On Directing (2007-03-02)

She stands there and I see the resistance rising. The last suggestion/direction is one that she does not necessarily want to try. Or is it that today she is tired, overworked, bored etc. 

Directing other actors is always interesting. There are many occasions where I am older and have been doing this longer than the person I am directing; for that reason alone my knowledge may be more tuned to the script. In these cases I find the actor vibrantly open seeking to explore each word that comes from my mouth. These are rare moments to me. In truth I do not think that I have any special skill, or insight. I believe that when I am directing the actor knows as much as I and is able to make choices and develop character on their own. What makes directors special is the outside eye. 

When we are standing on a rug we often cannot see its pattern and so it is with acting. The rug is the play and the actor is standing on it. This position often means that they cannot hear their own voice, or execute an obvious choice, because they are too close to the project. As a director I can hear the missed note or beat, I can see the bigger picture because that is what I work in. It does not make me special, it simply puts me in a different vantage point. 

With this knowledge I seek to find out what the actor sees before I suggest my thoughts. It is my hope that with each project it is a collaborative project. Even though I have a different vantage point it does not devalue the actors process. I remind myself or am amazed often that I did not come up with what the actor is doing already. It is when I see this that I get excited. When the work is already in place it sparks my creativity and I see ways to take it further, tweaks that engage the audience more. I work those things because as a director it is my job to tie all the minute pieces of the script together into a clear path for both audience and actor to follow. 

What makes this project interesting is the hand off. I start by directing and then I move to rehearsing as an actor. It can be a challenge to let go my reins and give completely over to the director. In those moments I sometimes have to quell my own thoughts of “I wouldn’t do that”. The reality is when the handoff occurs I am standing on the rug