The following are random thoughts about directors and directing as a way to witness. They are meant to address the first-time director. They also address the congregation as well as the reunion setting.

Trust in Christ. You will never know whether or not you are a successful witness until the actual performance, and sometimes not even then. Know that Christ knows what you and the performers are trying to do and rely on that. Ultimately, you have no control over whether or not God will endow his spirit, so don't worry about it. Your job is to help open up people's hearts so that God will have the opportunity to minister. Success lies in taking the risk and trying!

Prayer helps connect ourselves with Christ. Try to keep part of your mind on God even when all your energies are on directing.

Focus on what you are doing moment to moment. That means that you do not focus on yourself, but the task at hand. Make sure, too, that the performers don't completely succeed in turning the rehearsal period into a social event. Help them focus on the task. Their task is self-expression. Help them do it. Be firm, but flexible.

The theatre is a giving profession. The playwright gives his play to the director. The director gives to the performers. The performers give to the audience. The audience gives to the world. Rely on the ensemble. The theatre cannot happen with just one person! The audience usually sees only the performers. You are the person in the background during the performance, for your task is finished right before the performance begins. Be proud of what you and they do.

Whether for the reunion or for the congregation, be prepared before you begin rehearsals. Especially for the reunion, prepare everything you possibly can -- the music choices, the order of the program, slides, copies of scripts, etc. For the reunion, you will be lucky to have four days of rehearsal, and you will neither have the time nor the energy to do much of anything else. You need to prepare as much as you can and know exactly what you are doing when the rehearsal process begins. People will be looking at you as a leader, and you need to be organized. Have blocking, etc., down so that people won't feel as if they are wasting their time.

Once in a while, the performers will let loose and goof off during rehearsal. Don't cut that short too soon. Sometimes people simply need to goof off so that they can return refreshed to the task. But sometimes, too, they are being creative, and their goofing off is a kind of self-expression. Watch and listen to it, for sometimes it will enhance the program. So keep it if it does. Most of the time they'll be surprised that you want to make it a part of the program, but that's okay.

Whatever you do, don't be afraid to make the final decisions on things. You as the director know what direction you want the program to go. But be completely open to suggestions. Sometimes the performers will want to direct themselves. That's okay, but let them know that you want to see it first before any final decision is made. The performer cannot see himself or herself perform! Also, while they may have fine explanations for what they do, it may not read that way to the audience member. You may have to tell them that you understand what they are doing and why, but you know that it is not going to communicate that way to the audience. They must trust you and your vision. However, if it does work, that's great! Keep it and acknowledge it for the worth it has.

The hardest part of this process is beginning. Most performers who commit themselves to this don't know what they've committed themselves to do. So they are, indeed, taking a risk just being there. Also, people usually have heebee jeebees about performing. And if you've never done this kind of thing before, you'll probably want to beat yourself over the head with a two-by-four. (I've done this lots, and for me the desire never goes away!) Instead, you'll probably just stand there for a while staring at all these people and wondering what ever got you to make this commitment! The way to begin is by introducing yourself. Tell them who you are and why you are there (if you can!). Then tell them about the program, your vision, and the beliefs and concepts behind the program. Tell them what they are to do in general terms, including how many days in which to do it, and then comfort them. Assure them that it will be meaningful and fun. Make the program theirs, for they must quickly feel and know that they have a vested interest in the task. Then say, "Okay, let's get started!" And begin the task.

One of the greatest assets a director has is a sense of humor. Don't throw it out the door. Yes, witnessing is serious business. But the process of witnessing includes humor and having fun. Much of that is up to you, for you set the tone. Smile and they smile. Joke and they joke. Have fun and they have fun. Having fun is a tremendous asset in theatre, for it helps to free people to let loose and express themselves. People do their best when there's a balance between humor and being serious.

Always listen to other people. If they criticize you, they are probably not having their own needs met. Try to look upon criticism not as a personal attack, but see beyond it and try to adjust. The best way to take criticism is to acknowledge it, apologize if you need to, and make a clear statement on the ways in which you will change. Maybe you simply haven't communicated well enough to people for them to understand what it is exactly you are doing and why. In that case, make a clear statement about that. Then if that's agreeable with the group, go on.

More often, though, what people will have to say will not be a kind of criticism. If things go well, people will want to express their ideas about how to do things. Listen to them and take their ideas very seriously. Remember, this is their ministry too! If it works out, then use it! If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't. But no matter how little time you have to get the program off the ground, always take the time to listen.

Acknowledge how you feel. If you feel frustrated, tell them. If you feel elated, tell them. This means you have to become rather vulnerable, but taking such a risk has wonderful rewards!

You may spend hours and hours before the first rehearsal working everything out. Then people want to express their own ideas and sometimes you find yourself throwing your things out the door. Oh well! As long as you focus on the task and not on yourself, you'll be okay. Also, you may encounter a group of people, or one person, who is extraordinarily talented. Perhaps that person can play the piano. If it works out, you may want to use that gift as part of the program. Allow that gift to be incorporated, but don't focus on it. No one person is a star. Be flexible enough to change your mind.

If you have a program in hand and you get into the rehearsal process and you find that you truly do not have enough rehearsal time to perform the entire program, cut out parts of it. Just try to keep the continuity.

More often than not, in a reunion or camp setting, you don't have time to audition people for specific parts. Try to assign parts to people by asking them to take the parts. To do that, though, you have to be sensitive to everyone around you. You also have to use your own sensitivity to discern people's abilities. You will probably have to begin to do this after the first five minutes of the first rehearsal! But you don't have to assign all the parts at once. Actually, it would be better if you didn't. Assign as you rehearse for the first time from section to section. In a congregational setting, you can audition.

Especially during the reunion and camps settings, try to divide people into groups. One group has one section, then the other group has another section, and the first group has yet another section. This way, you can get one group started and they can rehearse by themselves while you work with another group.

A word of caution. Don't sacrifice the last part of the program. Especially during reunions and camps you have a serious time restraint. You'll start at the beginning of the program and rehearse it. People will want to rehearse something until they are completely comfortable with it. You may have to ask them to stop rehearsing that particular section so they can go on to the next. Also, the next day instead of rehearsing what you did the day before, do something new. Save back rehearsals until late in the rehearsal period or until the next day.

You will want the best performance you can have. Everyone will want this. And always strive for quality. But try to see quality in terms of a person's potential. Try to see that potential and pull it out. You can only expect people's best. Remember, it will take time, beyond this particular program, to train people to give a truly quality performance. Strive for it, but see the worth of what people end up doing. You might be surprised!

During a performance, a person (or people) may make a mistake (or mistakes). A person who makes a mistake during performance will focus on that mistake after performance, and completely forget about all the many many times he or she did not make a mistake. Remind him of all the things he did right and laugh about the mistake. My own attitude about a person in this position making a mistake during performance is SO WHAT? There's nothing you can do about it after the performance ends. Of course, if the person made a mistake because he was goofing off during performance, rail him.

Sometime during the end of the rehearsal period, remind the performers that they will perform the program just the way they rehearsed it. That really helps with stage fright. Right before the performance begins, draw together in a circle and pray, then have a major group hug.

Copyright 1990 Debra Bruch