New Poll - Backseat Director
Sun, 5 Mar 2006, 12:36 pmcrgwllms8 posts in thread
New Poll - Backseat Director
Sun, 5 Mar 2006, 12:36 pmNew Poll Topic -
As an actor, how do you respond to your director?
The Poll-tergeist
[%sig%]
As an actor, how do you respond to your director?
The Poll-tergeist
[%sig%]
Re: Backseat Director
Sat, 11 Mar 2006, 01:31 amNa wrote:
>
> 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. ...
I have a feeling Toby was feeding a gag line rather than being too serious...
Some good discussion points brought up, though.
This poll is one submitted by a regular contributor, and I liked it because it was bound to stir up some opinions...here's mine.
All theatre is a collaboration...even a one man show, (written/directed/designed/performed) is still an event shared with an audience.
So I happen to believe that constructive argument, challenging the status quo, and contributing as many ideas as possible is a good policy in creating collaborative theatre. I am always willing to put forward suggestions, even when it may be radically different to the current train of thought as expressed by the director. And if I honestly believe I have the best interests of the play in mind, I feel justified in arguing my point.
But when it comes to the crunch, I know it's got to be the director's final call. That's the director's job. Some directors have a strong unflinching vision right from the start, and some start with no clear idea of the end product, but forge the path as they go. Good directors are always open to the suggestions put forward by their team of collaborators...that's often why they chose that team in the first place. But eventually someone has to take responsibility for the final decisions, and as the central hub of all collaborators, with an eye that can sit outside the production, they are the one finally responsible...that is kind of the definition of a director.
Cheers,
Craig
>
> 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. ...
I have a feeling Toby was feeding a gag line rather than being too serious...
Some good discussion points brought up, though.
This poll is one submitted by a regular contributor, and I liked it because it was bound to stir up some opinions...here's mine.
All theatre is a collaboration...even a one man show, (written/directed/designed/performed) is still an event shared with an audience.
So I happen to believe that constructive argument, challenging the status quo, and contributing as many ideas as possible is a good policy in creating collaborative theatre. I am always willing to put forward suggestions, even when it may be radically different to the current train of thought as expressed by the director. And if I honestly believe I have the best interests of the play in mind, I feel justified in arguing my point.
But when it comes to the crunch, I know it's got to be the director's final call. That's the director's job. Some directors have a strong unflinching vision right from the start, and some start with no clear idea of the end product, but forge the path as they go. Good directors are always open to the suggestions put forward by their team of collaborators...that's often why they chose that team in the first place. But eventually someone has to take responsibility for the final decisions, and as the central hub of all collaborators, with an eye that can sit outside the production, they are the one finally responsible...that is kind of the definition of a director.
Cheers,
Craig
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