Objectives and Blocking

It is important to know which of the following things about your character?

• Background

• Likes and dislikes

• Physical traits

• Hopes, fears and dreams

What is an objective?

• A word that describes a noun

• An item

• A feeling

• Something you want to accomplish

What is a tactic?

• A spiny plant that can survive on very little precipitation

• A small ovoid breath-mint that comes in many flavors

• Something you do to accomplish an objective

• The sound a clock makes

Which one is a principle of stage movement?

• Movement should be precise.

• Movement should be random.

Which one is a principle of stage movement?

• You don’t need to know why the character is moving; just do what the script says.

• Movement should have a purpose.

Which one is a principle of stage movement?

• Movement should distract the audience so they don’t notice that you don’t know your lines.

• It should help tell the story.

Which one is a principle of stage movement?

• If it confuses the audience we shouldn’t do it.

• Movement should never be planned.

Which one will help make an interesting stage picture?

• Stay open to the audience, meaning face them so they can see your action.

• If you feel nervous, turn your back to the audience until you feel better.

Which one will help make an interesting stage picture?

• Never stand in a straight line unless told to do so by the director. Straight lines are boring and cause us to lose interest in the story.

• Always arrange characters in a straight line on stage. This ensures that the audience can see all the characters at all times.

Which one will help make an interesting stage picture?

• Always try and create both depth and height on stage. By creating levels we can draw the attention of the audience where we want it.

• Never leave one actor standing if someone else is sitting. He will feel left out and the audience will ignore him.