JAN
10

Theatre Resolutions for the New Year

By Edith Weiss 

Edith Weiss is the author of several published children’s plays, including six with Pioneer Drama Service.  A lot of Edith’s writing time goes into her stand-up comedy routine, which has taken her all over the country and on three overseas military tours.  Besides writing, she also acts and directs in both children’s and adult theatre. 

Happy New Year!  It’s that time for making resolutions, so many of which fall to the wayside shortly into the new year.  I read that the key to success is making your resolutions tangible and realistic.  In that case, I am resolved to eat more, exercise less, and take the role of couch potato to new and exciting heights.

Yeah, I’m kidding.  But this is a good segue into my actual 2018 theatre-related resolutions.  To create this list, I sought the help of three people — LuAnn Buckstein, who directs children ages 5 to 11, as well as senior citizens; Pamela Nocerino, who directs at a middle school; and Josh Robinson, who directs at a community college.

I will keep my sense of humor.  We all quickly agreed on this one.  Why?  Because it’s the only thing that will keep me from a complete nervous breakdown.  Picture this:  the dress rehearsal is a total chaotic mess.  Cues are missed.  Props are broken.  And not only is an important prop broken, it slices through an actor’s hand.  There is blood.

Relax, there will be blood.  And as awful as all of this sounds, opening night will be fine.  The actors will step up, their friends and family will love it, and you will live (most likely) to direct another play.

I will not underestimate the kids.  This is from LuAnn, who directs a summer camp of 5 to 8-year-olds.  She says, don’t pick projects or scripts because they seem simple.  Instead, challenge your young actors — they will rise to the occasion.  Remember:  kids who are not being challenged are bored actors.  That’s the last thing you want a kid to be.

I will pick projects my actors like.  This is important across the age spectrum, according to Josh, who directs at the college level.  But it’s also something LuAnn, directing at a retirement community, told me.  She had an 80-year-old woman tell her, “If I’m not having fun, I’m outta here.”  So, be sure to pick plays your actors can relate to and have fun with.  To do so, you might let them be part of the play reading and selection process.

I will have a contract.  I will have my student actors and their parents sign a contract that specifically states my expectations of them.  It will address things such as being at rehearsals on time, learning your lines, behavior at rehearsals, and other theater etiquette.  (Download the free contract I use to save my sanity at https://www.pioneerdrama.com/newsletter/teaching_resources/Cast_Contract2.pdf.)

I will not allow any actor to direct another actor.  This means actors shouldn’t advise, or criticize, other actors — especially kids.  Everything needs to go through the director.  If an actor has a problem with another actor, they should tell the director, and let them handle it.  Kids can be insensitive, and criticism isn’t that far from bullying.  Make it clear that unsolicited advice from one actor to another is not welcome.

I will not allow my educational theater program to be a “star vehicle” for any student, no matter how talented.  This is a tough one.  You want the best possible show, but if that means casting the same actors as leads every time, can that be good for your program?  Instead, trying casting this VTYA (very talented young actor) in a smaller character role, showing everybody theater is not just about the leads.

I will not try to fix everything at once.  Sure, nobody knows their lines, most of your actors can’t be heard, and your leads were dating when rehearsals started but are now not speaking.  Breathe.  Take one thing at a time.  Be open with your actors:  they have to learn their lines, because this won’t work without the right lines at the right time.  Then, let’s make sure you can be heard because, if you can’t, those hard-won lines don’t matter, because no one can hear you anyway.  As for that difficult break-up thing?  Let’s take a lesson from Mr. Spock of Star Trek:  “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

I will not let the backstage volunteer adults bring toys to entertain actors backstage.  The rules for backstage protocol are as important as those for onstage.  Young actors that are being entertained backstage will be actors that miss their cues onstage.  (Thank you, Pamela.)

I will never let an actor touch a prop that isn’t theirs.  See the first resolution — this is why there is always blood and broken props.

I won’t yell.  EVER.  Someone has to seem in control, and if that’s not you, fake it till you make it.  As Confucius put it:  “A state of still water — let that be our model.  It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface.”  Or, as Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) said, “It is difficult to keep quiet when everything is being done wrong, but the less you lose your temper the greater your advantage.  Also then you will not go mad yourself.”

I’m sure you’ll have a few more resolutions specific to your program, but if we can all stick to and follow these ten basic ones, we will (hopefully) keep our sanity and pace our energy well through the coming year.

Happy New Year!  Break a leg, friends.