Category: directing

directing, Theatre

To Favor Helping Over Punishing: The Need for Less Disciplinarian Directors

Posted on by Thtrthts

Theatre people love to talk about how neurotic actors are. I had a boyfriend once who would always say, “everyone comes to theatre because there’s something wrong with them.” I disagree with the idea… but if we’re going to point fingers at who’s really neurotic, can we talk about directors?

I’ve now been on both sides of the table. All sides of the table, really. I’ve acted, directed, taught, stage managed, all of the above. I know how taxing and just plain difficult directing is. The level of organization, thoughtfulness, and artistry required to mount a full production really is something else. I think maybe you do have to be just a little neurotic to pull it all off. And man, I’ve met some neurotic directors in my day.

Case in point: If you spend enough time around directors, you’ll probably start to pick up on a recurring sentence. The million-dollar phrase: “I’ll never cast [xyz person] again.” This statement gets wildly misused and overused.

The fact is, a lot of (not very good) directors use directing as an excuse to go on a bit of a power trip.

It’s not that I can’t imagine circumstances for a director to blacklist an actor. If an actor is a genuine safety threat to those around them, for instance, a director absolutely should blacklist that actor. The thing is, this sentence rarely follows an explanation of such a circumstance. My issue with the phrase is that it’s often used in some very judgmental and even occasionally ableist or classist ways.

Continue reading →
0
directing, Theatre

5 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Theatre Directors

Posted on by Thtrthts

Directing is a harsh learning curve. Thankfully, there are a wealth of fabulous resources out there to make the process a bit less harrowing. These are my top recommendations for anyone who is interested in directing for the first time and isn’t quite sure where to start. 

Read more: 5 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Theatre Directors

This article contains affiliate links. If you would like to support me, consider purchasing these books using the links provided!

Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director’s Chair by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich

If you don’t read anything else about directing, I would highly, highly recommend you make this the one you read.

Notes on Directing is short, sweet, and chock-full of great tips about nearly every aspect of directing. It is organized in the chronological order of mounting a production, beginning with pre-production considerations and ending with the performances themselves. The tips are generally short, only a few sentences at most, but packed with wisdom. This book is an excellent starting point for building a directing method and philosophy, and its bite-sized nature invites repeated perusing.

This is a must-have for any director’s personal library. When I directed my first community theatre production, I kept my copy of this book on me basically at all times, and would spend a few minutes before each rehearsal thumbing through it for some guidance and confidence. I really can’t recommend it enough for how practical and concise it is. 

Buy local from Bookshop.org here

A Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of Directing by William Ball

A Sense of Direction feels like the longer-form cousin of Notes on Directing. The general flavor of much of the advice is similar, but provided in far greater detail. This book covers all aspects of directing, from choosing and analyzing a script to how a director should behave on opening night. 

The information provided in this book is practical and backed up with professional expertise. And it’s all here in one place— while I recommend directors explore the many fabulous books on directing available to them, this one is particularly in-depth. If you only read two books on directing, this is a solid second. 

Buy local from Bookshop.org here

Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays by David Ball 

Directing is a lot more than script analysis, but script analysis is a really important step one (that more directors should really spend more time on).

David Ball provides step-by-step instructions for reading a play carefully and methodically. The book is short and easy to read quickly (my first pass at it only took one day), but the text warrants revisiting as you begin and work through pre-production homework. Understanding your script is critical for creating your vision and guiding your actors through the work. This book is a thorough guide and a classic for its efficacy. 

Buy local from Bookshop.org here

Staging Sex: Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Theatrical Intimacy by Chelsea Pace with contributions by Laura Rikard

This is a detailed manual for staging theatrical intimacy. I can hear you beginning to click away: I’m not doing Heathers or Spring Awakening, I don’t need to read about how to simulate sex on stage. Take a second to mentally flip through the script of any show you’ve ever dreamed of directing: does it contain any kissing? Intimate touching? Dialogue and behavior of a sexually suggestive nature? Then you should absolutely read this book.

