Directing for Reunions and Congregations

The first half of this section is devoted to directing during a reunion or a camp. The second half discusses basic rehearsal elements that can be considered for the congregational setting. Hopefully, the combination of both parts of this section and the section on tips for the director will give you a good idea about directing and how to be an effective director, especially in the reunion and congregational setting which often demands a smaller or different type of theatre presentation.

During reunion, you will have serious time restraints. Consequently, it would be a good idea if you choose material that does not require memorization by the actors (i.e., a reader's theatre). Also, you will not know how many people will participate, so it would also be a good idea if you choose materials that give you flexibility concerning the number of actors. Before you go to reunion, figure out the minimum number of actors you need for a program. That way, you'll be prepared to know whether or not you will need to beg! Before you get to reunion, too, divide the material into sections so you can begin to rehearse one section at a time. Also, before reunion, figure out and prepare props, music, slides, set pieces and anything else technical, as well as write out the blocking for the actors as much as possible. If you can do it before reunion, then your load will be easier during reunion.

The age of the people you direct depends on the material you choose. If you have material to be performed by children, then direct children. Such an approach would mean that the program will need to be incorporated into another program. It could be a lot of fun! If you direct children or high school students, plan the rehearsal period as the morning class study. Children and high school students may not commit themselves very well to a rehearsal period outside the regular class study period.

If the material is difficult, then direct adults. I have discovered that an adult program is both exciting and meaningful to children. It speaks to all ages! If you direct adults, then you will need to have a specific rehearsal time outside of any other official reunion activity.

When you begin directing a readers theatre, tell the company your concept about the program. Also tell them the basic procedure during the rehearsal period. That way, they'll be prepared. This is the basic procedure you need to tell them:

1. You will divide into groups. One group will have one section and another group will have another and so on.
2. You will rehearse with one group until they can rehearse on their own.
3. You will then rehearse the second group until they can rehearse on their own.
4. This will continue until all groups have rehearsed a particular section, and you can begin over again with other sections of the material.
5. After a couple of days, groups will rehearse their material all at once and as much as possible, and you will go from one group to another to help them.
6. Near the end of the rehearsal week, you will have them run through the entire program from beginning to end.

The next step in beginning the rehearsal is to tell the company about the performance space. Where is it? Make sure they know where the audience will be so they will be aware of the audience when they rehearse. You may be on a stage with the entire audience facing the actors. You may be on the floor with the audience on three sides of you (thrust), or with the audience completely around you (arena).

Once they are aware of the audience in relation to the performance area, teach them the basic stage areas and movements. Upstage means toward the back of the stage, away from the audience. Downstage means toward the front of the stage, toward the audience. Stage Left means toward the left of the stage when the actor is facing the audience (from the actor's point of view). Stage Right means toward the right of the stage when the actor is facing the audience. If you choose arena staging, then decide which way is which before you even begin. This way, the company will know what you are meaning when you tell them to cross Upstage, etc.

Be prepared to hand out pencils, for most people don't know that they'll need to write in their script. Also, tell them that they'll need to write their basic movements (blocking) in their script.

Divide groups according to the number of people (and type) in the section. For instance, if the section calls for five people, one of them a woman, then sort out five people, at least one of which is a woman. Get into the habit very early to ask people to do specific parts. If they don't feel comfortable, they'll tell you.

Before you begin to rehearse the first group, assign parts to the rest of the company in sections and give them their materials so that they can look it over before you get to them.

Blocking means to coordinate the actors' locations and movements throughout the section. The first thing to do is to set the rehearsal stage. Set up the chairs and tables you need where you need them. The second thing is to tell the actors from where they will be entering and exiting the stage. (You should have all of this written down before the rehearsal begins if you possibly can!)

Once you set the actors in the initial position, either onstage or offstage, then you can go through the section and dictate movement patterns. Each actor should write down his or her movements in the script so he won't forget. It's important that they write in pencil, for changes may be made later.

When you block actors, think about motivation, dominance, and audience. Try to have an actor move about the stage because he or she is motivated. Either the actor crosses because he wants something or wants to do something, or he crosses because he wants to get away from something or someone.

Dominance has to do with basic placement. At a given moment, either one character dominates over another character or that domination is equal. Try to show that relationship by how you place the actors. For instance, an actor who stands behind another who is sitting has visual dominance over the actor who is sitting. An actor who is center stage has dominance over another who is Stage Left. Actors who are sitting on chairs side by side, and have their arms around each other are equal in dominance. Think in terms of levels and stage areas. When thinking about stage areas, think in terms of focus, for the audience will usually focus on the actor in the dominant area.

When blocking, be aware of the audience. At times you may want to have the actors move among the audience members. When onstage, actors should be aware of where the audience is. One actor should not stand in front of another actor. An actor turning his back on the audience is okay, but not for long and not consistently. Whenever possible, avoid the semi-circle and the lineup.

One of the hardest aspects of directing is figuring out the stage business. Stage business is the detailed movements of an actor. Lighting a match is a piece of stage business. Sometimes the script helps you. For instance, the script may require an actor to bang together two pieces of wood. But more than likely, you will need to figure out stage business like eating, pounding on a window, reading a book, and looking through the trash. Also, the script often focuses on the dominant character at a particular time when giving stage business, yet often other actors are onstage. They may need to have something to do. Remember, though, that part of stage business is one actor listening to another. Sometimes when an actor asks you what he should do, he needs to be quiet and listen to the actor who is talking. Or the stage business is to watch what another actor is doing.

