Blocking is the planned movement and positioning of performers on stage: where each actor stands, when they cross, and where they end up, worked out in rehearsal and recorded so it can be repeated. The name is said to come from directors moving wooden blocks around a model of the set.

Blocking is written in a shorthand of stage directions — X DSL for a cross to down stage left — against the line it happens on, and is the first thing an understudy learns.

In CueCall

Blocking is drawn on a stage canvas over your own ground plan: character markers, set pieces that remember their position per cue, crosses drawn automatically in prompt-book notation, freehand drawing, and playback synced to the scene's music.

Features

Stage Blocking & Scene Visuals — Blocking recorded against a scene alongside backdrop images and reference videos.

How it works in CueCall

Managing Scenes: Stage Blocking — Document and visualize character positions and movements throughout a scene. The Stage Blocking section appears on each scene's detail page.

Related terms

Stage directions — Stage directions name positions on the stage from the performer's point of view, facing the audience. Stage left is the actor's left; stage right the actor's…
Ground plan — A ground plan is a scaled drawing of the stage seen from above, showing the set, the furniture, the masking and the playing area, usually with the centre line…
Spike marks — Spike marks are pieces of coloured tape on the stage floor marking where a set piece, a piece of furniture or a performer must be placed. Each scene or cue…
Prompt book — The prompt book is the stage manager's master copy of the script, with every blocking move, cue and standby written against the line or moment it happens on…

More terms

CueCall theatre production glossary

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