Chelsea Pace and Laura Rikard provide stellar guidance for handling intimacy in a healthier, safer, and less awkward way. Even well-meaning directors often find themselves asking their directors to “just kiss” or “act sexier.” Discussing sex is a taboo in our culture, so communicating with fellow creatives about it can be a challenge. This book offers helpful vocabulary and “recipes” for building intimate encounters that look natural and feel safe for everyone involved.

I honestly think that everyone involved in theatre should read this book. There is so much incredibly useful material! 

(And besides, I had to get at least one person who didn’t identify as a cis male on this list. I’ve got some more pieces by female authors in my TBR pile now, so the next list ought to be an improvement in that regard!)

Buy local from Bookshop.org here

The Empty Space: A Book about the Theatre: Deadly, Holy, Rough, Immediate by Peter Brook

This text is much more theoretical than any of the others on this list, but it is a classic for a reason. Peter Brook is one of the most celebrated directors in modern theatre history, and he shares his wisdom on the art of theatre with humor and wit. This book is short but dense, and rewards repeat reading. Despite how high-minded it can be, the theories Brook provides are palpable and intuitive, and prove useful for a director to keep in mind.

The final chapter of the book provides a miscellany of directing and acting advice. Hypothetically, if you find the first part of the book a bit too difficult to get through, just this final chapter is quite valuable— though I would highly recommend you work through all of it to build a deeper understanding of the power of theatre.

Buy local from Bookshop.org here

0
directing

Directors, Don’t get it Backwards: YOU Should be Grateful for the Actors

Posted on by Thtrthts

I have worked with fabulous directors who create wonderful environments and experiences, and awful directors who foster really unpleasant ones. Sometimes the same director has provided both extremes in different instances.

What makes the difference? 

Obviously, this is an abstract and subjective question. The difference between a good director and a bad director (and those terms are hardly absolute, anyway) could be tracked to many unique variables.

If you ask me, though, one of the most critical and most underrated traits that make or break a director is their mindset regarding their actors. I think many directors who would be excellent get this mindset completely backwards– and this is a fatal mistake.

Continue reading →
0
directing, Theatre

What I Learned as a First-Time Community Theatre Director

Posted on by Thtrthts

Directing for the first time is a learning curve nothing can really quite prepare you for.

In 2022, I got the opportunity to solo direct my first full-length play. My production of Qui Nguyen’s She Kills Monsters ended up being a big success and one of the better selling plays in our community theater’s season! I had a blast, and I also discovered a lot. 

Here is what I learned from my first directing credit!

Read more: What I Learned as a First-Time Community Theatre Director

Staring Early is Key

I began making plans for my production in earnest in 2020. While the world was shut down, I had little else to do, so I spent time workshopping designs and reading and re-reading the script. At this point, I had no idea when I would get to put on the show, but I was adamant that I would get the chance to somehow, somewhere. The play is one of my absolute favorites, and I had dreamed of directing it for a number of years by that point.

The benefit of starting so early was that I had a lot of extra material to bolster my directing proposal packet. When the theater asked for directing candidates for 2022, I was ready! The board was impressed by the work I’d done, which made my pitch all the more appealing. 

Starting early also meant that I had to do less work during the run of the show itself. Which was great, because…

Every tech and design element will take 2 to 3 times longer than you think 

Having a solid base of pre-production work to operate from proved very important. In fact, I should have done more. Without a costumer or a dedicated props person, I ended up spending days during the rehearsal process working on various props and monster costumes. It was creatively fulfilling, but super hard work. I had a specific vision for how I wanted these done, and I had a method that worked for me, so I was determined to finish them myself. It took forever.

Speaking of which…

You absolutely must learn the skill of delegation

This is a skill, because it is absolutely something you have to learn how to do. 

At our first set build, I was an absolute mess, a chicken with my head cut off. I was trying to give directions to everyone, about everything, all at once. I would give someone a job, and by the time I finished explaining instructions to the next person, the previous would be done with their task and coming to me for a new one. I ended up becoming a bottleneck in the whole process— we had so many volunteers, and because I didn’t plan properly for delegation, I couldn’t use them all effectively!

Part of this issue was simply the way this particular theater works, in which the director usually wears a lot of hats and does a lot of things themself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a control freak, so I kind of love working this way. Designing practically every element of the production was super exciting! But the work also could’ve turned out much better if I had let more skilled people take the reins on certain things. Letting others take the reins requires some more pre-thought and communication (which is also a learnable skill). It’s worth it. 

