24th August, 2009 - Some Ideas About Directing #2

Idea 2 – Leave As Much As You Possibly Can To The Actors

Generally speaking the actors know a lot more than you do about what will work on a stage. They – after all – are the ones who will be putting their thespian derrieres on the line when the curtain comes up. When the rotten tomatoes start flying, it is they who be covered in red goo, whilst you are revving the Mercedes Sprinter in the car park.

There is a ton of stuff that you do not know as a director. You do not always recognise that a beautiful line on the page, is clumsy to say. You do not always recognise that the bottle of wine takes thirty seconds to open. And – if all the planets are aligned – you have very little to do with the subtle magic that is created in the very best shows, where two or three or more of the cast have created a special spark.

So – hands off whenever you can. Let them find what they need to find.