2.5: Ground Plan

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A ground plan is an aerial view of the stage that outlines the basic set pieces that the actors will interact with. You can create this before your meeting with your set designer or during the meeting, but you should emerge from your meeting with an agreed upon structure to the set. The ground plan will later be taped out onto the stage with spike tape by your stage manager and you will place chairs, tables, and acting blocks to represent specific set pieces.

Your ground plan is an initial road map in which you will base your staging. You will not get a lot of rehearsal time with your set and often will need to rehearse in a completely different location and so your ground plan allows you to reproduce an approximate set for your rehearsals. Remember that no matter how much you plan or how accurate your measurements, your blocking will need to adjust once your actors begin working with the actual set, so plan time to refine blocking in your schedule.

Activities for creating a ground plan

Exercise 1

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil.
Grab a play and choose one scene from the play.
Identify the primary location in which scenes take place. Then Identify the base or primary elements needed to suggest this location. For example, two chairs can represent a car, airplane seats, a park bench, etc.
Draw a diagram of your stage and mark where your audience is sitting.
Place each base element on the diagram and see if you like the way it looks. Does it provide the image you are trying to convey? Can every audience member see the action if it were staged in that area? Is there another way you can place the object that could enhance the imagery?
Finalize your ground plan and share it with a friend and get feedback.
Edit changes discovered through the feedback session.

Exercise 2

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil.
Read any play and identify the primary locations in which scenes take place.
Identify the base or primary elements needed to suggest each location. For example, a chair can represent a throne, a horse or chariot, a ledge, etc.
Decide if you want to have all of the settings represented on the stage at once or use scene transitions and have only one setting visible at a time. A stationary set allows for quick and fluid scene transitions, but is limiting on ambiance. Full scene transitions allow the setting to be more elaborate, but they take time and slow down the show.
Draw a diagram of your stage and mark where your audience is sitting.
Place each item on the diagram and see if you like the way it looks. Does it provide the image you are trying to convey? Can every audience member see the action if it were staged in that area? Is there another way you can place the object that could enhance the imagery?
Finalize your ground plan and share it with a friend and get feedback.
Edit changes discovered through the feedback session.