Stage Blocking

Blocking is an interesting process in theatre. Blocking is defined as the physical arrangement of actors on stage or a movie set. Blocking is something that occurs early on in a rehearsal process, generally speaking. As a director, I choose to give the actors blocking very early on in the process as it helps them memorize their lines quicker, offers them understanding of the intent of the scene/play, and helps them understand their motivation. Also effective blocking the foundation of what makes a show look appealing to the audience. I always consider blocking to be a foundation, not an afterthought. Some directors choose to allow the actors to determine their own blocking, but it eliminates the director’s task of creating moving and interesting stage pictures. In my opinion, this is a very large part of a director’s job. How many times have you been in a “family photo” where the photographer says, “ok, arrange yourselves, and I’ll snap the picture.” In a posed shot, good photographers place everyone, paying attention to the photo’s composition, arranging each person in just the right spot before snapping the photo. This makes for a good picture. Directors are doing the same thing, only they are creating stage pictures. The difference is that the pictures change from moment to moment as actors move around the stage. As a director, I give my blocking with the understanding that changes can and should be made along the way as actors settle into their roles and begin to make choices. The blocking may not work, or the intent may change during the rehearsal process requiring a different stage picture. So, collaboration is not ruled out in the blocking process. It is actually encouraged.

Generally, I “block” the show in my head prior to rehearsal. I write the blocking down on my copy of the script and give the information to the actors. When I first learned the art of blocking, I would often create a “mini”table top stage with various things around the house representing the actors and furniture/set pieces. I remember using coins as actors, and VHS tapes as certain set pieces. This way I could move the coins around the “set” seeing how the movement flow worked and seeing if it had potential to make good stage pictures. Now, I can visualize the blocking my head and see it play out without having to see it in front of me - thus eliminating my need for coins and tapes. Blocking is complex, but fun. As a director, blocking is my art form. It’s challenging, and rewarding.

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