MAR
7

How to Keep Actors Off Their Phones During Rehearsal

By Christina Hamlett 

Former actress and director Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 48 books, 266 stage plays and squillions of articles on the performing arts.  www.authorhamlett.com 

Back in the 1970s when I launched my touring theatre company, there was a recurring problem I was poorly equipped to handle:  what to do with my actors during the long gaps between scenes in which they had no lines nor onstage presence.  Whether they were playing lead roles or walk-ons, they were required to attend all rehearsals from start to finish and, thus, be a captive audience until they were needed.

Considering it was the 70s and I was working with adults, smoking breaks were one solution, though admittedly, not a good one.  As a new director, I was simply emulating what I had observed (though didn’t always agree with) during my years in community theatre.

This dilemma of bored actors with “nothing to do” still exists but needs to be put into its proper context for today’s school drama departments and youth theatres.  The big difference now is that practically everyone has a smartphone with them.  At first glance, this handy device that can occupy untold hours of one’s time might seem like a solution to the problem of idle actors, but it actually contributes even more to the problem.

Directors today cite smartphones as one of the biggest distractions in the rehearsal process — and even during performances.  Young actors might not be physically leaving the premises, but the more wedded they are to checking social media, posting selfies, texting friends, playing games, answering emails, and talking on the phone, the more they’ve mentally checked out.  Once they’re lost in their phones, it’s very hard for them to slip back into the mindset and emotions of the characters they’re playing and be attuned to what’s going on in rehearsal.

Although it’s important to have all hands on deck for initial read-throughs, blocking, and tech week, smart scheduling can go a long way in showing your actors you respect their time.  However, if your class or theatre situation requires that everyone be at every rehearsal, you can provide options for them to use their time between scenes constructively in ways that don’t disrupt others while also keeping their heads in the game.

First and foremost, you need to have the backbone to create a firm rule for your rehearsal space:  upon arrival for rehearsals and performances, actors will relinquish their cell phones to the stage manager or assistant director (or whatever person you deem appropriate).  This immediately eliminates any temptation for actors to use their phones when they should be focusing instead on the needs of the production.

No doubt, students will protest that a parent might need to reach them in an emergency.  To address this, designate one responsible person in your crew, such as the assistant manager, to keep their phone on and with them.  Make sure all cast members have had the chance to provide this number to their parents or guardians, to be used only in emergencies.  If you have your cast members sign a contract upon auditioning or accepting a role (and I strongly suggest you do!), I recommend that you include the following points:

• I understand I will store my phone out of sight in a designated safe space during all rehearsals and performances.
• I understand that family members will only be able to reach me during rehearsals under emergency circumstances using a designated phone number I will provide to them.  Pickup and other transportation issues are not considered emergencies.

Great!  So now that you’ve eliminated phones as a distraction, how can actors use their time productively when not involved in the scene being rehearsed?

• Appoint an assistant director to keep these actors engaged.  They can run separate scenes and provide coaching for dialogue, body language, and movement.
• Task actors in small roles with learning all the lines/blocking of those playing leads.  Rarely do high school plays and musicals have understudies.  Tempting fate a bit, I think.  When an actor gets laryngitis or has a family emergency, there’s always the mad scramble to find a replacement.  Though the understudies might not have a chance to perform (unless you add a specific understudy performance as some theatres do), remind them they are developing the skills that will be required to carry a larger role someday and are demonstrating their work ethic and abilities to you.
• Offer a “Script Box” of miscellaneous scripts in a wide variety of genres available for reading at rehearsals.  Too often, a student’s first exposure to new plays is at an audition with cold readings.  Affording them the chance to read plays in their entirety will make them that much better prepared the next time tryouts roll around.
• Work on a backstory for their character.  Down time between scenes can be spent creatively developing character biographies.  Consider the role of the butler with only one line.  Did his character aspire since birth to be a domestic?  Or did his wealthy family disinherit him when he fell in love with a girl they didn’t approve of?  Maybe he’s an international jewel thief who has been casing the mansion for valuables to steal...
• Act as an audience.  If your actors aren’t onstage, they can serve the useful purpose of not only being prep for a real audience, but also offer specific, positive feedback to the actors onstage, perhaps right before you give notes.  One of the worst directors I worked with would routinely send us home every evening feeling totally deflated.  It was only the encouraging comments I got from castmates — “I really loved that comedic bit you did in the dance number” — that made me want to return.  In my own experience, I’ve learned much about the craft of acting from watching fellow actors I admired.
• Assist with tech support.  In a theatre production, there’s always something that needs to be done and sometimes not enough hands to pitch in and do it.  Whether it’s assisting with props, making costumes, swapping out furniture, or helping with sound and lights, it all contributes to creating well-rounded performers with a deeper appreciation for the ensemble nature of making every show a smashing success.