Stage Directions – Worksheet Name: Issam Xiao

Playwrights often include some directions for actors in the scripts of plays that
they write. Some playwrights add only a few simple notes, and others add lots of
specific detail. Often they include indications of which direction an actor should
go, or where they should sit/stand on the stage.
Stage directions are easiest to understand when actors are using an End-on stage
configuration, such as a proscenium arch stage. This is because the audience is
only on one side of the stage or performance area. The actors can easily tell where
the ‘front’ of the stage is.
Below is a diagram that shows one way of labelling areas of an end-on stage.
Research similar images on the internet to complete the table below the images.

Look at the above diagram carefully! Find similar images on the internet and
compare them to help you complete the table. Some parts of the table are
completed to get you started.
Number Stage direction term in full Abbreviation (if
applicable)
1 Upstage right UR or USR
2 Upstage US
3 Upstage left UL or USL
4 Stage right R
5 Centre Stage C or CS
6 Stage left L
7 Downstage right DR or DSR
8 Downstage centre DC
9 Downstage left DL or DSL
10 Wing Not applicable
11 wing Not applicable

TIPS!
 Abbreviations can often be written as either 2 letters or 3 letter (apart from
the example given above). Try to find the correct examples for both 2 and 3
letters.
 Check where the audience is in the diagram to make sure you get the stage
directions the right way round.