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Cross-cutting

Cross-cutting is a device to move between two or more scenes staged in the space at the same time. It’s important that the audience know which part of the action they should follow so one part of the action remains in still image while another scene is played out, directing the audience’s focus. Using this technique you can move backwards and forwards between separate locations and time frames.

For example, a theatre company is creating a piece of work exploring Christmas. The production team want to show the differences between a rich and poor family on this day. Two separate scenes are developed and placed onstage. Instead of playing simultaneously the rich family scene plays first with children opening many presents. This freezes in a still image and the poor family come to life with their simple gifts providing a contrast. This scene ends in a still image and the group cross-cut to the rich family once again who are having a lavish Christmas dinner. They freeze and the poorer family’s dinner is enacted.

Cross-cutting is an excellent way to explore the contrast between situations by making differences clear for the audience. It can also be used to give them additional information. It enables performers to move quickly between locations and scenes without interrupting the flow of the drama they’re creating. Whilst it’s a performance technique it can also be used within a workshop to place characters within different time frames for explorative purposes.

Narrating

Narrating is adding a spoken commentary for the audience about the action onstage. A narrator is like a storyteller informing the audience about the plot.

Narration is useful in making a story more understandable for the audience. It also makes the drama stylised. This means that it becomes non-naturalistic because the audience are aware throughout that a story is being told and the fourth wall is broken.

Narrating can make a drama more understandable or stylised in a number of ways:

• an actor can speak the commentary over the action happening in the drama
• a character can say out loud what they think the audience needs to know about the characters or the situation of which they’re a part, which is known as self-narrating
• an actor can just tell the audience what they need to know in between scenes
• a character can read or write a diary or letter that informs the audience what is important for them to know about what is happening or going to happen

This explorative strategy would be effective if you were using Brecht, Theatre in education, Musical theatre or Artaud as your chosen style. Try it out in rehearsal to see if it works in your performance.

Narration in action

One of the most famous plays to use a narrator is Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Listen to the famous actor Richard Burton narrating an extract from the play and notice how evocative this device can be in a well-written piece.