STAGING MODALITIES
IN DRAMA
Do you remember the
last play production
you watched?
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Can you still recall the
excitement you felt as the
curtain rose up?
Have you experienced
showing your laserlike
focus as the first
character spoke and
delivered his or her lines?
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Do you remember
clapping, crying,
laughing, or feeling
angry or happy in
certain parts of a
play?
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All of these are
carefully planned.
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Explore different staging modalities vis-a-vis
envisioning the script (HUMSS_CW/MPIj-IIc-18).
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● Determine how to present a one-act play.
● Familiarize with the types of stages.
● Identify leveling and movement of
characters in a play.
● Determine how a play's interpretation,
objective, and style affect the writing of the
play.
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SKETCH THE STAGE
Read the descriptions of scenes at the beginning
of the following one-act plays. Try sketching
where the characters are supposed to be placed
on stage based on the descriptions. Use the
indicated shapes and legends in your sketch.
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SCENE 1: J. M. SYNGE’S “RIDERS TO
THE SEA”
Scan or click this!
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SCENE 2: GEORGE MILTON’S
“TRADITION”
Scan or click this!
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1. WHAT FACTORS DID YOU CONSIDER IN
PLACING THE CHARACTERS ON A SPECIFIC
PART OF THE STAGE?
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2. WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID YOU ENCOUNTER
IN PLACING THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR
SKETCH?
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3. WHAT DOES THE ACTIVITY MAKE YOU
REALIZE ABOUT WRITING A PLAY AND
ENVISIONING IT BEING STAGED LATER?
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How can staging affect a presentation of a one-
act play?
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Parts of a Theater Stage
● The stage is where a play presentation takes place.
● The knowledge of its parts is essential in presenting
a one-act play.
● It traditionally has six parts.
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Parts of a Theater Stage
● center stage (A)
● downstage (B)
● upstage (C)
● stage left (D)
● stage right (E)
● apron (F)
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Other Parts of a Theater Stage
● pit
● backstage area
● crossover space
● wings
● trapdoor
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PRESENTING THE ONE-ACT PLAY
Staging
● how the drama is
adapted on stage
● breaking the fourth
wall—the invisible line
that separates the
audience from the
actors and actresses on
stage
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PRESENTING THE ONE-ACT PLAY
Types of Stage
● proscenium stage
● in-the-round stage
● traverse stage
● raked stage
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PRESENTING THE ONE-ACT PLAY
Proscenium Stage
● has an arch called a proscenium arch, placed
behind the apron
● Audience sits on one side.
● Audience’s seats are either on the same level or
leveled (low at the front and elevated at the back).
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Proscenium Stage
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
In-the-Round Stage
● Stage is at the center.
● The audience surrounds
the stage.
● This stage is used when
the production wants the
audience to feel that they
are part of the play.
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Traverse Stage
● This is similar to a runway
or catwalk.
● The audience are seated
on both sides of the stage.
● It establishes better
connection with the
audience.
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Raked Stage
● tilted and almost similar
to a proscenium stage
● lower downstage and
elevated upstage
● used in foregrounding
and backgrounding
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Read the drama, The Dark
Lady of the Sonnets by
George Bernard Shaw.
If you will produce this play,
what type of stage will you
use? Why? Scan or click this!
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Leveling and Movement
The director must decide
how the characters will
enter, exit, and move
about on stage.
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Leveling and Movement
Power point
focus given on characters
who are on certain points
on stage where audience
will look at
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Leveling and Movement
● Leveling implies
power and status.
● Blocking is the
position of
characters as they
move about on
stage.
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Leveling and Movement
● No character
should be blocked.
● A character should
not turn his or her
back to the
audience.
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Read the first scene of
the drama, Chitra by
Rabindranath Tagore.
Illustrate how the stage
will look if you present
the first scene. Scan or click this!
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PRESENTING A ONE-ACT PLAY
Objective, Interpretation, and
Style
● What is your main objective
in producing the play?
● How would you bring the
drama to life?
● What does your production
want to focus on?
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IDENTIFICATION. COMPLETE THE WORDS OR
PHRASES TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING REFERRED TO
IN EACH QUESTION.
1. WHICH PART OF THE STAGE IS AT THE
CENTER?
N R
G E
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IDENTIFICATION. COMPLETE THE WORDS OR
PHRASES TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING REFERRED TO
IN EACH QUESTION.
2. WHICH TYPE OF STAGE IS ELONGATED AND
HAS THE AUDIENCE SEATED ON PARALLEL
SIDES?
P E M
G E
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IDENTIFICATION. COMPLETE THE WORDS OR
PHRASES TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING REFERRED TO
IN EACH QUESTION.
3. WHICH TYPE OF STAGE IS LOWERED ON THE
DOWNSTAGE AND ELEVATED ON THE
UPSTAGE?
R K
G E
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IDENTIFICATION. COMPLETE THE WORDS OR
PHRASES TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING REFERRED TO
IN EACH QUESTION.
4. WHAT IS THE INVISIBLE LINE THAT SEPARATES
THE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES FROM AUDIENCE,
AND IF THE FORMER INTERACTS WITH THE
LATTER, IT IS BROKEN?
O T
W
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IDENTIFICATION. COMPLETE THE WORDS OR
PHRASES TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING REFERRED TO
IN EACH QUESTION.
5. WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE
CHARACTERS ON STAGE WHEN THEY ENTER,
EXIT, AND MOVE ABOUT THE STAGE?
O I
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● The main parts of a theater stage are center
stage, downstage, upstage, stage left, stage
right, and apron. It may also have a pit, a
backstage area, crossover space, wings, and a
trapdoor.
● Staging refers to how drama is transformed into
a play production.
● The types of stages include the proscenium, in-
the-round, traverse, and raked.
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● It is essential that a director knows how to level
characters on stage because it reveals
perspectives and power plays among the
characters. It is also vital that the director
carefully arranges the movement and blocking
of the characters.
● In transforming drama to play, a production
theme should determine their objective,
interpretation of the drama, and the style they
prefer to employ as they bring the drama to life.
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Write a proposal for the
adaptation of F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s “Porcelain and
Pink” and explain the type of
stage and the stage
modalities that will be used. Scan or click this!
