My generosity abounds...
Asking people to do things for the youth theatre in between sessions always feels a little bit like an imposition. I like to think that, among other things, Yew Tree ticks the boxes in people’s life labelled “for pleasure, “ or “devoid of stress,” or “Just because I want to.” Therefore saying the words…”For next week I need you to…” brings on a little bit of guilt…not with Connections as I believe with that project by saying you’re going to do it you sign yourself over to accommodating my every directorial demand and not with the Black Company as I believe that joining what amounts to the top strata of a 200 people strong youth theatre involves taking on a certain amount of responsibility but yeah…with all the rest of our work there is a definite twinge of guilt amalgamated with my demands.
However this week in rehearsals for our Christmas shows and also in the Miners project rehearsals I was reminded why asking for this extra time and effort doesn’t just work in my interests but in the interests of all of those who acquiesce with my requests…And it is simply that for them the whole process is so much nicer…consistently this week I’ve watched actors who’ve made the time to learn lines, practice their delivery, think about their character, consider the performance demands of the scene, the dialogue and the play feel confident in the session and with that confidence develop not only their performance but their skills and understanding much more holistically…I have watched them become better performers and what’s more have a good time doing this…
And so I am lead to the conclusion that I am not so much making demands, but offering you a certain type of gift in my requests for more of your energy and time than simply participating in rehearsals…take the gift or don’t …the choice is yours…but I guarantee you there is much satisfaction and delight to be found in the acceptance…
And just to avoid any smug faces amongst the myriad of Yew Tree actors who have done one or two or more of the things listed above over the last few weeks…none of you have done all of them so you see my generosity…there are even more gifts in this blog…just look at the list in paragraph 2 and spend some time on it and then pick another and another…my selflessness goes on and on and on…
However this week in rehearsals for our Christmas shows and also in the Miners project rehearsals I was reminded why asking for this extra time and effort doesn’t just work in my interests but in the interests of all of those who acquiesce with my requests…And it is simply that for them the whole process is so much nicer…consistently this week I’ve watched actors who’ve made the time to learn lines, practice their delivery, think about their character, consider the performance demands of the scene, the dialogue and the play feel confident in the session and with that confidence develop not only their performance but their skills and understanding much more holistically…I have watched them become better performers and what’s more have a good time doing this…
And so I am lead to the conclusion that I am not so much making demands, but offering you a certain type of gift in my requests for more of your energy and time than simply participating in rehearsals…take the gift or don’t …the choice is yours…but I guarantee you there is much satisfaction and delight to be found in the acceptance…
And just to avoid any smug faces amongst the myriad of Yew Tree actors who have done one or two or more of the things listed above over the last few weeks…none of you have done all of them so you see my generosity…there are even more gifts in this blog…just look at the list in paragraph 2 and spend some time on it and then pick another and another…my selflessness goes on and on and on…
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