Stage positioning
Understanding the various positions on stage is important. During rehearsals, a director will work with performers to decide the blocking and will refer to nine separate positions on stage.
Everyone working on a show needs to understand these positions to know where people and objects should be at any time. For example, the stage management team need to know where set items are positioned on stage, and the lighting designer needs to know where performers are positioned to ensure that the correct part of the stage is lit up.
When blocking a play, the director will consider the use of space practically, ensuring that the audience can see what is happening on stage, but they will also consider how space might convey meaning. For example, two characters standing close together might show the audience they are good friends, whereas distance between them could convey conflict. This is known as proxemics.
The nine stage positions
All nine positions on stage are from the perspective of the performer. When a performer is standing in the middle of the stage, their position is referred to as centre stage. As the performer looks out to the audience, the area on their right-hand side is called stage right and the area on the left is called stage left.
If a performer walks towards the front of the stage, approaching the audience, this area is referred to as downstage, and the opposite area of the stage further away from the audience is called upstage. The term downstage originates from when stages were sloped or raked downwards towards the audience to improve sightlines.
The four corners of the stage space combine both the right and the left with downstage and upstage, creating:
- downstage right
- downstage left
- upstage right
- upstage left
Stage positions are used more commonly in some stage configurations than others, such as end-on, proscenium arch and thrust. Sometimes it can be too complicated to use certain stage positions. For example, when using theatre in the round or traverse staging, there is not a back wall. This means it is impossible to have an upstage and downstage and stage right and stage left.
