; the red and green 'contraltos'; and so on.
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is to move. An actor placed up-stage right in blocking may be instructed by a director to
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refer to the audience perspective. In productions for film or video, analogous terms are
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refer to the actors' left and right when facing the audience. Sometimes the terms
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The stage itself has been given named areas to facilitate blocking.
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for the audience and to work with the lighting design of the scene.
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is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a
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The rear of the stage area, farthest from the audience, is
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House left and right are from the audience's perspective.
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During the blocking rehearsal, the assistant director,
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433:"ILLUSTRATED INTERVIEWS, No. IV. MR. W. S. GILBERT"
480:Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director's Handbook
466:(Motion picture). 1999. Event occurs at 1:41:52.
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165:. The terms derive from the once common use of
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362:Novak, Elaine Adams; Novak, Deborah (1996).
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295:(the side of clothing) and stage left is
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129:assigned blocking from night to night.
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161:. The front, nearest the audience, is
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368:. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books.
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864:Parabolic aluminized reflector light
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485:Northwestern University Press
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102:Blocking in theater and film
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431:How, Harry (October 1891).
417:Online Etymology Dictionary
404:Online Etymology Dictionary
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557:(in French). Omnibus.
518:Acting Skills for Life
477:Spolin, Viola (1985).
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438:The Strand Magazine
271:on the other side.
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483:. Evanston, Ill:
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1739:Choreography
1506:Running crew
1496:Video design
1430:Running crew
1329:Sound design
1284:Curtain Call
1205:Variety show
1132:20th century
1127:19th century
1073:Neoclassical
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949:Sound design
944:Running crew
932:Other fields
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1688:WikiProject
1554:Electrician
1319:Performance
1271:Scenography
1200:Radio drama
1093:Romanticism
1078:Restoration
923:Prompt book
884:Accessories
836:Instruments
616:scenography
520:. Toronto:
464:Topsy-Turvy
347:Film portal
249:côté jardin
200:house right
178:stage right
108:sight lines
95:Topsy-Turvy
1713:Categories
1678:Wiktionary
1362:Management
1266:Stagecraft
1120:Postmodern
1105:Naturalism
900:management
874:Striplight
771:Barn doors
701:Fly system
633:Theatrical
625:Scene shop
612:Stagecraft
412:"blocking"
319:References
196:House left
174:stage left
90:Mike Leigh
1615:Orchestra
1603:Musicians
1544:Carpenter
1529:Stagehand
1440:Stagehand
1393:Technical
1354:Personnel
1289:Rehearsal
1231:Indonesia
1115:Modernism
1098:Melodrama
879:Spotlight
791:Cyclorama
781:Color gel
706:Platforms
503:222012533
445:14 August
245:côté cour
163:downstage
80:Etymology
1658:Category
1640:Glossary
1549:Fly crew
1514:Call boy
1410:Fly crew
1137:timeline
1083:Augustan
1046:Medieval
908:Blocking
764:Hardware
691:Curtains
679:Hardware
540:43282895
384:34651521
297:zaap bin
54:blocking
1729:Theatre
1668:Commons
1589:Dresser
1214:Regions
1175:Tragedy
1110:Realism
1028:History
1020:Theatre
980:Outline
821:Top hat
776:C-clamp
716:Weights
665:Rigging
635:scenery
399:"block"
159:upstage
46:Macbeth
1734:Acting
1464:Design
1256:Poland
1251:Persia
1195:Circus
1190:Ballet
1170:Comedy
1088:Weimar
738:Fields
686:Batten
643:Fields
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293:yi bin
265:Louvre
231:French
182:prompt
62:ballet
1294:Stage
1246:Korea
1241:Japan
1236:Italy
1226:India
1221:China
1185:Opera
1155:Drama
1148:Types
1041:Roman
1036:Greek
898:Stage
869:Scoop
811:Snoot
696:Flats
571:créé.
313:right
215:cross
115:scene
113:Each
70:opera
1160:Play
954:Prop
796:Gobo
614:and
559:ISBN
536:OCLC
526:ISBN
499:OCLC
489:ISBN
447:2017
380:OCLC
370:ISBN
311:and
309:left
206:and
198:and
184:and
176:and
119:unit
66:film
58:play
1279:Cue
913:Cue
287:In
213:To
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68:or
1715::
1574:A2
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