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Directing

Social Security | Andrew Bergman

Junior Spring 2017 

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This semester, I directed Social Security by Andrew Bergman for my Directing 2 class. I cut down the full length play into a 40-minute show and cast it with 6 actors. 

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Challenges:

  • Scheduling rehearsals around 7 busy college students' lives

  • Finding a space to rehearse

  • Designing with a minimal set

  • Balancing a friend and director relationship with my actors

  • Creating an agenda for each day and sticking to it

  • Deciding to cut an actor from the show 

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Things that went well:

  • Managing time for each rehearsal

  • Finding the honest moments outside of the comedy

  • Being flexible with rehearsing in different spaces with various amounts of set and props

  • Working with descriptive actions and objectives for specific beats and scenes

  • Building an ensemble with my actors

  • Being less self-conscious about my directing and just focusing on the show in its entirety

Abstract Expression | Theresa Rebeck

Junior Fall 2016 

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I directed Abstract Expression by Theresa Rebeck for Directing 1 and these are some of the things I have learned through this journey:

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  • Be more confident in direction and blocking. I love the collaboration process and getting everyone's ideas, but as young actors, they need to be led by a director who has a strong vision of what s/he wants. I learned that I need to trust my instincts when it comes to blocking and don't doubt it unless the actors can't fill it, it's completely wrong.

  • Ask someone to watch a rehearsal and give notes EARLY. I asked someone to watch my rehearsal and give notes on our last rehearsal, which made it difficult to make major changes. It would have been more beneficial to have that person watch and critique at least 2 weeks before our last rehearsal. 

  • Build an ensemble with my actors. One of the hardest things to do was to build a cohesive relationship with my cast members because we only met 2 days a week for 2 hours. I could have done a better job of doing group exercises and warm-ups but efficient scheduling meant that not everyone was called to every rehearsal so that made it difficult.  

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