It’s important to know a little about everything in theatre

I went into this production knowing basically nothing about lights or sound, and boy do I wish I had known more. It was difficult to communicate with my light and sound techs because I didn’t have the vocabulary to express my desires.

Before directing, it is very helpful to volunteer for and learn about as many different tech positions as possible. Many community theaters are always looking for sound and light board operators. Stage managing (or assistant stage managing) is also a valuable experience, as you’ll be at all rehearsals and can observe up close how a director works. It also gives you a good idea of some of the more practical elements of a production that many actors don’t think about— good, hands-on experience with planning, paperwork, and problem-solving.

You can probably get more done in one rehearsal than you think

Maybe this is just a me thing, but I thoroughly under-filled our rehearsals. I just really thought we wouldn’t be able to get as much done as we did. For the first month of rehearsals, we’d inevitably end up finishing everything I wanted to do within the first hour and a half to two hours of rehearsal, and then we’d end up drilling or dipping into stuff we had planned for other rehearsals until the end.

This wasn’t really a bad thing— I actually think scheduling your rehearsals just a little light so your cast has time to mess around, have some fun, and get to know each other can be really good for morale and the group dynamic overall. Not planning rehearsals to be more efficient started to bite us towards the end of the process, though, when everything always gets a little crunchy and nerve-wracking.

Don’t be afraid to plan your rehearsals rather heavy on activities. Just know that the more work you plan, the more rigid you have to be about staying focused.

Attendance and the schedule will probably be a little bit of a mess, no matter what

I was really adamant about planning out the entire rehearsal schedule in advance. I did… and then we had a slew of conflicts come in anyway due to illness, changes to another local production’s rehearsal schedule, childcare surprises, etc.

Turns out, you just can’t really organize a group of peoples’ schedules perfectly. This is why it’s super useful to have a number of “TBD” days in your rehearsal schedule, so you can catch up on things people miss. (I list these as full-cast rehearsals on the schedule and whittle them down to whoever is actually needed. Or, if we’re all caught up, they can be cancelled altogether. I only had a few of these sprinkled throughout the process, but I wish I’d had some more. You can cancel an extra rehearsal, but you can’t ask everyone to clear their schedules at the last minute to add an extra rehearsal.)

If attendance is truly a big issue for your production, you can of course fire actors who are especially unreliable. I never felt like the issue was that serious for our show.

Also, no matter how direct the schedule is, or how clear the daily call is, or how many times you said it at yesterday’s rehearsal, you will have people asking you what you’re doing that day. Always. You’ll have to embrace it. 

Giving direction is one of the hardest parts of directing

It’s not enough to know what you want (although this is a step I think a lot more directors should spend more time on). You also need to know how to steer your actors there.

This is a skill that thousands of pages of directing theory have been written on. There’s actually achieving the performance you’re trying to get from an actor, and there’s also doing it in a way that doesn’t demoralize them. Maybe I’m just too polite, but discovering how not to feel guilty giving actors repeated notes was a harsh learning curve for me. I’m still working on this today.

This is something that only gets better with practice and wisdom. Reading books on directing is super helpful, and working with lots of different directors to examine their manner is awesome. But in the end, learning to do it yourself is just really hard. Try to get experience any way you can. 

You also have to let the actors be

Some of the best and most creative decisions that will be made during the production process will come from the actors themselves. No amount of pre-planning can really prepare you for the individual chemistries and personalities of the actors in the room, so don’t be afraid to let your plans change, and let the actors do the jobs you selected them to do.

You are the director, and you ultimately have creative control. You do have to learn the art of reining in choices you don’t like, and helping actors find choices that adhere more closely to your vision. But it’s also important to learn how to let the actors take charge themselves.

Suddenly, you’ll find you have nothing to do

There is a point at the end of the rehearsal process where, after weeks of absolute panic and endless toil, you will suddenly find your to-do lists empty. Everything will be humming along without you. You will miraculously find yourself empty-handed, wandering around the theatre as your actors prepare to perform independently of you. 

