What Does the Stage Direction “Aside” Indicate in a Play: Addressing the Audience Effectively!
SHORT DEFINITION: An aside is when a character in a play, movie, story, or television show talks directly to the audience while remaining unheard by the other characters in the story. Unlike a soliloquy or monologue, an aside is a short comment quickly said before the character returns to the main action of the story.
WHAT IS THE LITERARY DEFINITION OF THE WORD? An aside is anything spoken by a character in a novel, play, short story, poem, etc., that is heard by the reader/audience but unheard by the other characters surrounding the character. This device is adapted by the writer to give privileged information to the reader that deepens the psychological involvement of the reader. More to explore!
LONGER DEFINITION: An aside is when one character interrupts the action of a script to talk to the audience. A writer will use stage directions to indicate an aside. The speaker breaks down the invisible wall, which usually separates them from the audience, to comment on the action of the play, to make a quick joke, to tell a secret, or to give the audience additional information about the past or the future. Though similar to a soliloquy, a long speech or meditation usually delivered by the actor center stage and alone, the aside is an entirely different concept. It is concise, direct, and usually done in the middle of the action without being seen or heard by anyone else. An aside is a precise glimpse into the complex inner workings of a character’s mind spoken aloud; it can highlight emotions, thoughts, add details, tone and contrast, humor, or even divulge secrets that are not present in the dialogue. It brings the audience into a closer relationship with the text the character who is speaking. Asides can be found in classical plays, but also in nineteenth-century plays by Oscar Wilde (The Importance of Being Ernest), the modern plays of Eugene O'Neill (Strange Interlude), but also in the modern theatre, film, and television. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/what-is-an-aside-examples-75335/
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ASIDE AND A SOLILOQUY? While both an aside and a soliloquy are private thoughts shared between a character and the listener, the principal difference is length. A soliloquy is a long speech used to express thoughts, motives, conflicts, conclusions, and other conflicts that any individual wishes to express. An aside, on the other hand, is a short comment, joke, or interjection that barely interrupts the dramatic flow of the scene. An aside is rarely longer than one sentence.
EXAMPLES: In the theater, we'll start with William Shakespeare. The playwright effectively uses this approach in all of his major dramas, i.e., "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", to give the audience a glimpse into the minds of the characters on stage. When I wrote my own musical revue "How Rude", I decided to bracket several songs with short comedic asides to add a few needed laughs to the show.
In "The Importance of Being Earnest," Oscar Wilde's classic satire about the Aristocracy, two young women, Gwendolyn and Cecily spar over which one of them is engaged to be married Earnest. Over a polite cup of two, the two rivals trade insults, and Gwendolyn turns to the footlights to sharply remark,
Gwendolyn: (Aside) Detestable girl, but I require tea.
On television, shows like "The Office", "Parks and Recreation" famously have their main characters look directly into the camera, sometimes to address the audience with a short comment or monologue, and at other times to give a quick, ironic look or gesture. This allows the actor to "interact" with the viewer, giving them the kind of immediacy usually reserved for a live performance.
FOR AN ACTOR ON STAGE, WHAT DOES THE WORD "ASIDE" INDICATE?
PURPOSE: An aside is a dramatic device that serves five major purposes: 1. foreshadowing events, 2. conveying secrets, 3. spotlighting a character's inner life, 4. adding tension and context to the play, and 5. adding much-needed humor.
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TIP FOR THE ACTOR: WHAT TO DO WHEN A PLAYWRIGHT ADDS THE WORD "ASIDE" TO THE STAGE DIRECTIONS!
When a character is given as aside, the acting remains the same; you are simply addressing someone else; that someone else usually has friendly intentions towards your character and therefore is addressed simply, honestly, and directly. You don't really need to alter your interpretation. Simply turn, speak, and then turn back -- unless, of course, given different instructions from your director!
ASIDES IN MUSICAL THEATRE: CHARACTERS SPEAKING THEIR THOUGHTS THROUGH SONG!
Asides, as traditionally defined, are not a part of the musical theatre. However, most musical productions feature short and subtle moments where several characters reveal their inner life in short musical passages. The aside is often used, especially in large ensemble pieces, to keep several characters throughlines alive without adding tedious narrative passages. Here is a bit of Sondheim skillfully incorporates both the dialogue of several different characters with frequent asides to the viewer.
