Blocking Basics: Movement, Pictures, and Staying Consistent

What Blocking Is (and Why It Matters)

Blocking is the planned movement and positioning of actors onstage. It answers questions like: Where do you stand for this line? When do you move? Who is seen by the audience? Blocking is not “extra”—it is part of the storytelling.

• Storytelling: Movement can show power, intimacy, conflict, secrecy, or urgency. A character stepping closer can raise stakes; turning away can show avoidance.
• Sightlines: The audience must be able to see faces and key actions. Blocking helps avoid actors accidentally hiding each other or playing important moments to a wall.
• Safety: Repeated, consistent paths prevent collisions, missed steps, and falls—especially around furniture, stairs, platforms, and in low light.

Standard Stage Directions (Learn These First)

Stage directions are named from the actor’s perspective while facing the audience. This is crucial: stage left is the actor’s left, not the audience’s left.

Practice tip: Stand up, face an imaginary audience, and point to SL/SR/US/DS until it feels automatic. Blocking notes only help if you can translate them instantly.

Common Movement Vocabulary You’ll Hear in Rehearsal

Cross

To move from one area to another (often across the stage). Example: “Cross to DSL on ‘I can’t stay.’”

Cheat Out

To angle your body slightly toward the audience so your face and action are visible, while still appearing to face your scene partner. Example: Two actors talking: both “cheat out” so the audience can see expressions.

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Open / Close

• Open means your body is oriented so the audience can see you (chest and face more visible).
• Close means you turn in a way that hides you from the audience (often unintentionally).

Directors may say, “Don’t close yourself off on that line—open up.”

Take Focus / Give Focus

Focus is where the audience’s attention naturally goes. You can take focus by moving, changing level (standing/sitting), entering a brighter area, or making a clear gesture. You can give focus by stillness, stepping back, or turning your attention toward the person who should be watched.

Business

Small purposeful actions that support the scene (handling a cup, sorting papers, checking a watch). Good business is motivated and repeatable; random fidgeting is not.

A Structured Way to Learn and Keep Blocking Consistent

Blocking becomes reliable when you treat it like choreography: you record it clearly, connect it to cues, and repeat it the same way.

Step 1: Write Blocking Shorthand in Your Script

Use quick, consistent abbreviations. Write them in the margin next to the line that triggers the move.

• X = cross (move)
• to = destination
• SL/SR/US/DS/CS = stage areas
• ↑ = upstage, ↓ = downstage
• sit/stand = level change
• CO = cheat out
• bus. = business (brief description)

Example notes in a script margin:

“I’m fine.”  X to CS, CO to audience (keep eyes on partner) “Actually…” sit on bench (bus.: pick up letter)

Tip: Keep notes short enough to read at a glance while acting.

Step 2: Use Spike Marks / Tape as Physical References

Spike marks (small pieces of tape on the floor) help you land in the same place each time—useful for sightlines, lighting, and spacing. If you are given a mark:

• Notice its color/shape and what it represents (your position, a furniture leg, a set edge).
• Approach it the same way each time (same path, same pace) so you don’t drift.
• Do not peel or move tape unless the stage manager instructs you to.

Actor habit: When you find your mark, don’t stare down at it. Learn to feel it underfoot using peripheral vision.

Step 3: Link Moves to Line Cues (Not to Memory Alone)

Blocking sticks when it is attached to a specific trigger. Common triggers:

• Your line cue: “On my line ‘Then go,’ I cross to DSR.”
• Partner’s line cue: “When they say ‘Wait,’ I turn and open out.”
• Action cue: “When the door closes, I sit.”

This prevents “floating” blocking that changes nightly because you forgot when it happens.

Step 4: Rehearse Transitions Like They’re Part of the Scene

Many blocking mistakes happen between moments: entrances, exits, furniture shifts, and resets. Rehearse transitions deliberately:

• Walk the path slowly first (traffic pattern).
• Add speed only after spacing is clean.
• Confirm who goes first when paths cross (right-of-way).
• Repeat until it feels automatic and quiet (no last-second dodging).