Some directors will work backstage during their shows, or run lights or sound for their productions. As a first-time director, I wanted to be free to just watch my show. It was very odd when things all at once changed from being intensely dependent on me to not dependent at me at all.

At a point, the show is no longer quite yours. It belongs to the actors. You have to pass it over gracefully. 

You can never quite be 100% ready

You’ll always be kicking yourself a bit during the production process, wondering why you didn’t taking the time to learn more about X or Y or Z beforehand. That’s okay. Embrace the information you have now, and welcome the learning process.

And as the production deadline comes rushing at you, you’ll inevitably be wondering how you’re going to get everything done in time. You’re just not ready yet. You could, hypothetically, continue refining and reworking a show forever. But that isn’t how most real-world theaters work, so you’ll have to let it go, whether you feel quite ready for it or not.

Directing for the first time is the hardest thing you’ll ever do, and also one of the coolest

It is a boatload of work. No one else will completely understand how much work it is. You are doomed to be the person who cares the most about the final product, and yet, in a roundabout way, have very little bearing on exactly how that product turns out. You will forever be learning and being horrified by what you didn’t know you didn’t know. You will put literal blood, sweat, and tears into the process.

And when it’s done, you’ll be dreaming about when you can do it again. 

1
Actor Life, directing, Theatre

We All Have to Get Real About the “Will You Accept Another Role?” Question on Audition Forms

Posted on by Thtrthts

If both actors and directors use it dishonestly, it might as well not be there— but it’s a useful tool when handled with integrity.

Let’s set the mental stage: you’re auditioning for your favorite musical. Jittery with adrenaline and excitement, you politely greet the audition monitor and receive an audition form. 

The standard questions are present. After filling in your personal information, the form asks if you are auditioning for any particular role. Of course, the role you really want is the lead, which is your absolute dream role. You write it down. But the line below that one presents a problem.

“ARE YOU WILLING TO ACCEPT ANOTHER ROLE? CIRCLE: YES/NO.”

The mind games begin.

Read more: We All Have to Get Real About the “Will You Accept Another Role?” Question on Audition Forms

You pause. This is your favorite musical. You’d love to just be a part of it. But you also know that the production dates fall on the same weekend your childhood friend is getting married. You really, really want to support her… and you also really want to play your dream role. If you land that role, it would be worth missing the wedding for. On the other hand, if you don’t manage to get the part, you would be willing to wait until the next time a local company produces the show to be in it.

You consider your answer. You know it isn’t the answer many directors want. Would it call your dedication into question? But then why would they bother asking?, you wonder, and you circle “NO.”

Who can say exactly how this anecdote ends? Maybe the production staff asked the question in earnest, and will decide to cast you in your dream role after all. Unfortunately, it’s also as likely that this question hasn’t been asked in earnest— haven’t we all heard horror stories of directors who ask this question as a sort of trap, and toss out on principle any form with that answer? How many actors feel this fear and circle “yes,” only to have their dishonesty come back to bite them once cast?

I’ve yet to meet someone who disagrees that honestly is the best policy. However, in this case, honesty can be a trap unless both parties— the actor filling out the form and the director receiving it— are willing to be honest. 

A Useful Audition Staple

This question, “Are you willing to accept another role?”, is common on audition forms in community and school theater circles. It’s always preceded by the question of which roles the actor is interested in. Some directors forgo asking both questions, arguing that an actor should audition for a show itself and not a specific role. And anyway, the director always has final say on casting, and the director’s vision may not align with the actor’s. Why give them the input at all? Some actors just don’t have a good concept of where they fit best in a production. Perhaps they don’t quite understand their type, or the types of the other actors auditioning with them. Regardless, the director’s say is king.

As a director and as an actor, I think asking both of these questions— “Are there any specific roles you want?” and “Are you willing to accept another role?”— is valuable. Despite the claim that these questions contribute to actors’ egoism (and I can understand the feeling behind this thought), it’s important to remember that directors cannot know the reasoning behind an actor’s answers to these questions. These questions are helpful for receiving more information about actors auditioning for a production. While it would be inappropriate to ask actors to justify why they noted that they wouldn’t accept another role, it is already helpful to know that they wouldn’t! Certainly, asking the question is better than not asking it and ending up with a number of actors quitting the show because they, for one reason or another, aren’t willing to play the role in which they were cast.

