I mentioned in my last post that I would be directing. This is still true.
What has changed is that I will now be one of the leads in the very play I am directing.
Allow me to say that this is a last resort measure on my part. Turn out for the auditions was much lower than in previous years, and it made filling all of the roles in all of the plays (5) a bit of a challenge this time around. As usual, it was harder to find usable men for the whole festival And there ended up being zero men available that were the appropriate age for the character in question.
After trying everything else, the director of the whole festival of plays suggested I play the part myself. Realizing it was last resort time, I agreed. I did not want to hold up the rehearsal process any longer.
Some may ask why this is not ideal. I will explain.
Being a good director requires a god's eye view of everything. Facial expressions of actors, blocking, positioning on stage, volume from the back of the house, and other such things. A lot of that is missed when the director is on the stage playing a part himself. Objective views are not really possible. It is not because I cannot separate the actor in me from the director in me. It is simple physics. I literally cannot see all that I would like to be able to see.
I am giving consideration to video taping a few rehearsals once we are on stage. Just so I can go home that night and take a look at how things are evolving. That has potential.
Plus I am sure the rest of the cast will do just fine at adapting to the unusual circumstance.
That being said, I plan to make this one of the few times I mention the specific problems with this scenario. Regardless of the obstacles, this is the situation that I have. If any project is ever going to succeed, the people involved must at some point look only at what they have, and think about how to accomplish the goal in mind.
That is where I choose to be now. This is a challenge which I now accept exactly as is.
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3 comments:
Hi Ty, sometimes fate has the strangest way of throwing us our anchors. Hey, not a bad line!
What I mean is, first of all, I'm delighted for you.
And also though it's literally doubly challenging, I know you'll be able to get round it. You'll be able to do it. Switch yourself in two roles. Quite a few directors do this and manage the accomplishment. Now you have the opportunity. Congratulations, Ty!
Hi, long-time-reader-first-time-poster here!
I know the problems that you face with being a lead and the Director, having done it myself in the past, but video taping a few rehersals is a great idea! Look forward to reading how it all goes!
Well thank you for your first ever comment here on the blog I hope it is not the last!
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