Theatre Director Roles, Skills and Methods

This aims to understand the role, skills and methods of a theatre director.
A theatre director is responsible for the entire process both creative and practical interpretation of a script or musical, taking into consideration the physical and budgetary constraints within a production. They have involvement in all stages of the process from the design, pre-production and rehearsals leading right up to the final performance. Directors work closely with their production team, the performers and the producer to create a performance which connects with the audience. Therefore they need to be able to collaborate effectively across a wide range of disciplines and with artistic vision.
Skills a director would need:

• Knowledge
  Explore and understand a wide range of theatre. Know who is available to you; writers, technicians, actors. Keep in contact so everyone is up to date with what they are doing.
• Understand the theatre process
  Create a schedule to know when to bring in technicians for sound and lighting. Form a good relationship so you can take on board constructive and creative suggestions and trust in their abilities.
• Imagination and patience
  The start of a production can be the most stressful, the key is to be patient and be compromising if something doesn’t work.
• Playfulness
  Create an atmosphere that feels comfortable for everyone, the best ideas can come from being in a relaxed and fun environment.

All these skills apply to being a director because you need to know all elements and pieces about the story you are telling: the time the story is set, the relationship between the characters, setting and background in mind, lighting and sound. Once this has been established your creative team can be brought in, in order to understand what you need them to do and what you want to be established by the end of each rehearsal, production meeting or show night. Everyone needs to be on the same page.

The biggest skill of all for being a director is leadership skills. Knowing how to take control of a situation and having the ability of to problem solve, control large/small groups of people, having effective communication with your fellow team members and take ownership of a performance.

The team that you put together need to be informed about every creative decision made so that everyone has an agreeable understanding and knows what is going on at all times, to make the vision of the director possible. There has to be mutual respect on everyone’s part, there is no room for big egos in this line of work only a positive humble work ethic.

2.3 justify methods used in theatre directing

Every director is different; they all have their own individual styles and methods when approaching a piece of theatre. The main approach as a director would be identifying who they want to be influenced by whether that be a practitioner e.g. Stanislavski, Brecht, Grotowski etc social, cultural and political events. The style of theatre; whether that is on the basis of Peter Brooke’s theory of ‘deadly’ or ‘immediate’ theatre or Brecht’s ‘epic’ theatre. The message behind the piece, create controversy to shock the audience or a political stance of a particular subject relating to the events of the time.

Stanislavski created a system known as method acting, he discovered that acting could be taught and learnt to train an actor step by step. He believed an actor should be brought into a natural state of mind therefore a truthful human being is on stage.

Bertholt Brecht developed his theory of “epic theatre” by looking into the idea that man and society could be intellectually explored. Brecht believed his reason should appeal to theatre and not the feelings of the spectator. The piece should be informative and thought provoking to bring about social change as well as providing entertainment. Rather than the spectator identifying their own life, they relate and become emotionally involved with the characters on stage.  

Grotowski argued that theatre should go back to its roots and there was no point trying to compete with film. In his own words "If it [the stage] cannot be richer than the cinema, then let it be poor." The main focus on stage should be the skills of the actor’s voice and body. He removed all things technical; lights, sound, elaborate sets so there would be no distractions between the audience and the actors, so once again the purpose of the production was in place.

These particular practitioners have interesting theories and methodical approaches to theatre; they each have their own styles and own interpretation of what theatre should be but I find it interesting as you can take techniques from each of them and expand to a new way of thinking, applying it to your own piece to essentially create your own method of theatre. Stanislavski is very much about portraying the real emotion of a character using emotional memory as process to inhabit that emotional state so what you’re portraying is in fact true and a real experience. Whereas Brecht would have his actors swap roles and change genders and play around with different accents on stage so therefore the characters they are portraying isn’t the truth and something the audience would believe is a real life experience within the walls of a theatre. The spectators were required to react to suffering and leave the theatre determined to make a difference. He always wanted to remind the audience that they are watching a reality within a reality so it is only truth to an extent. However Grotowski stripped theatre back to its original purpose, making it all about the actor, so the process they learn and use to achieve a character can be appreciated and applied on stage. So the interaction with the audience is earned and respected for what it truly is without the illusion of lights and sound to create an atmosphere that can be merely created from the actors own skills.

