Body Positions

a body position with which an actor turns partially away from the audience, with their face, torso, and toes directed to the upstage corners.

• closed/cerrado(a)

• three quarters/tres cuartos

• one quarter/un cuarto

• profile/perfil

• facing/frente a

the quality of strength reflected in an actor's movement from one stage area to another, in relation to the audience, as well as in relation to other characters.

• subtext/trasfondo

• strong/fuerte

• weak/débiles

• power/poder

• open/abierto(a)

the hidden meaning of a character's words or actions, revealed in how they perform their blocking and movements on stage.

• subtext/trasfondo

• strong/fuerte

• weak/débiles

• power/poder

• open/abierto(a)

a traveling movement wherein a character approaches or moves toward the audience.

• subtext/trasfondo

• strong/fuerte

• weak/débiles

• power/poder

• open/abierto(a)

a traveling movement wherein a character retreats or moves away from the audience.

• subtext/trasfondo

• strong/fuerte

• weak/débiles

• power/poder

• open/abierto(a)

a body position with which an actor faces completely toward the audience with their face, torso, and toes directed downstage; sometimes called "full-front".

• subtext/trasfondo

• strong/fuerte

• weak/débiles

• power/poder

• open/abierto(a)

a body position with which an actor faces either stage right or stage left directly with their face, torso, and toes; only half of their face and torso is visible to the audience.

• closed/cerrado(a)

• three quarters/tres cuartos

• one quarter/un cuarto

• profile/perfil

• facing/frente a

a body position with which an actor turns completely away from the audience with their face, torso, and toes directed upstage; sometimes called "full-back".

• closed/cerrado(a)

• three quarters/tres cuartos

• one quarter/un cuarto

• profile/perfil

• facing/frente a

a stage picture in which at least two actors stand in opposite positions, one in an open body position, the other in a closed body position.

• forward-behind/adelante-atrás

• three quarters/tres cuartos

• one quarter/un cuarto

• facing away/de espaldas

• facing/frente a

a stage picture in which two actors both stand in "open" body positions, allowing the audience to see them equally well.

• forward-behind/adelante-atrás

• three quarters/tres cuartos

• one quarter/un cuarto

• sharing/compartir

• giving-taking/dar-recibir