FEB
21

Supervising Student Actors

By Flip Kobler 

Flip Kobler began his performing career as an actor before morphing into a writer.  Flip and his wife, Cindy Marcus, have written for Disney and now run Showdown Stage Company and Showdown Theater Academy in Valencia, California.  Pioneer Drama Service is pleased to offer several plays and musicals by this dynamic duo. 

Working with young actors is the — and I do mean the — single most emotionally satisfying thing I have ever done.  It also comes with its own set of challenges.  Teen lives are filled with so much — schoolwork, homework, extracurricular activities, sports, band practice, dating, after-school jobs, family obligations, and on and on...

With all that going on, plus whatever else they’re keeping to themselves, it can make managing rehearsals a little problematic.  So how do you keep rehearsals running smoothly and morale high while still getting the work done AND having fun?  (Fun matters.  I mean, it’s called a “play” for a reason.) 

Over the years, we’ve developed some tips that have helped us keep things running (mostly) smoothly.  Granted, we work with teens in the context of a theatre camp, not a school setting.  Still, I’m confident you can get ideas and adapt these tips to your own situation, whatever it is.

Time Management

We’ve discovered kids will work their tails off if they feel their time is not being wasted.  But no one wants to sit through a rehearsal only to stand up and give two lines before it’s time to wrap for the day.

So, make calendars early in the process.  We schedule everything.  (Although, let’s be honest, sometimes that schedule gets behind, needs to be revised, or even tossed.)  But a clear calendar of events can help tremendously.

Post your schedule before auditions.  Actors know which days they will be needed and when.  That way, they can still flip burgers after school, or make football practice, or get that book report done, or go on that special date with Heather.  Letting actors know ahead of auditions what days they’ll be required to attend hopefully means people won’t audition for a role they won’t be able to rehearse.

Besides, working scenes with only the actors you need helps focus the work and shows that you care about the whole person and not just the actor.  Kids will work harder when they feel you are understanding and respecting their full, complex lives.

A Contract

This is something we came up with a few years back, and it’s saved our bacon a bunch.  We put out a contract on the first day of rehearsals.  This lists all the things you want and expect from your actors.  It’s pretty basic stuff:

• I will be on time for rehearsals.
• I will not be on my phone during rehearsal periods.
• I will know my lines and blocking by the times set forth.

And then we’ll always throw in a few silly ones, just to keep it light and keep it from seeming like an official legal document.

• I will not pinch the teachers with my double-jointed toes.
• I will not ask anybody to “pull my finger” while on stage.

These silly rules help keep the tone light.  But having them sign the page on the first day or even when they come to audition does give you some wiggle room if there’s ever a problem. 

If you have issues specific to your area, be sure to include those in your contract, as well:

• I will not bring any weapons to rehearsal. 
• I will not skip rehearsal to go to the tractor pull in the Beanery parking lot.

Again, this isn’t meant to be a binding legal contract, but it is written proof of what they’ve agreed to.  Depending on the situation, we’ve also had a similar contract sent home and signed by the parents:

• I understand that some rehearsals may run late and will do my best to accommodate.
• I will provide transportation for my child to and from rehearsals.
• I will make sure my child has appropriate snacks and drinks.  (This is especially important if you have actors with food allergies or dietary restrictions.)

By involving the parents and getting them to sign, it’s another way to ensure that your cast is upholding the rules you’ve set forth.  And when they say, “I didn’t know we’d need to do that!”  you can say, “Yes, Kevin, you did, you signed your name right here.”

Student Council

Ooh, this one has saved us many times.  Each week we select a new student council.  We divide the number of students by the number of rehearsal weeks.  Let’s say you have four weeks of rehearsal and 20 students.  First week, five students are on the council, next week another five, until everybody has served on the council.  Everyone must serve.

“What does this student council do?”  you might ask.  Glad you did.  We give them the authority to make decisions about the week.  Where we order food from on “dine-in Tuesday.”  Or what day we will all wear our show t-shirts.  Or where we are going after rehearsal on Friday.  Lasertag?  Roller-skating?  Their choice.

Whatever decisions need to be made, give as much authority to your student council as possible.  Because the real reason for the council is for when something goes wrong.  If a student acts out, or misbehaves, or misses too many rehearsals, it’s up to the student council of their peers to decide what repercussions there should be.  Is Bobby not allowed to go roller-skating?  Are some lines given to another actor because Shelia missed too many rehearsals?  This council provides a cushion between you and the offender, allowing you to remain the director, not the disciplinarian.

It's amazing what peer accountability can do when you make students responsible for each other.  In our experience, kids are less likely to act out if they must face a council of their peers for “punishment.”  They can’t complain about “that dumb ol’ director” cutting their lines if it was voted on by their classmates.

Respect

Respect goes both ways.  You can’t expect actors to honor the work and the process if you don’t respect their time and talents.  So, we don’t treat them like students.  We tell them up front, “We will treat you like professional actors.”

We start by respecting their time and doing our best to use it wisely, as I’ve already described.  We also respect their talents and vow to use them the best way we can.

And we listen.  I can’t emphasize this enough — you’ve got to listen to your students.  Just last night, while mounting an original show for the first time, there were two young actresses, both still in high school, whereas most of the rest of the cast is older.  These two are simply awesome.  They work hard, they try hard, they push themselves outside of their comfort zone.  And they have ideas.  Some ideas are great, some simply don’t work, and of course, some are self-motivated, based on what makes them look better.  But they’re all good ideas and all deserve to be heard.

So, after rehearsal last night, as we were all packing up to leave, I told them how proud I was of them and their work.  And they thanked me for...  listening.  Just for listening.

Wow.  It seems like something so simple.  But in their world, not a lot of directors want to hear from young actors.  Whether or not we took their suggestions was irrelevant.  The fact that they were considered with equal weight to the more experienced actors was all that mattered.  Simply showing them the respect of listening and taking their ideas into account, they felt empowered, trusted, and valued enough to try new things in this safe space.

Bottom line, treat student actors’ time as important, make your expectations clear up front, create accountability to the ensemble, and give your cast the respect you want from them, and this magical journey from audition to final curtain can be a bit easier, less stressful, and more fun.  You got this.  We are touching and changing lives, one bow at a time.  Now get out there and break some legs.