Wednesday 9th January 2013

We watched Daniel Sullivans Directors and Directing and their experiences on working in the theatre. It was really interesting because a lot of their opinions and basis was about the actors and the audience. About having respect for your actors, never talk down to them, have respect for them and have an open mind when it comes to new ideas that come from within. Collaboration is with the actors in the rehearsal.

Listen to your audience, see what they want to get from the piece you're creating, its your responsibility and your opportunity to find truth within the piece to tell the story. Creating the perfect setting and background to do that, help the audience to imagine a world where the play would exist. What would the characters logic be like? what language do they speak? what does this world look like? what does it smell like? Make the audience believe and set up an environment to be heard.

It was enlightening to watch and hear their opinions, because I have the same thoughts and feelings as a director would, though it comes from an actors point of view. It also gives you a new respect for what they do, as they have to collaborate with everyone, set designers, script writers, actors, stage hands. They go home and try and think about what scene they're going to work on tomorrow, which scene in a script needs to be edited or taken out. They pretty much sleep, breath, eat the whole production until it's over.