Staging Configurations and Stage Positioning
The shapes a stage can take, from a proscenium arch to in the round, and the names for parts of the stage such as upstage, downstage and centre stage.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Setting the stage
Before a play is performed, the company chooses how to arrange the stage and the audience. This is the staging configuration, and it changes how close the audience feels to the action. Actors also need words for the parts of the stage, such as upstage and downstage, so they can plan exactly where to move.
Staging terms
Learn these four terms before you study staging.
Two ways to stage
Two common configurations place the audience very differently.
What staging in the round does
Do not just name a configuration; explain its effect. Staging in the round makes the audience feel surrounded by and involved in the action, but it means the actors must keep turning so nobody has their back to one side for too long. A downstage centre position draws the strongest focus from the audience.
Match the configuration
- proscenium arch
- thrust
- in the round
- traverse
- the audience sits at the front, facing a framed stage
- the audience sits on three sides of the stage
- the audience sits all the way around the stage
- the audience sits on two opposite sides
Match the stage position
- upstage
- downstage
- stage left
- centre stage
- the part of the stage furthest from the audience
- the part of the stage closest to the audience
- the left side from the point of view of the actor
- the middle of the stage
What is in the round?
What does staging in the round mean?
- The audience sits all the way around the stage.
- The audience sits only at the front.
- The audience sits on two opposite sides.
- The audience sits on three sides of the stage.
Spot the positions
Select the TWO stage positions.
- Upstage.
- Downstage.
- Thrust.
- Proscenium arch.
Order the move
An actor walks from the back of the stage to the audience. Put the move in order, earliest first.
- The actor starts upstage, at the back
- The actor walks to centre stage
- The actor moves downstage, to the front
- The actor is now closest to the audience
Summarise the terms
A staging _____ is the way the stage and audience are arranged. In a _____ arch the audience sits at the front, while _____ the round the audience sits all the way around. The part of the stage nearest the audience is called _____, and the part furthest away is called _____.
Count the configurations
How many staging configurations does this module cover: proscenium arch, thrust, in the round and traverse?
Find the configurations
Tap the TWO staging configurations.
- Proscenium arch
- Upstage
- In the round
- Downstage
- Centre stage
Which configuration?
Decide which staging configuration each description is.
- The audience sits only at the front, looking through a frame
- The audience sits all the way around the stage
- The audience sits on three sides of the stage
Explain a staging choice
A director chooses to stage a play in the round. Explain how this staging configuration affects the audience and the actors.
- Describe where the audience sits in the round
- Explain one effect on the audience
- Explain one thing the actors must think about