I have now directed two shows under extraordinary conditions. Considering I have not been directing for that long, it is kind of incredible that I have faced these challenges. I do think it has made me a more understanding and creative director. Adversity usually makes us better and stronger. In everything that happens, you have to look for the blessing and the lesson. The more issues you face, the more lessons.
The first challenging show was when I directed during the height of COVID. Most of the theatres were closed, but I had a show that in my mind would only work on a very specific weekend. I thought the weekend right before the 2020 election was the right time for it and nothing could persuade me otherwise.
I had to direct the show with masks during rehearsals, blocking with six-foot distancing except for two real life couples in the cast and with the understanding that at any moment someone could be sick, or the world could shut down again. It was a very stressful time for me, although no one got sick, and the show was well received.
This time, I had different issues. When we had first discussed this production, nearly two years ago, we were sitting in the food court of the mall where the theatre was located, having Chick Fil-A and people watching. By the time we were ready to start the process, the mall was closed, Chick- Fil-A was gone and we were without a home.
Back then we had discussed bringing in some of the older actors from the area to do guest starring parts, something small for the guys who really didn’t want to have so many lines to learn or as long of a commitment to the process. In those many months between discussion and actually starting, we lost some of the guys we had talked about, but I clung to the idea of bringing in guests to do a cameo appearance.
With no definitive space, I had to block and reblock the show several times. We snuck around rehearsing in “speakeasy” style, slipping in the back door of an undisclosed location, hoping for the best. It was usually cold and then later a bit dark as we rehearsed.
All through the process, different cast members were exposed to COVID, the new variant passing quickly between people. I had purposely divided the rehearsals so there were fewer people there for any gathering, so I just kept adjusting who I worked with depending on who was out for the requisite 5 days. It was the Tuesday of tech week before the whole cast was back together again.
Two weeks before we opened, the new space was secured, and we could move in. I quickly painted the set that was put up and I began to gather the props I had avoided dragging to our unofficial rehearsal space.
In the last two weeks we moved into a space that had never been a theatre before (or anything even close to a theatre!) I had half of the cast out with COVID, and on the Monday of the last week, what we lovingly call tech week, we walked in to have no power (so no tech!) Luckily, my husband Tim ran to our house to get a generator (he collects them like I collect shoes!) and we rehearsed with minimal light and back in the cold again!
I told my stage manager that if a tornado came, I was done! Luckily that held off until the second week of the show. And I am not kidding!
Both of these challenging shows had completely different casts, but both were a testament to how show people are flexible, willing to give seemingly impossible things a try, and keep pushing forward even under adversity.
With a different guest star every night, what ended up being overly full houses every night which put some of the audience almost onstage with the cast, and all of the other things that they had gone through, this group came out of the experience cheerful, sad for it to all end and bonded for life.
Being a part of an experience like that, watching people work together for the good of the production and doing their best to follow my lead and help in any way they can, makes a director proud. It makes you feel hopeful for the future, in spite of news to the contrary.
It reminds me why I love theatre so much and why I declined the offer to do the next show. After all of that, I need a break!
