Stage Directions

Stage directions are enclosed with a <stage> element:

<stage>[stage direction]</stage>

Different types of stage directions are possible and are treated differently:

1. Stage directions at the beginning of an act or entry: These stage directions determine the following section. They are usually after the respective section heading. 

<div type="[e. g. scene]">
            <head>[title of the entry]</head>
  <stage>[stage direction]</stage>
  <sp>[speech act]</sp>
  <sp>[another speech act]</sp>
</div>

Stage Direction I

<div n="2">
  <head><hi rendition="#g">Erſter Akt</hi>.</head><lb/>
  <stage><hi rendition="#g">Der königliche Garten in Aranjuez</hi>.</stage><lb/>
  <milestone rendition="#hr" unit="section"/><lb/>
  <div n="3">
    <head><hi rendition="#g">Erſter Auftritt</hi>.</head><lb/>
    <stage><hi rendition="#g">Dom Karlos. Domingo</hi>.</stage><lb/>
    <sp who="#DOMI">
      <speaker><hi rendition="#g">Domingo</hi>.</speaker><lb/>
      <p><hi rendition="#in">D</hi>ie ſchönen Tage in Aranjuez<lb/>
      ſind nun zu Ende. Eure königliche Hoheit<lb/>[...]</p>
    </sp>
  [...]</div>
</div>

Source: Schiller, Friedrich: Dom Karlos, Infant von Spanien. Leipzig, 1787. [Facsimile 13]

2. Stage directions before the beginning or after the end of a speech act: Stage directions within an act that are not assigned to a speech act, but referring to the scene in general, are reproduced outside the contiguous <sp> elements in a <stage> element. 

<div type="[e. g. scene]">
            <head>[title of the entry]</head>
            <sp>[speech act]</sp>
  <stage>[stage direction]</stage>
  <sp>[another speech act]</sp>
</div>

Stage Direction II

<sp who="#JHERR">
  <speaker>
    <hi rendition="#b">Der junge Herr.</hi>
  </speaker><lb/>
  <p>Ah ja, Marie, ah ja, ich hab’ geläutet, ja …<lb/>
    was hab’ ich nur … ja richtig, die Rouletten<lb/>
    lassen S’ herunter, Marie … Es ist kühler,<lb/>
    wenn die Rouletten unten sind .... ja ....</p>
</sp><lb/>
<stage>(Das Stubenmädchen geht zum Fenster und läßt die<lb/>
Rouletten herunter.)</stage><lb/>
<sp who="#JHERR">
  <speaker>
    <hi rendition="#b">Der junge Herr</hi>
  </speaker>
  <stage>(liest weiter.)<lb/></stage>
  <p>
    Was machen S’ denn, Marie? Ah ja. Jetzt<lb/>
    sieht man aber gar nichts zum Lesen.
  </p>
</sp><lb/>

Source: Schnitzler, Arthur: Reigen. Wien, 1903. [Facsimile 41]

3. Stage directions within a speech act: Stage directions assigned to a speech act are reproduced within the <sp> element. If the stage direction is before or after the speaker's direct speech, it is given outside of <p>. If it is within the direct speech, the <p> element is not interrupted. Instead, the <stage> element is integrated into the <p> element.

<div type="[e. g. scene]">
            <head>[title of the entry]</head>
  <sp>
    <speaker>[speaker]</speaker>
    <stage>[stage direction before the speech]</stage>
    <p>[speech] 
    <stage>[stage direction within the speech]</stage> 
    [speech]</p>
    <stage>[stage direction after the speech]</stage>
  </sp>
  <sp>[another speech act]</sp>
</div>

Stage Direction III

<sp who="#ANA">
  <speaker>
    <hi rendition="#b">Anatol.</hi>
  </speaker>
  <p>
    Ruhig <stage>(zu Cora)</stage> … Schlafen … feſt, tief ſchlafen.<lb/>
    <stage>(Er ſteht eine Weile vor Cora, die ruhig athmet und ſchläft).</stage> 
    So … nun<lb/>kannſt Du fragen.
  </p>
</sp><lb/>

Source: Schnitzler, Arthur: Anatol. Berlin, 1893. [Facsimile 27]