So, you’ve held auditions for your musical, the cast has been selected, they’ve been given their scripts and you’ve even relayed all of their basic blocking. Great work! Honestly, that is the work that a huge part of all your planning and preparing is for… getting to this point. And, hopefully all of that musical planning set you up to look like a rockstar during those steps. Now, it’s time for the cast to start acting! So, grab your beret, we’re getting down to business. Here are three things to think about as you get into the meat of acting and directing.
Oh, and I’m joking about the beret. Don’t… don’t do that.
In order for any of the work moving forward to be worth while, your actors HAVE to get the script out of their hands! Check out this quick tip from Michael about setting expectations for being off book.
So yeah, they ideally have the scripts out of their hands as you get back into these scenes. Hopefully you're not saying, “now you tell me about this?! I should have set that expectation way earlier!!” To which I would retort (I have no idea why I said “retort” - what is this, Bridgerton?)… I would REPLY, “well… sorry, but that video has been out in the universe for a while now. Please stop yelling at me. Maybe just remember for next time?... And make sure you are following us on Instagram and Facebook. You probably would have seen that already.”
Back to it - the three things to think about as you get into the meat of acting and directing...
Empower them with a feeling of ownership
You have been in and out of your musical’s script more times than you wish to admit. I get it. You feel like you could probably recite the show yourself. You know the dialogue, the story, the meaning behind the lines, etc. etc. That is awesome - ideal even. But even though you feel this way, my first recommendation is to keep that in your back pocket and give your cast a chance to explore and discover things as well.
If you give them that time to explore and discover AND value their decisions (for the most part) they are going to respect you more than they even did when you brought donuts to the read thru! Seriously, they will value the fact that you are allowing them to have an opinion and you welcome their input.
One way to open the door to allow people to make their own discoveries is by answering questions with more questions. When you set them up to find the answer themselves, that helps build that sense of ownership.
The cool thing about that too is that when you allow your cast to have a voice in this way it actually grows the respect that they have in your final say. Which you do have… you have to have… cause some of their ideas are going to be really dumb. Hahaha.
Act like the director, not like a dictator and you will build a process that values everyone’s contributions and still gives you the final say. Doesn’t that sound like a sweet set-up?
I actually like redirecting some questions to other members of the cast. It gives them input on more than just their role, helps them think past their role to the larger picture and keeps them on their toes.
Don’t demonstrate
“No, like this…”
“Here, let me show you…”
“Try it like me…”
These are things that you should never say as a director. First of all, some things that you have imagined in your head - a line reading, a specific movement, a show of emotion - they just won’t come to fruition the way that you want them to. You want apples, but all the actor has is oranges. Deal with it! That is why everyone always says, “When an actor gives you oranges, make orange juice.” (Actually no one says that…and if they did that would be really weird cause I just made that up.)
But seriously, you are building an environment where people are given input - so let them try and see what they give you. Make some compromises and let them have some wins. Not everything HAS to be exactly as you pictured it or heard it in your head.
When you hop on stage to demonstrate an action or scream from your director’s chair a line-reading that you want them to give, it not only detracts from the idea from number one above (empower them with ownership), but it also can make them feel lousy and hurt their confidence.
I was once playing Billy Flynn in Chicago and just could not hit the high note at the end of the song Both Reached For The Gun. My director stopped the song, and said, “just do it like this”... and got up onto my spot in the scene and belted out the note for everyone in the cast. (That was about 20 years ago - so yeah, it can leave a negative stain on someone.) I felt embarrassed and like I wasn’t good enough.
Anywho - if your actor’s not giving you what you want, and you don’t think it’s in the best interest of the show to simply accept what is being given, find a way to articulate what you are expecting or hoping for so that they understand. (More on this to follow in #3)
Hopefully they will be willing to try your idea and see the value in it. Then they will feel confident in their skills because they were able to find what you were looking for without you just shoving it in their face.
Avoid directing with emotions
Like I mentioned above, answering questions with questions is great, but if there is no question, you just need to give some direction. And this third recommendation, in case you didn’t grasp it from the header, hahaha, is when giving direction, I strongly encourage you to avoid using emotions.
Think of it this way. Pretend that when an actor is on stage they are asking you, “what should I try?” and you can only give one word answers. If someone asked you that questions would you say…
Actor: What should I try?
You: Sad
No. Sorry Tarzan, that doesn’t work. Instead, direct with action. Action words will illustrate your point while still allowing the actor to control what they are deciding to do.
Here is an example, and I’m picking a Disney show here cause I feel like most people will know this reference… well at least better than some obscure musical reference. Hahaha. When Triton busts into Ariel’s cove to find all of her treasures he is pissed! If your actor playing Triton just isn’t giving you any emotion, don’t tell them to “get more angry”. Instead find action words that can point them in the right direction. “Scold” might get them started. Others… punish, berate, explode, etc.
Another way to avoid emotions is to try to relate what is going on with something in their life. So, continuing with this example… you could try saying something like, “Imagine you have told your brother to stay out of your room and to stop touching your video games numerous times. Then, after finishing up a chore that he was supposed to be helping you with you walk into your room and he is there, laying on your bed, playing video games and there are video games all over your floor… oh and the soda he has in there is spilling on the rug… and he is farting into your comforter…”
That’s a silly example, but hopefully you can find a more relevant example that they can use to relate how they might feel in that situation with how they are supposed to be acting on stage.
My last plea for avoiding emotions when directing is cause you rarely get a genuine emotion when you simply call them by name. If you say “be sad” what you will see is someone pretending to be sad. Emotions come naturally from direction that includes action.
When I direct, I do enjoy the rehearsals before this point. I like laying the basics out and making sure that there is a physical flow of the show. But, getting into the rehearsals where you get to direct acting is really where it’s at for me. I love pushing people to see how far they will go. I love trying new things and encouraging actors to do the same. When good direction meets talented actors it is nothing short of moving - tears, laughing, farting into comforters, etc.
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