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.

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