Researching social, cultural and political events can be the driving force of a piece of theatre if you want to create controversy or have an impact on the audience. Pina Bausch focused on feminism throughout her career, changing each performance but keeping the overall subject and political message the same, but telling the story in a different way. These types of methods can make your piece not only a lot more professional but a respectable piece of theatre that can be appreciated throughout the whole creative process. The outcome can be shared and enjoyed for what it is.

There are so many things to consider when directing a piece; influences, context and style, informative message, creative differences whilst collaborating and the overall reaction to the performance, it can make you question your way of thinking and push your buttons in ways you never thought when trying to get the simplest things done. A performance can not possibly be put on with the input and skills of those that surround the walls of a theatre or rehearsal space, without a production team or cast of actors a directors vision is nothing but on a page. The production team brings it all together and makes the performance a reality that can then be shared with those around the world. It is a difficult process but with hard work, determination and motivation from everyone working around you the outcome can be a success and a rewarding moment and cherishing memory.

The practitioner I would take influence from the most is Stanislavski, I would benefit from his techniques the most and I have the same belief system as he does. In terms of his work ethic, believing an actor needs technical training to perfect his/her craft as an actor. I think you have the foundations of an actor always inside you, but to put that into practise and perfect your own acting techniques and abilities you need discipline and training.

Bibliography

Websites

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/theatre_director_job_description.htm (Accessed 2.06.13)

http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/industry-insight/article/being-a-theatre-director (Accessed 2.06.13)

http://www.acting-world.com/method.html (Accessed  3.06.13)

http://www.dreamdust.co.uk/work/compare/ (Accessed 3.06.13)

http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~jamesf/goodwoman/brecht_epic_theater.html (Accessed 3.06.13)

http://www.helium.com/items/1527718-what-is-poor-theatre (Accessed 3.06.13)

Theatre Directing Evaluation (the plays I performed in)

That Face directed by Samantha Argyle

This was probably the most difficult piece to work on out of all them, as I feel that there wasn’t a relationship established from the beginning with the director and the actors. I felt that a lot of times in rehearsal there wasn’t a connection with Sam when we would be acting out a scene, which made me feel like what I was doing wasn’t interesting or good. It was hard to feel excited about performing this piece because there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm in rehearsal I wasn’t enthusiastic about my character when I would leave the rehearsal room. There were times I enjoyed playing the character of Martha a drunken, slightly mental mother who was addicted to painkillers as it was such an interesting character to play and one that had an edge to her. Even though she was in the wrong most of the time and out of line with the things she said you would still feel sorry for her and have sympathy for everything she does. We never got to perform That face in front of an audience as the main actor was ill on the day of the show so we had to film certain scenes that could be performed. I was happy with that as we still didn’t feel ready to perform as a lot of us were in other pieces as well it was hard to rehearse and try and remember 4 different scripts at the same time. I think the show would have gone well if we had got to perform but I think because we got to film certain scenes we got to relax a lot more with them, as they were only in front of a camera we weren’t stressing like we would be if there was an audience there.

Phone Booth directed by Joshua Billingham

This was the easiest play out of all as I had only had a small role so I wasn’t struggling to remember lots of lines. As Josh and I have worked together many times before it wasn’t difficult for him to establish what role he wanted me to play and how he wanted me to play it. I was given a general character brief and then I just took it from there and established my own. It’s always fun to play a mouthy “hoodIem” every now and again. I was glad I got given the part as it made it so much easier for me to focus on other roles as well as this was one, as I was only in two scenes within the first twenty minutes. Also I think because Josh and  I are close friends people would have thought that I would get the biggest role, but it wasn’t about that, it was about what was best for the piece. It was a really quick fun part for me to play and I was really happy with the decision and how it turned out.  

How does your garden grow directed by Roxanne Feurtado

This play was the one I was most looking forward to playing as I loved my character and the whole storyline of the piece. It was just a really funny 90’s keeping up appearances vibe which I loved. I am really glad that I got cast as Ruth the ruthless bank adviser, she is strong and feisty but later on in the play you see a different side to her, as she is having an affair with a married man. I really enjoyed rehearsals for this piece as every time we would perform or rehearse it was just always so fun and we would never stop laughing, the amount of times we would rehearse the same scene and still laugh every time just amazed me. The rehearsal process was really fun and because Roxy was enthusiastic I felt enthusiastic and excited to work. I felt that she was committed to the play and watched every single scene and was involved in the process which made me always feel re assured.

