Directing Team Rocket

     Directing others is trying to shape and mould your actors are your environment to fit the image of this play that is in your mind. Up until recently I have only been a director’s clay to mould but now I have become the hands. I put up a play about a werewolf finally telling his girlfriend his secret, and to his surprise she accepts him. It is a play I liked for quite a few reasons. I liked the humor I got to play around with in the script, and working with a man-dog.
      With a cast consisting of two freshmen there is a fear that because they are freshman and do not have as much experience, that there is only so much hope for how well you can make them. However I was pleased that Jessie and James were very capable actors who took my directions very well. I was worried that I would have a hard time with authority because I didn’t want my directions to make them feel like they can not do something, even if they can not do something. I felt our good relationship made them more willing to do better for them and even for me. I think I was able to get the relationship of the werewolf and the girlfriend to work well. For me, couples can easily go from cute to cringy but I liked how I got to establish that the couple really cared about each other without being over the top about it. Jessie and James would hug or flirt but it didn’t seem embarrassing for me to watch. Also last minute costuming went very well. I cut up a snuggie in the STAC room and made cuffs and even ho glued some of the furry snuggie to the hole (that was already there) in the shirt. I liked how the hat came out, I was not sure if the glue would stay. The tail was also rather comedic. All of that was done in a period!
      One very important thing I learned from directing is making decisions. Although I can be intuitive, I do worry about making the wrong decision. Directing lets me make a lot of decisions and watch them all play out before me. If one of my decisions are not great I can fix them. The more decisions I made the cooler things I was able to find myself in. In some ways I began to trust my own instincts more. If somebody has decision making issues putting them in this place of power can be effective in lessening that issue. I also learned about acting by watching them. Little things they would do that I would notice but they didn’t because they were thinking about the play. I found being the observer I was able to study the behavior of actors that I can apply to my own skills. It is harder to be that observant when you are acting in the play.
    Although I feel I am on the start of getting better at it I think I could deal with the space given better. I could have even better blocking. I have not been thinking as much as I should have about how moving around the space affects the what is going on in the plot for example: using the bed as a goal, showing she accepts him. It reminds me of how when I am drawing of painting I a much more focused on the person or subject but I tend to neglect the background. I never got very interested in landscape but they can change what is going on in a painting drastically.
     I was surprised to find out that things I could say could help somebody. Possibly because I am a senior and they are less experience freshmen they really took what I had to say and thought the things I had to say were helpful in not only making the play better but make them better at acting in general. I have the tendency to assume that everybody thinks they are better than me and my advice is just silly. I was surprised how willing the two were to work, they are impressive kids, I can give them that.
     I think this play worked out quite alright, even though there is always room for improvement. I think we all learned from working together and I hope Jessie and James felt good about themselves. I think I would want to be in the actors shoes next time, I am curious to see how my acting may have improved from this.