I just closed Children of Eden, a lesser-known Stephen Schwarz musical at Judson University, and was reminded of the power of a show’s concept.  I was speaking with a Theater Administration Major over the summer about a theater class he took that talked about concepts.  He was explaining a project to me where he had to choose a concept for a scene he directed.  In his case the scene was Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene, and the concept he chose was “hot and cold”.  This concept showed up in his scene through lighting and visual design primarily, but could have easily shown up in the way he directed his actors as well.

It occurred to me after this conversation how many children’s theater and community theater shows I’ve seen that lacked any sort of concept.  These shows seemed to just have the concept “Do the show”, but there is a stark difference between shows that have purposeful concepts and shows that do not have purposeful concepts.

For Children of Eden, we decided to go with the concept that the actors were traveling gypsies from the late 1800s who performed this show wherever they traveled.  So the show started with the gypsies “arriving” late to the performance place with 2 rolling carts which held in them all of the props and set pieces for the show.  We performed the show in a small 144 seat performance space, so sticking to small props and set pieces was appropriate for this setting, and also for the way the show was written.  As the show progressed, the “gypsies” would pull out the props and pieces they needed for each scene.

After a dress rehearsal, one of the actresses mentioned that their friend who watched the night before didn’t get the whole gypsy thing, that is they didn’t realize the actors were supposed to be traveling gypsies.  I responded that that’s okay…the point of the concept isn’t that the audience recognizes the concept, but rather that it gives artistic unity and direction and boundaries for what choices are made.  Whether or not the audience “gets” the concept is not the point, whether they “feel and sense” the concept is more important.

HABIT #1 – Develops a Vision for the Show

A director without vision is like a captain without a destination.  He can set his boat to sea, but he may not know where the boat is heading.  Part of developing a vision for a show is choosing a “Concept” for the show, much the same way HGTV designers choose concepts for their rooms.  This concept can be something as simple as “hot and cold”, or can be a picture that the show is visually based on, or can be an emotional or tonal attribute.  Without a concept for a show, the show will appear to be missing something.

HABIT #2 – Works Well with Actors

This one is admittedly vague, so here are some specifics: Good directors respect the actors’ time and talent, praise them sincerely and frequently, hold them accountable, inspire them, get stuff done in rehearsal, and find ways to communicate effectively what it is they desire from the actors.

HABIT #3 – Delegates Effectively

A really good director knows that there’s a difference between “being responsible for something” and “doing it yourself.”  Every leader needs a team to accomplish a vision, and every team needs a leader to make sure things are getting done.  And by the way, praising team members is almost as important as praising actors.  The actors need it more, but the team members appreciate it more.

HABIT #4 – Prepares Before Rehearsal

Blocking, choreography, designs, rehearsal schedule, vocal prep…all of these should be prepared before rehearsal.  And if some director or choreographer prefers to “see what happens in rehearsals”, then they should at least be familiar with the scene or the music and what they want to accomplish with it.  My general rule of thumb for blocking is to stage the actors and then change what isn’t working.  I inevitably change what I started with, but I at lease start with something.

HABIT #5 – Visits Theater Events Regularly

As an artist, the Director keeps himself fresh by seeing shows, both the bad and the good.  There is always something to learn, and if a director knows everything, then there is something to be reminded of.  Seeing good shows gives creative ideas, and seeing bad shows gives warnings of what to avoid.  Inspiration is easier to come by when an artist is regularly in the presence of art.

MISTAKE #1 – Try to do everything yourself.

Micromanaging your show process is just as annoying in the theater world as it is in the business world.  You are NOT good at everything, so you should put people on your team that are better than you at something, and let them handle that.  You are still ultimately responsible for their work, but that doesn’t mean you need to do the work yourself.

MISTAKE #2 – Talk down to the actors.

Actors are bold artists who step onstage and do scary things that they aren’t sure look good.  Respect them, and if you need to chasten them, do it from a position of “I expect more of you, you’re better than this.”  Talking to them like kids will surely turn them off.

MISTAKE #3 – Procrastinate.

If you wait too long for anything…pre-production, blocking, meetings, light design…it becomes stressful.  The further you think ahead, the easier it is to cross those bridges when you get to them, and the less stressful it is for your team and your cast.

MISTAKE #4 – Don’t Compromise.

At some point in every show, you will have to compromise on something.  Inflexibility is not a virtue.  It is a character flaw.  Some things are worth holding out for, but make sure to care more about the people than the product.

MISTAKE #5 – Any one want to add one?  Put in a comment…

For my first post about Theater, I’d like to champion the magic of theater.  Isn’t it a weird thing that thousands of people visit theaters, sit in the dark together and agree to all be quiet to watch stories get acted out in front of them?  It’s the same with movies, and it’s kind of weird.

One of the things that separates movies from live theater, though, is that in live theater there is a relationship between the audience and the performers onstage.  They both affect each other, which is why oftentimes, after running through a show for so many rehearsals, there’s not much further you can go without adding the final ingredient of an audience.