Actors Vs Directors

I think a good director will create a character in the actor's mind through the workshop/rehearsal process and then allow the actor to explore that character. I have been directed by people who think directing is all about telling actors how to say each line. Which is fine if the actor's emphasis is changing the meaning of that line, but not fine if the director is dictating the performance. It's frustrating, unproductive and leads to pretty crap shows.

I don't think directing is about telling actors where to stand, it's about creating an atmophere where the actors KNOW where they should stand already, when they should move, where to and most importantly, WHY.

A wonderful director, possiby the best I have ever worked with, once told me that directing is about picking a good cast, and then creating the world of the play. Showing the actors the boundaries of that world, then letting them play around inside it. I'll stick to that theory.

But then, what do I know; I'm an actor.

Leah M