About 20 years ago I had a text book that had the stage broken up in to 6 parts: three downstage and three upstage. Each section was labled for playing a different type of scene. Truthfully the only thing that I can remember about it was that all love scenes should be played downstage left. I laugh everytime I see a romantic scene played downstage left. My best advice would be to use your set with variety, natural movement and motivation. Don't let your actors get stuck behind the furniture, or wander around the stage for no reason. Be creative and look everywhere for inspiration. If the play takes place in a bus station. Go to a bus station and watch what the people do. Move around and look at it from different angles, and make some decisions about what works for you. Good luck.

Hi There,

I agree with Linda.

Movement should be natural. People enjoy watching a "real" situation, it helps to get them in the show mentally. You do want solos to be downstage (toward the front). In my view you want to alway play to the audience, this does not mean move sideways instead of just walking. It means things like the person who is speaking should walk down stage of objects and people when crossing the stage. Also never put your back to the audience unless you are doing that as a point, they call that "cheating out". If you ever hear a director say "cheat out" it means turn your body in a way that you can be seen by the audience, but not obviously.

The stage break down in six areas is from the Actor's point of view as they are looking at the audience.There is:

Upstage Right, Upstage Center, Upstage Left
Downstage Right, Downstage Center, Downstage left

~joe

In addition to the above replies, the stage can be and is often broken down into nine parts instead of six. You have the three downstage areas of down left, down center, and down right and three upstage areas of up left, up center, and up right, but add a center row of stage left, center stage, and stage right.

Beyond breaking up the stage that way, there are schools of thought promoting that, like upstage (away from the audience) to downstage (toward the audience) crosses, entrances and crosses from the stage right area (audience's left view) to the left (audience's right) are stronger because we read left to right. Also, diagonal crosses and arcs can be seen as more interesting than straight-line moves. Center stage, and down stage areas that bring action closer to the audience, are traditionally more powerful acting areas with seemingly greater audience impact.

Now, how you use all that in public speaking may differ depending upon objects, such as a podium, in your speaking area. In general, anything that takes you away from your audience (i.e., turning away in part or in full, walking "upstage" away from them, or even being partially blocked by a podium) weakens your connection to the audience. Any movement that brings you closer to your audience and improves how much of your face they see will have greater impact.

One other note, your movement, as others inferred, needs to have "motivation," a reason for happening. Make it clear and not a muddled or nervous wandering. Find moments to move with purpose while talking and moments to stop as punctuation for importance of what you are saying. In other words, your movement, when connected to your words, becomes a punctuation of sorts.

That's my movement primer. I hope it helps.

Mark