Exit, Pursued by Bear

Disclaimer: I had to write this post because of the asterisk below. I am a fan girl. What can I say?

Probably the most famous stage direction in theatrical history is William Shakespeare’s note to Antigonus in The Winter’s Tale to “exit, pursued by bear.” *

In just four words, Shakespeare lets the actors know his intent for staging. While the director may be confused on the details of how the bear chases the character off or where the bear came from, the exit is absolute. The actor must leave the stage and in a dramatic fashion.

Exit stage right or left. It does not specify.

Unfortunately, fiction does not allow those kinds of cues. If there’s a character that needs to leave a room, a forest or an insect-infested cave of horrors, you have to write them out and logically. You can’t just say, character exits pursued by bear.

A novel requires detail about the bear: where it came from and why it is pursuing poor Antigonus.

Details are the key.

Logic determines whether the action works or not. Was there proper motivation for the character to move? To learn more about character motivation and moving them about, I highly recommend reading acting books. Meisner, Adler and Stanislavski are among the best.

But first I must apologize. This blog was more of a thought than a blog. Honestly, it was a flimsy excuse to share David Tennant’s brilliant showing on Radio One. Enjoy. He does cover the problem of crazy directions in exactly one minute flat.

* David Tennant (Doctor #10 for those incomprehensible, non-Doctor Who fans who should be too embarrassed to admit that failing) explained this bizarre direction brilliantly on Radio One’s game show “Just One Minute.” The show gives each contestant one minute to discuss a given topic without stammering, pausing or repeating information. Listen to him here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02jrpxz And you are welcome.