A lesser-thought-of benefit to asking this question is gauging an actor’s comfort with certain roles. Perhaps an actor is auditioning for an innocent character in an otherwise sexually charged show— it’s possible that actor is comfortable with playing only that character for personal reasons. Getting this information is crucial.

I would advocate that production staffs take this a step further and ask on their audition forms if there are any roles for which actors are not interested in being considered. A good blanket example of this question’s usefulness would be the show Heathers. Perhaps an actor would feel uncomfortable playing a role where her weight is commented on or made fun of— a very understandable case, in which she should be allowed to opt out of being seen for Martha or Heather Duke. Perhaps an actor would feel very uncomfortable with the thought of handling and firing prop firearms, and would want to opt out of being seen for Veronica or JD.

The bottom line is that directors can’t read an actor’s mind. Therefore, any information the audition form can provide the director about the actor and their wishes is of benefit. Asking whether an actor is willing to accept another role is advantageous. Rather than resisting this question for fear of egoism, directors stand to benefit from asking this question and more. The caveat, then, is that this question must be used with integrity.

Penalized for Honesty

As I’ve mentioned, a number of directors dislike this question on audition forms and refuse to use it. They believe it indicates an egotistical streak in the actor and excuses diva-like behavior. I think this is an incorrect and unfair assumption to leap to, but if the director truly feels this way, then certainly, they should leave this question off their audition form. 

The real problem arises when this question is put on an audition form and used as a sort of underhanded test. We’ve all heard horror stories of directors who include this question on their audition forms and then toss out any form with a “no” response on principle. I have personally heard production staff members argue in favor of doing this! This practice is misleading and manipulative. The production staff holds a position of authority over actors. In an audition room, the production staff holds all the power. It is utterly dishonest to abuse this authority and penalize an actor for truthfully expressing their feelings in response to a question you asked!

Because this question is sometimes asked deceptively, actors are forced to consider answering dishonestly. If the only way to be cast is to lie and say you’re willing to accept a role you’re not, then every actor will mark this on their form, or else they would simply not audition in the first place!

Consider the implications of an environment where an actor’s only opportunities arise if they are willing to say yes to everything, no questions asked, even if they aren’t really comfortable. This creates an unsafe and coercive culture. 

If you are directing at an institution where you do not get to dictate what is on the audition form, and are therefore powerless to remove this question, you absolutely must use it honestly and not penalize actors for telling you the truth. If you don’t want actors to say no, then you shouldn’t ask at all.

Honesty is the Policy

The dishonesty with how this question is treated creates an environment where actors and directors must both play a sort of game of chicken to deduce who is being truthful. Actors, fearing directors have included the question as a test of loyalty, are inclined to dishonestly answer yes. Directors, unsure of whether actors have answered truthfully or not, find the question is utterly useless on every form that says yes, because separating the actors who were being honest from those who answered out of fear is impossible. 

Indeed, plenty of actors lie when it comes to this question, even when the director is asking it sincerely. It’s generally understood that after casting notices are sent out, at least a few actors will quit a production. But actors are faced with a hard choice if they know they have a 50/50 shot of shooting themselves in the foot by telling the truth!

Directors are responsible for ending this standoff. As the ones with all the power in an audition, they must treat this question as the useful opportunity for gathering information that it is, and not as a personal affront. When and only when directors are known to ask this question with integrity will actors be able to answer truthfully.

Of course, some actors will continue to be dishonest, even if the question is posed in earnest. I think it’s important for directors to acknowledge this and let it go. Remember, a director cannot read an actor’s mind. There will never be any way of knowing for sure which actors quit a show because they didn’t like their role. School and community theatre is a huge time commitment, and deciding not to participate in a production is often a multifaceted decision. Assuming positive intent creates a healthier environment for us all.

Directors: Ask the valuable question in good faith. Treat the answers as honest. If anyone in the situation is going to lie, it definitely shouldn’t be you. 

Actors: Treat the question in good faith. If it wasn’t, you’ll have avoided working with a director who uses their power in unscrupulous ways. If it was, you lose nothing. You’ll be better off either way. 

1