6.08.2005
Read through
First time the whole cast is getting together.
This is where the whole process begins. It is a big day for me as the director because it is really important that I establish some expertise in being the director for this project.
The director/actor relationship is similar to the thearpist/patient relationship in that I must convince the actors that I am a trusted and skilled professional in my approach to the play.
This is covered very well in an article by Sydell Weiner, Ph.D. and theatre professor at California State University.
The comparison is great because it is necessary that in order to get a proper emotional performance the actors must trust that I know what I am doing. WHile our first encounter was the audition process, this is truly where the rubber meets the road. Also added to the dynamic is the whole "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" fiasco. So everyone there was either called by me and told that the show they auditioned for was not the show that they wer cast for. It was the ultimate, artistic bait and switch.
The only thing I had going for me was the fact that I worked with several of the actors before. Mark Meyer, Dan Snyder, and Brandi Collins had parts in a show I directed in 2003. I had worked extensively with Alyssa Johnson in several other projects and she already was confident in my abilities.
My assistant was my niece so she trusted me, (I hope). I had not cast one small part but I wasn't to worried.
The read through is the first time many of the actors get to hear the play out loud. It is the first time many of the cast members get to meet with who they are going to work with intently for the next six weeks. Black Comedy is also a very visual show and the stage directions are important in order to understand what is going on.
I began with a short speech and announced that we would be doing the play in British accents. This was the toughest decision because normally community theatre actors are not very good at accents. But of all the accents in the world, British is about the easiest for us, next to southern. The decision to go with accents was twofold: There were several references to British idiosyncrasies such as prams for baby carriages and torches for flashlights. There were several "bloody" lines and reference to the London Electricity Board. Plus I felt like many of the jokes were funnier in the cadence of British accents.
I gave each cast member a CD of British accents and accent teachings. One character was a German Immigrant. He got a different CD. This was to make them feel more comfortable in learning the accent. I also told them to begin using accents now so that we didn't get into any bad English habits during the process. That worked well and put them all in the same boat. Many felt that their accents were horrible and they were embarrassed to let the others hear them, but most cast members had to work on their accents, at least a little, so it was a confidence-building exercise because it isn't very hard to get a British accent.
After the read through, I asked them to give me thir impressions of the play and then I told them a little of what I thought the play was about. I gave a couple of cursory suggestions like one character needed to be cattier or camper. Then I asked them to read the play over again and come to rehearsal on Monday with an overall action or through line for their character.
Several books on acting and most of my training at Indiana State stress the importance of a through-line of a play. It is also commonly known as the arc of a character as seen through what the character wants. This helps develop action for each scene and makes it easier to direct.
I also give a little speech about the important qualities of the process and how I work. According to the teaching text this is establishing the rules by which the group will operate. I told them that all of the communication is two-way (dialogic) and that I expect them to contribute as much to the process if not more. This put more responsibility on them to come up with a workable action in each scene. I, and several others, call it a collaborative process, wherein everyone has a say in how the show evolves. This doesn't absolve me from my responsibility. To the contrary, it is even more challenging to try and fit all the pieces together for a coherent show that is entertaining.
This is where the whole process begins. It is a big day for me as the director because it is really important that I establish some expertise in being the director for this project.
The director/actor relationship is similar to the thearpist/patient relationship in that I must convince the actors that I am a trusted and skilled professional in my approach to the play.
This is covered very well in an article by Sydell Weiner, Ph.D. and theatre professor at California State University.
The comparison is great because it is necessary that in order to get a proper emotional performance the actors must trust that I know what I am doing. WHile our first encounter was the audition process, this is truly where the rubber meets the road. Also added to the dynamic is the whole "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" fiasco. So everyone there was either called by me and told that the show they auditioned for was not the show that they wer cast for. It was the ultimate, artistic bait and switch.
The only thing I had going for me was the fact that I worked with several of the actors before. Mark Meyer, Dan Snyder, and Brandi Collins had parts in a show I directed in 2003. I had worked extensively with Alyssa Johnson in several other projects and she already was confident in my abilities.
My assistant was my niece so she trusted me, (I hope). I had not cast one small part but I wasn't to worried.
The read through is the first time many of the actors get to hear the play out loud. It is the first time many of the cast members get to meet with who they are going to work with intently for the next six weeks. Black Comedy is also a very visual show and the stage directions are important in order to understand what is going on.
I began with a short speech and announced that we would be doing the play in British accents. This was the toughest decision because normally community theatre actors are not very good at accents. But of all the accents in the world, British is about the easiest for us, next to southern. The decision to go with accents was twofold: There were several references to British idiosyncrasies such as prams for baby carriages and torches for flashlights. There were several "bloody" lines and reference to the London Electricity Board. Plus I felt like many of the jokes were funnier in the cadence of British accents.
I gave each cast member a CD of British accents and accent teachings. One character was a German Immigrant. He got a different CD. This was to make them feel more comfortable in learning the accent. I also told them to begin using accents now so that we didn't get into any bad English habits during the process. That worked well and put them all in the same boat. Many felt that their accents were horrible and they were embarrassed to let the others hear them, but most cast members had to work on their accents, at least a little, so it was a confidence-building exercise because it isn't very hard to get a British accent.
After the read through, I asked them to give me thir impressions of the play and then I told them a little of what I thought the play was about. I gave a couple of cursory suggestions like one character needed to be cattier or camper. Then I asked them to read the play over again and come to rehearsal on Monday with an overall action or through line for their character.
Several books on acting and most of my training at Indiana State stress the importance of a through-line of a play. It is also commonly known as the arc of a character as seen through what the character wants. This helps develop action for each scene and makes it easier to direct.
I also give a little speech about the important qualities of the process and how I work. According to the teaching text this is establishing the rules by which the group will operate. I told them that all of the communication is two-way (dialogic) and that I expect them to contribute as much to the process if not more. This put more responsibility on them to come up with a workable action in each scene. I, and several others, call it a collaborative process, wherein everyone has a say in how the show evolves. This doesn't absolve me from my responsibility. To the contrary, it is even more challenging to try and fit all the pieces together for a coherent show that is entertaining.
