Directing
As an experienced artistic and stage director, I am interested in plays that speak to the current conditions of our society – from local to global. The audience, who become part of the story told on stage, must clearly understand why that particular play is being performed and why it is being performed at this point in time. I am drawn to playwrights that tell a compelling story, yet speak on multiple levels, e.g., Shakespeare, Miller, Brecht, Pinter; this allows me as a director to address meaning and pose questions to the audience beyond the narrative of events.
The stage director prepares with extensive research but realizes that the story being told is based in the text of the play. A key thematic element can come from one sentence or even a single word; directorial vision can also be unconstrained by realism – poetry, metaphor, imagery, and abstract thinking are all valid means for framing a stage narrative. The play’s production environment is rooted in the dramatic action and text of the play, not a “concept” forced upon it. The best directors come prepared with a set of ideas, explanations, and plans but expect the actors to offer much during the organic process of rehearsal. Experienced directors take what is offered by actors and help them commit more to their choices, assisting in the recognition of their actor’s impulse and helping them follow it through to completion. Effective directors are also personnel managers, responding to the different and varying needs of the artistic team from actors to designers to technicians. Successful directing takes organizational and leadership skills as well as artistic – strong management through effective planning, organizing, influencing, and controlling is crucial. A complete stage director is a polymath, expert at many things and ready for anything, with the goal of a clear telling of a story on stage.
I teach my directing students to attempt to understand each individual actor under their charge, as all respond differently to directorial guidance – some need minimal, some heavy. Guiding all actors the same will not produce the strongest performance results. My suggested starting point is to help each actor understand the journey of their character, pursue moments of “discovery,” and ensure they inhabit the contextual choices of the playwright’s words. Beyond the standard questions of “what does your character want,” “why does your character want it,” “what obstacles are in the way,” and “what happens when your character gets what they want,” a director encourages actors, within the bounds of credibility, to make the boldest choices possible while performing. I have discovered that the most successful way to achieve this is to allow enough time in rehearsal for actors to play and explore, which ultimately lets them own their individual actions.
I am a member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
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