stage directions
Playwright's movement notes
Stage directions are the instructions in a play's script that tell actors and directors how to move, speak, or behave—and describe the setting, lighting, or sound effects.
They typically appear in italics or brackets, separate from dialogue: He exits stage left, She speaks quietly, avoiding his gaze.
Stage directions range from minimal (Shakespeare's Exit, pursued by a bear) to elaborate descriptions of mood and motivation.
- exeuntPlural stage departure
- fourth wallInvisible stage-audience barrier
- cueTrigger for action
- actorsThose playing roles
- in the wingsPrepared but not yet visible
break a leg · parenthetical · instruction · playwright · enter · gesture · drama · pantomime · pacing · Elizabethan drama · set design · lights up · plays · dramatic pause · theater · blackout · curtain · scene change
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