There are no small parts just actors that aren’t thinking enough…

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All the shows I’m directing are finished in that they now have all the nuts and bolts laid out in the right order that will enable us to make a performable piece of theatre out of…so Hurrah for that. However in order for them to create a performable piece of theatre that people will understand, engage with and enjoy a number of things sometimes quite tricky to define have to happen.

One of the things that has to happen is that everyone on stage has to start responding absolutely and entirely in every moment of the production. The amount of things they need to respond to and the amount of energy and concentration that requires is quite awe inspiring. Firstly the technical stuff they have to respond to the basic requirements of being heard and seen in the way the production demands which involves both vocal ability, effort and special awareness. Next taking that special awareness even further they have to respond aesthetically with an idea of how the stage picture looks at times. After that they need to respond narratively asking themselves how their character feels and reacts to the action of the story – as a footnote to this there isn’t one moment when any character doesn’t have a response to what is happening…they (the character) may not choose to show that reaction overtly but they are having them and finally they have to respond to the fact that this is a performance and as such demands being communicated to an audience who will never have seen it before.

So my point is this…however much effort you’re putting into the runs of the plays you’re preparing at the moment it won’t be enough, there is always something more you can do and if you’re ever bored at having to repeat something in rehearsals you simply aren’t thinking enough…not nearly enough…

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