When developing stage business, be aware that people hesitate to get physically close, or physically do things to another person onstage that they would not necessarily do offstage. Such instances might be one actor pulling another's ear, or patting his face, or putting an arm around his shoulder, or kissing him, or hanging him upside down by his ankles, or giving him a controlled slap. Be sensitive, but also try to break through that hesitation. Remind them that they are portraying characters, not themselves, and make sure that they are in some degree emotionally detached from what they are doing. If you can get them to do something strange once, you'll probably have broken the ice and it will be easier from then on. In my own experience, I find that this rarely makes people uncomfortable for very long. And it rarely makes people upset. Instead, I find that physical contact in such a safe and controlled environment brings the company closer together. It's a kind of mutual agreement. And because it happens in an appropriate setting, the audience has never objected to it.

The amount and kind of stage business depends on the script. Stage business is more highly developed when performing a regular drama than when performing a reader's theatre. For instance, you may perform a section that asks the actors to sit in chairs and read from a script. The focus, then, is not on blocking or stage business, but on oral interpretation.

After blocking and stage business, you can concentrate on speaking. Make sure the pace is not too fast or too slow. A person who has not acted before may tend to say his lines as fast as he can. Ask him to slow down. Articulation is also important. Make sure that the actors are saying the entire word and are speaking the consonants or words.

Oral interpretation is very important and difficult to do within the reunion time frame. You may have to simply coach the actor and demonstrate how you want something said. This is quite different than trying to get them to understand the various meanings of the moment. It takes longer to get them to understand, and exploring various vocal qualities takes time, but the result is often a vocal interpretation that is in depth. However, you rarely have the time to do this.

Keep in mind that speaking and moving differently than usual will seem to be awkward to an actor. Actually, most first-time actors will feel awkward standing on stage. More than likely, they will feel as if they are exaggerating movement and voice, no matter what they do. Be sensitive to that. Tell them that you are aware that it seems that they are exaggerating, but it is either appropriate for the character or it won't read that way to an audience. Sometimes, however, you may need an actor to over-exaggerate to help him break out of a subtle mode, and then tone down later.

Once the actors have rehearsed and are familiar with all sections of the theatre piece, run through the entire production. A run-through is a rehearsal from the beginning to the end without breaks. The first run-through will be rather awkward, for actors won't know exactly what to do before their section comes up. Also, they will have to set the stage before each section if it calls for it. But once that is worked out, you can run-through without breaks. Then gives notes after the run-through, and do it again. A run-through helps them get a sense of the production as a whole. They will also be prepared to perform the way they rehearse. You, and they, are now ready for performance!

Because you have more time, you will be able to develop the elements of directing given above more precisely. Also, you may want to direct a regular playscript. This section is devoted to directing a regular playscript, without reiterating what is already written under the reunion section.

It is important to understand the script. This includes the themes presented in the play, the script's structure, and character traits of each character, as well as character attitudes and values, overall views presented in the script, and the basic situation. Divide the script into sections that seem to have a beginning and an end. These sections will determine how you structure your rehearsals. Also, determine what each character wants in each section and within the script overall. Determining what a character wants will determine blocking and stage business.

In a congregational setting, you can take the time to audition. Choose a person by how well he or she demonstrates a potential, ability to work well in a group, ability to take direction, how well that person matches the character, and how well that person matches the rest of the chosen company. By choosing people, however, you also eliminate a few. If people will be hurt, you might want to consider directing something besides a regular playscript, or choose a playscript having "extras".

The main difference between rehearsing a regular playscript and a reunion piece is the amount of memorization. After blocking and stage business, concentrate on allowing the actors to memorize lines. Set a date to be off book. That means they try to run through a scene without the script in hand. Have someone (the assistant director) follow their lines in a book and help or correct their lines when needed. Having lines memorized is very important, for once done, they can truly blossom with everything else!

Pace is very important, for it helps hold audience attention. Too slow a pace will make a performance seem to drag. Be aware of pace from the very beginning! Make sure the actors pick up their cues. That means that most of the time an actor needs to say his line immediately after another's line, without a slight pause in between. Also, think in terms of crescendo and decrescendo and speak in those terms. People can understand it.

Many new directors try to push actors into giving more energy. That does not communicate well. Instead, concentrate on pace and focus.

Sometimes you need to help an actor develop by helping him or her learn to focus. Have the actor try to think and feel what his character would think and feel at any given moment in the script. Also, have the actor concentrate on other actors onstage. Teach him how to listen and be a part of the scene. Maybe a way to help an actor is to draw an imaginary circle around him so no one can "see" him.

Exactly how stage business and blocking are executed depends on the character. Each character has his or her own particular physical, psychological, and social traits. What that character does and how he does it depends on those traits. Help the actor explore the physical and psychological traits of a character.

More often than not, theatre may be used as a supplement to the worship service instead of as a full-length performance. The time of presentation is shorter, but the approach is exactly the same as if you were presenting a full production, but on a modified scale. Whether its a reading, dialogue, or mime, the basic elements are the same. The focus may be different, however, for focus may be on physical movement for one type and vocal expression for another.

Another important rule, no matter what type of theatre you present, is to have fun.

Copyright 1990 Debra Bruch

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