Staging your performance
Before you begin to set your work and rehearse in detail you should consider the relationship between performers and audience. There are a variety of stage shapes you can choose from to present your work. Each provides a different experience for the audience. Look at Using the space for more information. Examine the pros and cons of these various stage shapes and decide which one might work best for you.
Thinking carefully about where the characters are placed on the stage can make all the difference. Avoid using too wide a space which will distance the audience. Decide how close to you they should be.
Engaging the audience is of paramount importance. You need to think about what you want them to experience during your performance and whether they'll be actively involved or passive observers. If your piece draws inspiration from Theatre in education or the work of Bertolt Brecht, you might address them and acknowledge them directly.
If you鈥檙e creating work which is very naturalistic or inspired by the practitioner Stanislavski, there will be a fourth wall between you and the audience. This is an invisible screen which is never broken between audiences and performers. The audience will be looking in, unnoticed, on the action that unfolds. Examine the pros and cons of these various stage shapes and decide which one might work best for you.