Understanding drama and performance · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

How a Play Comes Alive on Stage

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 11-14
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Paz is reading the script of a play. The script gives him every word the characters say. What will a director still need to decide for the performance?

    • The words each character says
    • The order of the script's pages
    • Where the actors stand and how the lights look

  2. Who writes the words of a play?

    • The director
    • The playwright
    • The actor

  3. The same play can be performed on a stage in a theatre or filmed and shown on a screen.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which of these is a staging choice a director makes when putting on a play?

    • The lighting design
    • The number of chapters in the book it's based on
    • The author's original spelling

  5. A director lights a lonely character with a single dim spotlight in a dark room. What is this choice likely meant to show?

    • That there was a mistake with the electricity
    • That the play takes place at noon
    • The character's isolation and sadness

  6. In one production, two brothers in a play stand far apart and never look at each other. In another production of the same play, they stand close and whisper. The script is identical. What do these choices most likely change?

    • How the brothers' relationship feels to the audience
    • The words the brothers say to each other
    • The number of scenes in the play

  7. At the end of a play, a lonely character walks into a room filled with warm yellow light, music, and smiling friends. The script only says she smiles. What does this staging add?

    • It shows she is still completely alone
    • It shows the audience should feel nervous
    • It shows the people around her are there for her

  8. Two actors playing the same character in different productions must play the character in exactly the same way.

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. You want to compare two productions of the same play in a school report. Which question would help you most?

    • What choices did each director make about set, lighting, and blocking?
    • Which version has more pages in its script?
    • Which theatre has the most comfortable seats?

  10. A director places the only two characters in a scene on opposite sides of a wide stage and keeps them there. What is the most likely reason for this choice?

    • The stage lights were broken that night
    • The script ordered the actors to stay apart
    • To make the characters feel distant from each other
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

How a Play Comes Alive on Stage W1-mt_tIi6L1n7kF-s1

  1. Where the actors stand and how the lights look · The script fixes the words; staging choices like blocking and lighting are decided later by the director.
  2. The playwright · The playwright writes the script; the director and actors bring it to life on stage.
  3. True · A play's words can come to life on stage or on screen; both are performances of the same script.
  4. The lighting design · Lighting, set, and blocking are staging choices; a director controls them to shape meaning.
  5. The character's isolation and sadness · Dim, isolated lighting is a common way to show a character feels alone or afraid.
  6. How the brothers' relationship feels to the audience · Blocking is a staging choice. Standing far apart or close together changes how a relationship feels, not the script.
  7. It shows the people around her are there for her · Warm light and a crowded, friendly stage tell the audience the character is supported, like the lesson's warm-light example.
  8. False · Actors make their own choices about voice, gestures, and feeling, so the same character can be played many ways.
  9. What choices did each director make about set, lighting, and blocking? · Comparing productions means comparing staging choices, because the script is the shared starting point.
  10. To make the characters feel distant from each other · Blocking carries meaning. Keeping characters far apart is a deliberate way to show emotional distance.
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