The Blocking Process

The first step in any rehearsal process is to block out the scenes. It is important to block out the scenes as it allows the actors to immerse themselves in the action and can help drive their dramatic intentions.

When we first began blocking it was a case of putting people on their mark for each scene. It is crucial that as an actor we are able to hit our mark, this is important for when rehearsing with the lighting as if an actor missed their mark they may miss their spotlight for example.

When Act 1, Scene 1 was first blocked I was placed Centre stage talking to Megan when I first entered. This would then lead into our opening number (“I Gotta Feeling”) and then Dandini would enter. Once we had received the news of the Ball we would all gradually exit as Buttons comes rushing in to find Cinderella.

However further into rehearsals it was decided that everyone exiting to leave Dandini and Buttons alone on stage was not working as the energy was flat. This scene was then reblocked so that a small group of us would stay on stage throughout Buttons and Dandini’s encounter. This made a vast improvement to the energy of the scene as it meant that Buttons could interact with those of us left on stage as he poked fun at Dandini. This also meant that we could help encourage reactions from the audience as we too would laugh along at Buttons antics. 

I found that the changes were effective, and showed that even after the initial blocking it is sometimes needed to reset people’s positions. It was more effective with some people staying on, as it meant that when the villagers made their next entrance when the Baron returns home it allowed us to have people joining groups rather than everyone coming on in one large bundle. This meant that entrances would not become messy as people fought to get on stage in time for cues.

During rehearsals we had to block each scene several times as people were forgetting their marks or the scenes were static and flat. However the process of blocking is something I am now much more comfortable with as I have learnt how to recognise when a scene is lacking energy or there is too much dead air and so would be able to see how that could be corrected.