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Writer's pictureMarlene Dickinson

3 Ways to Maintain Audience Attention with Visual Variety

Updated: Oct 18

Sad to say, but our screen-obsessed culture has conditioned contemporary audiences to expect a shift in frame about every 3 seconds. This presents live theatre with a challenge: How do we capture and maintain attention in the stories we tell onstage? A shift in frame every 3 seconds is neither advisable nor possible in live theatre; so what can we do?


For starters, as a blanket rule for your show, we recommend prioritizing visual variety in your blocking, staging, and choreography. Regardless of the story, dialogue, lyrics, or music – generally picture each scene and song without the audio. Is each scene visually interesting? Does each scene vary from its surrounding scenes?


Here are 3 strategies for achieving visual variety:


  1. Height Variation.

  2. Spatial Variation.

  3. Musical Staging/Choreography Variation.



Actress worships, in a church scene, while standing on a stage cube. Some characters judge her while others worship with her.


1. Height Variation 



2. Spatial Variation


  • Intimate blocking in a familiar space. 

    • Example 1: Characters on the couch in their living room.

  • Public Location

  • Outside

    • Example: Yelling across the distance of a football field.

  • Family Clusters

    • Example: The three mother/daughter duos in “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now" from HAIRSPRAY.

  • Isolation

    • Example: Spotlight on soloist.

  • Oppositional



An actor and an actress pray for someone at the front of the stage scene. The other characters sit on pews in the background.


3. Musical Staging/Choreography Floor Shape Variation




 

Need Some More Specific Help?


Full Staging/Movement/Choreography idea videos are provided with the purchase of select Faith Based Student Musicals titles. 


Samples: 




 


We hope these tools for visual variety help you to gain and maintain the attention of your audience. In the coming months we will address more in this area:


  1. How to create a visual map of your story with your use of blocking, staging and choreography.

  2. How to create memorable, visual "moments." (Use of snapshots and vignettes.)

  3. Honing in on the auditory elements of your musical theatre offering.


We pray that these resources help your students to internalize biblical truth and point your communities to the person of Jesus Christ. This is our mission.



 

*Blog Edits by James Dawson Fobes.

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