First Time Directing Community Theatre
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Archives
Forum Name: Closed Topics
Forum Discription: Uncategorized posts from the previous version of our discussion board. For browsing and searching.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1309
Printed Date: 6/29/25 at 12:00am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: First Time Directing Community Theatre
Posted By: Guests
Subject: First Time Directing Community Theatre
Date Posted: 3/17/05 at 3:38pm
|
Greetings. I am both thrilled and terrified to have been offered the opportunity to direct a full length community theatre production. Though I have faith in my abilities, I am to present a tentative vision before a board of directors for approval. What kind of things should I consider? All I have directed in the past are college performances.
|
Replies:
Posted By: dougb
Date Posted: 3/18/05 at 12:33pm
I want to know what about the play attracted you to it. What was
it about the play that was so compelling that you want to (have to)
direct it? What do you hope to convey to the audience? How
will you convey it? Tell me in one or two words what the play is
about: Love or Blind Ambition or Suspense or Healing or
Understanding others or Hate. Even a farce has a message.
Too often I hear platitudes and people are not able to tell me what the
message of the play is. I have been told that they like the play
because it is funny. Or that they saw the play somewhere else and
it was good. Or that the play can be easily cast with available
actors. That tells me nothing.
A couple of years ago, I read The Vagina Monologues and did not like it
at all. A good friend of mine approached me wanting to do the
show. I asked her what she saw in the play. She said it was
about love. Love of ourselves, love of others and the love that
keeps us going when all seems lost. I could tell the play
was important to her and she had a cohesive message that she was going
to tell through the play. I approved the play and it was
wonderful - everything she promised and more.
I am sure you have seen more than one production of a play and have
noticed that they are all different because they have a different
director and to some extent different actors. What will make your
production worth seeing? What themes will you stress? I
have seen four different stagings of "ART" from Broadway to the
corner of a local deli. I came away from each one with a
different
message and saw something very different in each production.
Based, to
a large extent, on the vision of the Director.
What about your staging of your play is so important for the people of
our community to see that we need to invest our time and money in it?
Doug
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 3/19/05 at 12:35pm
|
Thanks for the suggestions. It helps me put into words some of the ideas that I have drawn from researching the play and reading the script over and over.
|
|