ABSTRACT
The back of the stage area is called upstage and the front, nearest the audience, is downstage. The play has its own truth; it is not the reality of daily life. Every actor needs to look out for a bus queue and to take responsibility for breaking up the straight line, unobtrusively opening up the space by varying the distance between his partners as well as dropping up- or downstage to break the line into a more naturally uneven grouping. In any playing space, including those of class and rehearsal, there seem to be invisible walls, places within the space that are not explored, where the action of the scene or exercise does not penetrate. An exercise in 'balancing the space' is useful; the group move around the space attempting to keep an even balance between all players. The step position allows for a fluid and easy transference of weight for moving in any direction.
