Letting actors go...
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4726
Printed Date: 5/20/24 at 11:02am
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Topic: Letting actors go...
Posted By: direct-errr
Subject: Letting actors go...
Date Posted: 7/23/10 at 10:28pm
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I just recently started directing an original stage play with my partner who is a playwright. It's been a grassroots endeavor so we haven't had the structure of a theatre and a production company, etc. My biggest challenge has been dealing with actors. We have cast some people who are friends and we have cast people in from the outside as well. There are a couple concerns I have. One is that we befriended all of the cast on facebook, which allows us to see into their lives more than I think we would in a regular director/actor relationship. I have seen egos, I have seen actors who are playing sick and then talking about going out that same night, and most recently an actor who evidently didn't even read the whole script because she didn't know who one of the characters was when a friend of hers asked. Because this is grassroots my partner and I have decided to allow feedback from the actors about their parts. I gave them their revised scripts almost a month ago and told them a cut off date of when they could respond with suggestions. This one particular actor didn't e-mail back at all. She's hard to get in touch with and when I do talk to her, she has an attitude. Today I sent another reminder e-mail about our staged reading which comes up in a couple of weeks. I said that they could respond with their suggestions no later than this weekend. The actor went directly to my partner (playwright) on facebook and said that she was confused by the revised character. Said she couldn't connect with the role and didn't understand it. Concerns. 1) I sent a contact list out yesterday and said that they must always contact the director first. 2) She had this script for over a month and obviously just read it. 3) She didn't even read the whole thing because she didn't know who one of the characters was based on a post on her facebook page. 4) She has an attitude and is difficult to pin down. 5) She deliberately challenged my authority today. The reading is in a couple of weeks. I know she will show because she showed to the other & she has professional experience & I trust her talent as an actor. I do have an understudy that will come perform if need be, but the understudy is in another state. So do I let this actor go now (do I have justification) or do I wait until after the staged reading so that at least we have the role covered? P.s. my partner re-wrote the part because she is very willing to accept constructive feedback. I didn't really have a problem with her contacting my partner directly, but my partner did because she really believes in keeping our boundaries and obviously this actor is directly trying to challenge the authority. We have different level of experienced actors in this cast. Some new, some semi-experienced, and some professional. This particular actor has some experience, but has more of an ego than some of the professional actors in the cast. The differences are loud and clear. Any suggestions? < id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" =""> |
Replies:
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 7/23/10 at 11:28pm
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Me thinks your pushing it hill with your collective noses. While it's a novel idea to cast via facebook, but I assume it is to be performed live in a venue & not on facebook - what ever that is about? Go ahead with your reading cast call & see how things work out & where the chips fall in reality. Your biggest blue is allowing comments on the script, you would be better off taking these on board during rehearsals, as it's to be staged, rather than the author going around the twist making changes to accomodate actors disconected whims, foybles & comments. Take it all back to basic theatrical procedures that have worked for hundreds of years. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 7/24/10 at 12:48am
No, it is being performed in a community center first & we are trying to get it produced. Yes we have definitely gone about this in a non-traditional way. But also, we aren't casting through facebook, we have them on our friends list, so the one actor decided to contact the playwright through there instead of calling or e-mail. < id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" =""> |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 7/25/10 at 12:06pm
That's how it always is. If she challenged your authority and you have the luxury of a prepared understudy then replace her. |
Posted By: KEB54
Date Posted: 7/25/10 at 12:10pm
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Go ahead as planned. Sounds like a non-issue. People have egos.
I assume these are volunteers. If they are paid, then you have cause for concern and can take action. If volunteers, sometimes they make choices to do other things with their spare time. Certainly you want dedication, but if it is not there you have to deal with it and make a note not to use them next time. If you take action, though in your mind justified, it will come back to haunt you. YOU will be the one that gets the bad rap and you may have a hard time recruiting people next time. ------------- KEB |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 7/25/10 at 1:35pm
That's a good point as well. |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 7/25/10 at 6:02pm
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Great advice ya'll. Yes they are all volunteer and yes some of them do have egos. Some people are begging for roles and others are like it's nothing to them. And lol @ the "it's always the actors". Oh the joys. Thank you. < id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" =""> |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 7/25/10 at 6:05pm
| Here's another question. How do you get respect from actors and other people when you don't have experience directing? I was asked to Direct this play by my partner who wrote it. I'm not a nobody because I have experience in this industry and have been in a film with an Oscar winning actress as well as performed Off-Broadway for six months recently and am a member of a legendary theatre company in New York City. Even though I am not in NYC now and have taken a different route... Do I emphasize that I may not have Directing experience, but I know this industry and what it takes? Also, I directed something small before so I understand it and I was obviously asked to do this so someone sees something in me. I just don't want people to think just because my partner wrote this that she is doing me a favor by letting me direct it. < id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" =""> |
Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 7/25/10 at 8:20pm
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Have the understudy prepared and ready if needed.