Mini Drill: Record and Repeat 3 Movements + 2 Stage Pictures

This drill trains you to (1) write usable blocking notes and (2) repeat them consistently. Use the short scene below. You can do it alone or with a partner.

Short Scene (8 lines)

Setting: A bench at CS. An imaginary door is at SR. Two characters: Jules and Mara.

JULES: You came back. I didn’t think you would.  MARA: I forgot my keys.  JULES: That’s not why you’re here.  MARA: Don’t start.  JULES: Tell me the truth.  MARA: (quiet) I’m trying.  JULES: Then look at me.  MARA: I can’t.

Define Two “Stage Pictures” (Freeze-Frame Moments)

A stage picture is a clear visual arrangement of bodies that tells the story even without words. Choose two moments to “land” and hold briefly (a beat) so the audience can read them.

• Picture A (distance): Jules DS of the bench, Mara near the SR “door,” creating a wide gap.
• Picture B (confrontation): Both at CS near the bench, Jules slightly DS and open to audience, Mara slightly US and turned partly away.

Choose Three Movements (Simple and Repeatable)

Assign three specific moves, each tied to a line cue. Example plan:

1. Move 1: On “You came back,” Jules X from DSL to CS (stops DS of bench), CO slightly out.
2. Move 2: On “Don’t start,” Mara X from SR door area to USR (avoids Jules), then close (turns away).
3. Move 3: On “Then look at me,” Jules X to CS closer to Mara; Mara takes one step DS to the bench and sits (level change).

How to Record It in the Script (Shorthand Example)

Write notes next to the cue lines. Keep them consistent.

JULES: You came back...   [X DSL→CS (DS bench), CO]  MARA: I forgot my keys.  JULES: That’s not why...  MARA: Don’t start.        [MARA X SR→USR, close/turn away]  JULES: Tell me the truth.  MARA: (quiet) I’m trying.  JULES: Then look at me.    [JULES X closer to MARA at CS]  MARA: I can’t.            [step DS to bench, sit (Picture B)]

Repeatability Check (Do This 3 Times)

• Run 1 (slow): Say lines and hit the moves exactly on the cues. Freeze for one breath on Picture A and Picture B.
• Run 2 (normal): Keep the same paths. Notice if you drift away from CS or turn your back too much (closing).
• Run 3 (performance energy): Add emotion without changing the blocking. If emotion makes you move differently, adjust the acting, not the traffic pattern.

Self-test questions: Did you land in the same spots? Could an audience see both faces in Picture B? Did any move happen early/late because you weren’t tied to a cue?

Safety Considerations (Blocking That Protects People)

Spacing and Traffic Patterns

• Maintain a consistent “bubble” of space, especially during crosses. If two paths intersect, assign who passes DS/US or who yields.
• Avoid sudden backward steps unless you have checked the space behind you in rehearsal.
• If you must move quickly, keep your path clean rather than weaving around last-minute obstacles.

Set Edges, Stairs, and Platforms

• Know the edges: Platforms and stage edges can disappear in dim light. Walk them in work light and mark mental landmarks.
• Stairs: Take stairs straight on when possible; use the handrail if provided. Rehearse the exact footwear you’ll wear if allowed.
• Levels: When stepping up/down, commit your weight only after your foot is placed securely.
• Furniture: Sit only where the chair/bench actually is—confirm placement before the scene starts.

Working in Low Light

• Assume visibility will be worse than in rehearsal. If a cue happens in near-darkness, rehearse it that way when permitted.
• Use consistent pathways and landmarks (a rug edge, a spike mark, the bench leg) rather than guessing.
• If something feels unsafe (a missing spike mark, a shifted platform, a loose stair), stop and report it to the stage manager immediately.

Consistency Is a Safety Tool

Even small nightly changes—one extra step, a wider turn, a different chair angle—can cause collisions or falls. Treat blocking notes as part of your safety checklist: same paths, same marks, same timing.