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Introverts in Theatre

By Wade Bradford 

Wade Bradford was born and raised in the often wet and sometimes windy state of Washington.  At the age of 19, Wade fell in love with a girl who lived out-of-state, so he moved to the often sunny and sometimes shaky state of California.  He earned a Masters in Literature from CSUN.  Wade currently teaches English at Moorpark College and is the official “Guide to Plays and Drama” at About.com.  He has written over 30 plays, including Downton Zombie and Stagecraft:  The Video Game, both available from Pioneer Drama. 

It’s 1998.  I’m a young, inexperienced director attempting to put on a youth theater world premiere musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Parents have paid $250 bucks so that all summer long their child can spend four days a week rehearsing for a show.  For me, and hopefully for the performers, children’s theater is fun, fulfilling work.  A combination of structured routine and spontaneous creativity.

All the major roles have been grabbed up by the talented (and in some cases Broadway bound) extroverts.  Many of the ensemble players are new to the Theatre, and most of them seem happy to sing and dance in the background — hoping for a chance to shine in a supporting role.  However, some of the cast members — the ones who were probably prompted to audition at the urging of their parents — those are the kids who want to stay out of the spotlight.  These are the performers who get shut-down when all eyes are upon them.  These are the introverts.  The wall flowers.  The Shy Ones.

They might want to join the improvisation games.  They might wish to stand up in front of their drama class and recite a sonnet, yet something is holding them back.  For example, there is an eleven year old girl, Lauren, who — according to her mother — desperately wants to have a speaking part.  But during rehearsal, Lauren is the quietest, shyest fairy in Shakespeare’s magical forest.  She spends most of her time attempting to hide behind the scenery.

How do I foster positive experiences for my introverted students?  How do I ensure that Lauren has the best possible theater experience this summer?

Like many other directors and drama teachers, I have a have often wondered about the best ways to connect with introverted students.  As with most situations dealing with human nature, there’s no single solution, but there are many successful strategies to help these shrinking violets bloom.

Most surprising of all, however, is the fact that sometimes drama teachers don’t need to fix anything.  Sometimes an introvert is exactly what your production needs.

Introverts Aren’t Always Introverts

What is an introvert, anyway?  That label can mean a lot of different things, but if we are defining an introvert as a person who feels inhibited, stand-offish, displaying reluctance to be outgoing and outspoken, then I am introverted during much of my daily life.  At meetings, I listen way more than I talk.  At holiday parties, I don’t feel comfortable mingling.  I’d rather sit in the corner at pet the family dog.  Small talk unnerves me.  But if you put me on stage or in front of a classroom, it’s hard to shut me up.

So, sometimes we are in an environment in which we are boisterous and highly communicative.  Sometimes we find ourselves in places in which we feel quiet and reserved.  If you have students who are typically shy or even uncomfortable during drama class, try to find out more about them.  Discover when they are introverts and when they are extroverts.  You might find out that some of them excel in athletics, or that they love standing up during band practice and wailing on the trombone.  When you learn about their most comfortable environments you might also learn how to connect their lives to theater.  For example, if you know that an introverted student is the school’s best basketball player, conduct an improv game in which that student plays the role of a coach or to act out a scene in which they are preparing to play in the state championship.  Familiar characters and situations can open the doors of inspiration.

Of course, there are students that feel apprehensive wherever they go.  The environment doesn’t matter, perhaps because they are going through a phase in which they can’t stand being in their own skin.  During my teen years I bounced and forth between narcissism and self-loathing.  Sometimes the best remedy was for me to step out of my own life and into someone else’s world.  Theater can do that.

Stepping Into Someone Else’s Shoes

Being in a play or musical is a portal into a new perspective.  If you are in a show (or even a five minute drama exercise) you have the opportunity to become someone else.  And you have the chance to channel emotions that you might otherwise have held within, perhaps indefinitely.  For some drama students, theater class can become a sixty minute break away from themselves.  It’s a place where they can try on a new personality and see if it fits.  Give your introverted students plenty of chances to try on new characters.  Maybe by being someone else, they’ll find out who they really are.

“I Don’t Like Being the Center of Attention”

This is a common lament among many introverts, especially those expected to perform in front of large groups.  Marlowe Weisman, a long-time drama teacher for a charter school in southern California, has a method for emboldening his shy students:

“I will usually separate an introverted performer from the rest of the class to perform his/her scene in private.  We’ll go to an empty classroom and I will start by ignoring the student completely by reading a book or eating my lunch, not even looking at him/her, just to get the student used to performing his piece in the same room as another person.  Then I would gradually increase the amount of attention I pay him/her, turning my attention to the performer only when their character/content demands me to, allowing the student to get comfortable performing.”

After Weisman helps the student become accustomed to one-on-one attention, he gradually brings more people into the mix.  He explains, “Once the student can perform his entire piece directly to me, then I’d bring in a trusted friend of the performer to join me.  Now we’re an audience of two.  Soon we’ll bring in another friend or two as well for a private performance, and then move to presenting the performance to the wider class.  I try to alleviate the pressure on the shy performer, emphasizing the support team nature of the class.”

As with any new subject, the learning process takes time.  Sometimes introverted drama students believe that if they don’t know how to act well in the beginning, they will never improve, and never truly become part of the troupe.  Once they realize that baby steps are a good thing, they can set goals for themselves.  Who knows, by the end of school year they might land a leading role!

Flashback to 1998

I walk up to Lauren, kneel down to eye-level, and say, “I need someone to shout out ‘Behold the forest.’ I think you would be perfect for this line.  Would you like to try?”

“No thank you,” she whispers.

I ask her a couple more times throughout the rehearsal, hoping I’ll somehow coax her out of her shell, and then I notice that during break Lauren is drawing pictures of some of the cast members as fairies.  She’s quite a talented illustrator.  She quietly explains that, “This one is Cobweb and this one is Peaseblossom.”

Then it hits me.  There are so many other ways for theater lovers to shine.  “Lauren, these are awesome.”  I show them to one of the theater-mothers, the head costumer who is still looking for ideas.  we both agree that the eleven-year-old has a gift.  “Lauren, would you like to draw more pictures to help us with costume design?”

Her eyes are wide with a look that combines a little bit of fear with a big dose of delight.  “Yes,” she says.

Theater happens because of countless artists, all of whom have different talents and strengths.  Whether your students are extroverts, introverts, or somewhere in between, the theater has a place waiting for them.

Are you an introvert?  Have you ever directed a painfully shy performer?  If you have any stories about introverts and their experiences with the theater, please leave a comment and share on our Facebook page!