Stage Directions

Stage directions always apply to the actor as he faces the audience:

• Stage right (R): The actor’s right as he faces the audience

• Stage left (L): The actor’s left as he faces the audience
• Downstage (D): Nearest the audience
• Upstage (U): Away from the audience

The acting area on stage is generally divided into nine locations. The abbreviations are the
same as those for stage directions: “C” means stage center. The following diagram
indicates stage areas.

Standard symbols and Abbreviations:

X cross or walk
 X2 walks 2 steps
 above, (upstage of)
 below (downstage of)
ccw turn counter-clockwise (your left)
cw turn clockwise (towards your right)
cw90 turn CW 90 degrees
/ ‘beat’ or 1 second pause
// pause 2 seconds
/ 3 / pause 3 seconds
table
chair
ent enter
ex exit
kn kneel
si sit
fz freeze
st standup (only necessary when the direction is to stand up and
not walk anywhere)
off offstage
le lean
dr door
b/t between

N.B. When notation is unclear, simply define your symbols at the beginning of
your script. For example, it would be quite ambiguous if you notated “fl” to mean
“flowers”. Would a reader know that you didn’t mean “floor”? (“flo” and “flr” don’t
help much in this case!) So, to avoid having to write down “flowers” every time
the director says, “Cordelia takes the flowers and throws them at Hamlet” just
note at the beginning of your script what “fl” indicates.

Your notation may well look like this: Co  fl 2Ha