Carry on with rehearsal and evaluate as you go.
Try to understand the actor's complaint and see if they have a point.
Approach things as to what's best for the production.
Just because others may be petty doesn't mean you have to.
and...
How you deal with this situation will go a great way
to earning yourself (and your self) respect.
PS: This is coming from one who has let people go before,
kept people who surprised him in a positive manner,
and kept people who turned out to be disastrous.
There are no magic cures.
Wishing you the best,
-DW- ------------- Even a man who is pure of heart... |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 7/26/10 at 11:55pm
Thank you for the insight. :o) |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 7/27/10 at 3:46pm
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An old actor said this the other day: There are three kinds of actors: 1) A professional actor who tries to do whatever they are told because they're getting paid and/or have professional pride. 2) A college actor who tries to do whatever they are told because they want a good grade. 3) A community theater actor who says "I don't think my character would do that." There is sometimes some truth in that, unfortunately. |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 7/27/10 at 4:01pm
Maybe it's too late to say this and only this but it sounds like: A) You HAVE directed something before. B) You've performed off Broadway C) You're a member of the famous XYZ theater company in NYC. Seems like that should be more than enough to qualify you for this particular gig. It doesn't matter who picked you for the job. There are apparently people with far skimpier resumes than that passing themselves off as experienced directors. I wouldn't emphasize or even mention a lack of experience as that only opens the door for the lack of respect issue you brought up. Just my two cents. Good luck. |
Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 7/28/10 at 10:32am
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While I've never been near Broadway, twenty years in community
theatre (mostly acting and some board stints) and nearly a couple
dozen directorial efforts may not be "skimpy." In that time I spent
almost a decade as a high school soccer coach in which it seems every
decision I made was questioned by someone (often vociferously).
Direct-err,
My main reason for urging you to consider the actor's viewpoint is
the unique nature of your production: an original play.
Some of my own efforts have been scripts I've written and I've
enjoyed the collaborative effort in transforming my words from
the page to the stage. I haven't always taken the advice given
but sometimes valid points are made and corrections needed.
If you intend, as you said, to take this script further, I feel
those opinions should be considered even if not accepted.
My apologies if I've hurt anyone's feelings with my bluntness,
but my post was a version of the "buck up and get it done"
speech I have often had to give myself.
I do wish you the best
and hope you let us know how the play progresses.
-DW- ------------- Even a man who is pure of heart... |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 7/29/10 at 3:54pm
Just for the record, I certainly wasn't referring to you with the "skimpy" remark and I wasn't offended by anything you said. |
Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 7/29/10 at 10:08pm
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I appreciate the clarification. And I second your statement that it shouldn't matter
how the director's job was filled.
Wish I'd thought to say that. ------------- Even a man who is pure of heart... |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 9/04/10 at 10:22pm
Thank you & yes I have learned to take more pride in my experience & going through this process has helped me learn that I actually do have a talent for this & I really am enjoying it. It's all a learning experience and a work in progress. P.s. I liked the 3 points you wrote above also & I do see the truth in that!  |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 9/04/10 at 10:27pm
You haven't offended me & you have a good point there. I am always looking for ways to learn from my experience! Thank you! |
Posted By: direct-errr
Date Posted: 9/04/10 at 10:28pm
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Update: I did let that actor go. She pulled something the night before the staged reading saying that she didn't know it was at 2pm & she thought it was 4pm. I had the understudy on call & she was there & it turned out the understudy was exactly what we needed.. she was one of the best performances that night! Things are slow right now, but we are deciding where to go with it next. We have a performance coming up at a University and are planning to tour it around U.S. College's & Universities since it has such social & political topics. My partner has decided she doesn't want to go into this full-time and a lot of times I feel like the upward battle is with her more than anyone else. Some days she wants to give up all together & I have to convince her to let me continue pushing it forward. Things unfortunately don't happen overnight in this industry as we all know. We are both students, so this semester we have decided to put the play on hold or slow down with it a bit while we attend college full-time. Next semester I plan to do online classes so I can tour with the cast. It's all exciting, but definitely a huge challenge. I'm happy that I'm taking a directing class at my University right now. I'm learning a lot. |