When my son was in about the fourth grade, I noticed that he had done a project about Ancient Egypt every year since the first grade. He was infatuated with the subject and continued to churn out projects, even as I suggested working on something new.
I asked his teacher about this and her response has stuck with me and helped me in many areas of my life.
She told me that learning is like the layers of an onion. Each year as you grow you go over the same subjects again and again, adding new knowledge and more advanced aspects of the subject each time you learn about it. You layer in the knowledge bit by bit. Your can’t learn anything all at once.
I am directing a play right now and I realized that I approach that job in the same way I approached my lessons when I went back to college and the same way I keep life fairly manageable.
In class I took detailed notes of everything. Writing things down helps to put it in my brain. At the end of the day I would reread my notes. At the end of the week I would reread the week’s notes. And before a test I would read it all over again. It layered in the things I wanted to learn and come test time, I was ready.
I am the type of person who wants everything done perfectly and done NOW! I used to get so wound up trying to get everything done at once that I would tell Tim I was “spinning myself into the ground.” I would try to get it all done at once and not know where to start or what to do next.
I finally realized that if I applied the same layering technique (and a little of Nick Saban’s “process” ) to what I was trying to get done, I made much more progress. I scheduled what day I wanted to accomplish which task and didn’t worry with things that didn’t need to be done yet in order to concentrate on what I was working on in that moment.
The other day while going over the schedule of rehearsals, I realized that I attempt my direction in the same way. Instead of trying to do too much all at once, I go through the process in layers.
First, I write down blocking (directions on where to move and what to do), but kind of let the actors do what is natural to them as their characters. I end up with a blend of what I imagined in my mind and what they feel comfortable with. As time goes on, I tweak what they are doing so that it looks fluid and pleasing.
As soon as possible I want everyone “off book”. That means they know their lines and can get the scripts out of their hands. At that point, I really begin to see where we need to go. We add in a few props, eventually adding in the rest of the props and the set. At some point you add in the food and liquids that will be used. You then add in lights and sound cues, costumes and anything else it takes to make the world you are creating come to life.
Even in a play like the one I am working on now, which is pretty simple as far as technical issues and props, there are still more moving parts than you think. As with life, not until you are in the midst of things do you realize how much more is involved than anticipated.
There is always an item that you can’t find or something that doesn’t work like it should. For the most part it takes everyone sharing and bringing items from home to make the project come together. (Actors are super generous for the most part and will bring half of their home to the theatre if it is needed. I have never done a play, or even just a scene that I didn’t fill my car with items from my house.)
If you never mention a prop or use it, I say let it go. As in life, too much clutter on stage is distracting and useless. If it serves no purpose, it is unnecessary. Know what an item’s purpose is and be able to say it out loud with confidence before you drag it to the theatre.
When the cast is ahead of schedule, you have to restrain yourself from skipping ahead in the process. When the cast is dragging behind, you have to try to keep up as much as you can, so that things are ready for opening night.
If you keep to the process, you will peak at just the right time, the actors will feel confident and the show will be a success.
As with most lessons of the theatre, life is the same way. If everyone does their job, stays on task, shares generously of their time, talent and possessions, and realizes that most things are more complicated than you realize until you really dig in, most things work out at the right time. If you do things a layer at a time, it seems less overwhelming.
Pushing too hard to forge ahead when you really aren’t ready, or hanging back when you need to keep moving forward can cause problems for everyone.
You have to be aware that for all of your planning, someone can get sick, the weather might cause an issue, and not everyone is going to be able to keep up. Again, a generosity of spirit goes a long way towards keeping things moving in a positive direction. Helping each other, staying positive and making sure that you are doing what you are called on to do makes any obstacle easier to navigate.
I am fortunate to have a cast that knows what is expected. They have talent and experience and generosity to spare. They tell each other funny stories and share their past experiences, as well as work hard and come into rehearsal prepared. They are excited to be there and know how to live in the moment. They put away their phones and focus on what is in front of them.
How good would life be if we could say that about everyone we deal with in life- generous, funny, willing, able, prepared, hard working, positive, and excited? Ready to honestly share and living in the now, phones put away?
There are certainly local actors who don’t know any of this, who don’t take any of it seriously and only do this for the social aspect. Working with people who aren’t prepared, professional or positive stresses me out!
I have been fortunate to cast the best of the best two times in a row. I learn more from them than they do from me, but together we have a very rewarding experience. At least I hope that they feel that way.
Surrounding yourself with people who support you and work together for the betterment of all is definitely a goal, although we all have to deal with people who aren’t any of the things we want to be around.
As director, my job is to stay out of the way for the most part. To listen, to guide, to watch, to pray. In theatre, as in life, we should layer in only what we really need to create a stellar experience and let the negative and unnecessary fall by the wayside. And we need to remember we are all in this together.