Theatre Directing

The two directors I have chosen to use as my inspiration are Katie Mitchell and Peter Brooke as they both suit the style of directing that I want for this piece. They are both very relevant to now even as the fairytale I am directing has modern day twist that fits into both their work ethics. As Peter Brooke focuses on sounds and movement these two attributes are forever evolving and changing so this way of working is never UN relatable to the time. Katie Mitchell’s technique of collaborating with her actors is a way of adapting to the new and old generation as casts vary in age and can relate and bring different experiences to the piece created. The story isn’t just one dimensional but it can have various cultural and social backgrounds to influence the style of the piece. Therefore old and new can form together and make it original.

Megan having the role as the narrator is right there with the audience the whole time and she is constantly addressing them which then the audience can feel like they have been taken to another world. Putting the ivy around the seats also gave the audience another sense of them being welcomed into the fairytale and I thought it was important to have something that simple be so visual.

March 21^st The first read through as not everyone was available there was only Megan, Roxy and Josh B present. I told them what the original story of Rumplestiltskin was about and then the new version that is my story and how I have adapted the script to my own style whilst keeping the originality of the fairytale.  What I had wrote was only a few pages, as the story itself is very short, so it wasn’t the finished script but they liked what they read and are excited to be a part of the play. I think because I didn’t have a full cast I could only get a little feel of what the piece is going to be like as I had to read in for certain characters it was hard to focus on them telling the story as I had to do that as well. Byt saying that it’s only the first read through so I need to stay positive and trust my cast and the decision I have made.

Throughout the week I have added more to my script and incorporated another character into the piece Mrs Ogre and I have asked Rosie if she would like to play that part. I was taking a risk asking Rosie but as I have helped her in rehearsals before I knew that I could help her grasp this character as I know she will feel slightly uncomfortable and nervous playing the role. So I know it is up to me to mould her and help her in anyway I can to become this character.

April 3^rd I went to the rep theatre warehouse and sourced a lode of costumes that I know I wouldn’t be able to source from a normal shop, like the kings costume. I am really glad that I managed to grab these costumes in such a short space of time that I had. It’s such a weight off my shoulder to know I’ve got most of the costume out the way. I saw so many props and set that I want to have in the piece that would make it really cool. I really hope I can have the set pieces, such as the tall green vines it would make it so fairytale like and bring the piece to life. I also saw a wooden wheel that would be perfect for the piece, as I have searched for a wheel and I could not find one.

April 4^th Today we had a read through with the whole cast which was really exciting because I finally got to get a feel for the piece and hear the words I had written come to life through the voices and characters of my cast. We got it up on its feet straight away and had a run through, focusing on the characters and establishing the relationships between each of them. Instead of always following the script I had the cast improvise without the text, so they could get a feel and understand their characters. For the first proper rehearsal it went really well, a lot better than I thought it would, I didn’t think we would get that far into the piece in just 3 hours. I think because the piece is only 30 minutes that is the advantage I have compared to all the other plays. I am feeling very positive after today and I am looking forward to the next rehearsal.

 April 11^th Today we worked on the relationship between particular characters such as Mr and Mrs Ogre and Rumplestiltskin and Mrs Ogre. Today was about using Katie Mitchell’s influence of improvisation, again getting the actors to establish their own history between Mr and Mrs Ogre as a married couple and what they’re dynamic as husband and wife are and as Ogres would be like.  I wanted them to in corporate that to explore their emotions and create a history for them as these characters. The scene between Mrs Ogre and Rumplestiltskin was all about the objective and what they are trying to achieve in this particular scene. These creatures exploring the normality of what humans do, drinking in a bar but remembering the time when it was set. I wanted this scene to feel the most normal out of them all, but I wanted these two characters to build a likeable relationship so when they later meet the scene would have a different impact on them. I got them to build up their personas and have them be over the top so that it could be brought down and made believable but still exciting have the energy as if they were over the top, as it is a fairytale anything’s possible. Each rehearsal I feel less nervous about the show and feel a lot more confident, but I am still aware that there is a lot of work to do.

