Like any activity, theater has its own set of terms and idioms that don’t always make sense. The most commonly asked question is, “Where on earth is stage left?” Well, I drew this diagram to help you understand. Stage directions are always given from the point of the actor. So, stage left is left to the actor, but right to the audience. Here’s a video I found to help explain.
Blocking is an exercise in which the director or choreographer go through the movements you are to make during the play. You will be told where to stand, when to move, etc. Your script may have stage directions written in it. These were sometimes written by the playwright, but often placed in the script after the initial performance of the show. Your director will customize the blocking based on the stage shape and size, the number of performers, the type of curtains, the lighting, and a variety of other factors.
You will spend the first week or so of a show on blocking. While reading through the script on stage, the director will guide you in your movements. It is important to mark your script with these directions (in light pencil if it is a rented script). Your job as an actor is to not only learn your lines and act, but to move.
