New Poll - Backseat Director

New Poll Topic -

As an actor, how do you respond to your director?


The Poll-tergeist

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i tend to think the question requires more explanation ( from those who answer) than a single line... i know i know it's a poll there's only so much space etc. but different circumstances require different approaches, don't you think? the level of comfort you have with your director, the piece your working on, how different your opinions are on the character... generally i would say politely discuss any differences with the director (privately) but in some circumstances i would definetly say just shut your mouth and figure out your motivation... oh well it should be an interesting result!

I answered this, but I'm a techie... still applies though...

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Na wrote:
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> I answered this, but I'm a techie... still applies though...
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What do yer mean by 'still applies though'? Your a techie! You just do what you're bloody told.

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... :)

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I should also mention that most people in theatre are multi-skilled, and don't do just one role. I have done every role there is in theatre, some of them well, some of them badly. But being able to multi-skill means that you have a lot more experience and creative input to offer, and sometimes knowledge is more important than your role title.

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Na 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

Yes, I realise it was probably a joke... It was midnight, and I'm always a bit raving lunatic at midnight... :)

Speaking of creative input - I've just been rehearsing for the Moomba Parade (woohoo, love parades, I'm a puppet fish if anyone's going), and it's so much fun watching all the performers realise that the only person in charge is the one with the microphone telling you to get in line!

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