May 18^th today we got to rehearse at MB in the theatre where the play is being performed, so I was really glad that we got to use the space, it really gave me the idea for how I want it set, we got to practise entrances and exits, where the props are going to be set. It was really crucial and beneficial that we got to do that today. It was a long rehearsal today and frustrating at times because sometimes there was a lack of professional awareness within the group in terms of having to call people from the seats to be ready on stage for their scene, or when certain cast members or ready and waiting to start and others are talking amongst themselves when they should be on stage ready like the others. Sometimes I think people didn’t realise how much work there is to do and that it can’t just be done on the day, it has to be done now. There is a lack of focus within the group and the energy of the piece can go down. I can take from this today that it’s not just my responsibility to take ownership of a piece just because its mine, I need everyone on board giving a 100%. But I need to think of ways to keep the cast focused and energised with warm up games and focus exercises.

May 20^th Today was a hectic day as I spent the whole weekend making all the props and set for the show, and then had to bring it all in to the theatre and set it all up. The  lights that we intended to have had all been taken from the theatre so I had to make do with minimal lights which was really annoying because certain parts of the stage where the actors would be wouldn’t be lit up so I had to re stage certain parts of the piece. The time just flew sorting out the tech so we started 2 hours later than I wanted to. We did a full dress rehearsal with props, set, lighting and sound. Using Peter Brookes influence I got the cast to focus on establishing the relationship between their characters and the audience, making sure at certain points within the play each character acknowledged who they were performing to. After today I can honestly say I am really excited for the show tomorrow. We are meeting for 11.00 so we can have another dress run and have the last bits of set and costume brought in and practised with.

I’ve made a Vlog (video log) to quickly talk about my situations with the props and set and the challenges I have faced. I wanted this to be real to show how tiring it can be, so it’s true to the creative process I have made.

May 21^st today the show went really well, I couldn’t have asked for a better performance. I find it interesting because as soon as people feel the buzz and reaction of the crowd their characters become so much more than what they intentionally played them as, when they know they are doing something right as they get a laugh from the audience. It was really weird because as I was sitting at the desk working the sound, I was watching the audience and hearing their reactions to my piece of theatre, a story that I wrote, it was quite surreal knowing that they liked what I had created. These ideas are all from my head so to see it come to life and know that people enjoyed was just an awesome experience. I have learnt a lot from this experience, it has been a stress full but enjoyable journey, frustrating and confusing at times but I know that this all part of the learning experience and that in real life things don’t always run smoothly. It is very hard to put on your own production and I appreciate the creative process and have so much more knowledge and respect for this type of job.

Evaluation 
Considering the overall rehearsal process due to conflicts such as certain cast members working or being ill I only had around 6 or 7 rehearsals but when it came to the day of the show my piece out of all the other productions was the most ready and most prepared. I think one of the benefits was that my piece was only 30 minutes so we could run the play a few times within the time frames we had. But I think that it also ties in with me as the director as I made sure that I was organised and made sure my cast was organised and focused on the day to make sure everything that needed to be done was done in a timely manner and to the standards that I wanted it to be. I believe that I have a good relationship with my casts, I am a leader so I am very much used to taking charge of situations and knowing what to do if there is a problem. I consider myself to be fair but firm so there is mutual respect on all parts but there is an understanding that if I ask for something to be done it gets done, so everyone took ownership of the piece and not just me because it’s my show. I am really happy with the two directors that I had chosen and feel they really benefited and helped me adapt a new way of thinking. I like to think outside the box when devising and having their directorial input really help contribute the originality of the piece. Making sure to take in the specific factors from each of them was the driving force of the piece and I think gave it an edge and new take on a fairytale. To develop as a director I would say that when it came to actors missing rehearsals I was to nice and need to be more direct when I need an actor to be in, at times I didn’t question or argue why a person wasn’t in and if I did I would have had more rehearsal time. I would also like to develop my skills as a motivator when it came to work ethic in a theatre, as I feel that certain members of the cast didn’t help out as much when it came to keeping the theatre clean, pre setting their own props helping pack everything away after a rehearsal and the show. I should take more control and ask those who didn’t help and make sure they are being a team player, the responsibility doesn’t completely go to me but I think if I had seen it taking place myself instead of having to hear the disappointment from others I would have a had a discussion with those responsible.I am a team player and all for everyone working together and pulling their own weight.

Bibliography

Websites:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/peter_brook_tcm4-121234.pdf (Accessed 28.05.13)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPYt-D4xbr0 (Accessed 28.05.13)

http://www.experimentaltheatre.org/peter_brook_rehearsal_exercises.htm (Accessed 28.05.13)