New Poll - Backseat Director

Excuse me - just like any other role in the theatre (or the world for that matter), there is give and take on opinions and creative input. In some situations, I have disagreed entirely with a director, and let them know about it (it was a safety concern mainly). Others, I have merely kept my opinion to myself, because it was a matter of taste. And with my own friends/co-workers, I have not only offered opinions, but created designs with no directorial input whatsoever. In some roles, I have had the freedom to contribute creatively, in others I haven't. I have even worked with actors who have asked my directorial advice, when they are self-directing, and I was stage managing. It all depends on the role, the director, the cast and crew, and the company I'm working with. Co-op/fringe has less stringent 'roles' defined, while working in larger companies do, and directors can be good to work with or bad to work with....

Techies have just as much input as everyone else, and are no different from actors in respect to this question. This is how a show is improved upon. An actor doesn't simply 'do what you're bloody told' when it comes to characterisation, if it feels wrong, or they can offer an alternative, sometimes better way of doing something. I've seen actors provide last minute brillance to a character purely by fluke (read up on Laurence Olivier for a perfect example). Techies can offer invaluable inputs when it comes to design, blocking, etc. and a good stage manager will often remind a director of their practical limitations.

As for doing what I'm told... Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't :)
If I did everything I was told to do, I would be stuck in some theatre somewhere, with a set blocking my exit because the director thought it would be a good idea to build it too big to get through... A good techie is one that provides their experience, more than their hands...

Anyway, enough ranting for me... :)

[%sig%]