What is the difference between stage left and left?

Question

I think they might be the same thing but I'm kind of confused as to what exactally the difference is between "stage left" or "stage right" and just normal left and right. Other than one is on a stage and one isn't. Can someone help?

Answer 1

Picture yourself standing on a stage facing the audience. Your left side is "stage left" and your right side is "stage right" This because the terms are referring to the point of view of the stage.
Now you're sitting in the audience. Your left is called "house left" and your right is called "house right" Again this because the terms are referring to the point of view of the house (the part of the auditorium were the audience is)
So "stage left" is left from the point of view of the stage and "house left" is left from the point of view of the audience. There is no difference between "stage left" "house left" and left other than where you are standing.
"house left" = "stage right" "house right" = "stage left"
Understand?

Answer 2

Stage Left Stage Right

Answer 3

What Is Stage Left

Answer 4

"R" and "L" are "stage right" and "stage left". HOWEVER (This is really important to understand) stage right is the actor's right as the actor stands on the stage facing the audience. Stage left is the actor's left as the actor stands on the stage facing the audience.If the actor is facing up stage (toward the back wall), stage right and stage left are determined as if the actor were standing on the stage facing the audience. So the left side of the stage is always the left side. It doesn't change when the actor faces different directions. The right side of the stage is always the right side. It also doesn't change when the actor faces different directions.

Answer 5

The stage itself has been given named areas to facilitate blocking:

The rear of the stage is considered up-stage. This derives from the raked stage of the Greek Theater (see below).
The front of the stage is down-stage.
Stage Left and right, at least in British and North American Theater, refer to the actor's left and right facing the audience. Because this is sometimes misunderstood the terms prompt (left) and opposite prompt (right) are also used.
House left and house right refer to how the audience perceives the stage. The audience’s left is referred to as house left, and the audience’s right is referred to as house right.
Therefore, "House left" is "Stage right" and "House right" is "Stage left."

Answer 6

I am an opera singer and it can be confusing. Depending upon in what country you are performing, the answer is the opposite. In America, stage right, for example, is to the performers right as he/she looks at the audience. In Germany, stage right would be from the prospective of the audience, hence, to the performers left. Upstage refers to the back of the stage and downstage refers to the front. Hope this was helpful.

Answer 7

RE:
What is the difference between stage left and left?
I think they might be the same thing but I'm kind of confused as to what exactally the difference is between "stage left" or "stage right" and just normal left and right. Other than one is on a stage and one isn't. Can someone help?

Answer 8

The difference is based on perspective. The director will call "stage left" so that people on stage know what direction to go and know who's perspective they are refering to. That way the people on stage know whether to go to their own left, or to go left based on who's looking at the stage.

Answer 9

basically... Stage Left is the actors left.. same with stage right.. Left is anyones Left ... theatrically speaking its the directors left... or the audiences left... but your facing them the other way when you act... so SL is actors..(your) left

Answer 10

stage left is usually the actors right side - when facing the audience

it is the audience's left also