Directing novice actors

December 12, 2004 12:30 PM

I'm directing The Vagina Monologues here at my university. Rehearsals are going well, for the most part. The younger women, all students, mostly theater students, listen when I speak, take direction well, and are basically a dream to work with. My problems are with the older women, who are all professors or health care professionals who have never acted before(MI).

The older women never stop talking during rehearsal, even when other women are performing. They take any direction I give as a personal affront. Part of the problem is that I look younger than I am, but mainly it's just that, due to the nature of The Vagina Monologues and the positive space we're trying to create, I can't just come out with the director-as-dictator persona that has solved these problems in more conventional performances. So, basically, what I'm looking for are tips for getting these women in line without looking like I'm trying to get them in line.

posted by cilantro to human relations (17 comments total)

Can you fire them? Or at least threaten to fire them? Everybody is replaceable, you know.
posted by davidmsc at 1:06 PM on December 12, 2004

Have you set forth rules? Could you say something like "I'd like to take a few minutes to go over the rules for maintaining our positive space. It's really important that we all respect each other and the process of creating a successful play (I'm not sure if "play" is the correct word). Part of that respect is maintaining silence when someone is performing. Because we have limited time together, it's also important that everyone is able to hear the directions that are given." That should get through to a couple of the boors.

I'm more of a confrontationalist. So if the above doesn't work, I would wait until I could get most of the rude ones alone and say "I wouldn't come into your class and talk while you're lecturing and I expect the same respect from you." Period. They may not like it, but they're being total disrepectful bitches and they most likely won't cooperate unless they are directly called on their bad behavior. A few of them may have attitudes after confronted, so it's important that you maintain a calm and professional demeanor. Whatever you do, do not allow any of them bait you into a discussion about what behavior is appropriate.

Your age should have nothing to do with their behavior. You're the director and they need to get over themselves.
posted by Juicylicious at 1:28 PM on December 12, 2004

I would give the older women some kind of responsibility when not on stage. Have them help others rehearse. Put them in charge of "ambience and atmosphere," meaning they are the ones responsible for keeping everyone else in order. Bring any promotion items that need made, such as fliers or posters, and have them fold, staple, stuff, or whatever needs to be done to them, or better, have them come up with designs themselves. Give them a list of local media and have them call in the announcements personally. Have them make a mini-documentary or booklet memorializing the event: interview each other about the show, what it means to them, how they feel about its messages, what they though the first time they encountered it, etc. You could hand out the booklet to your audiences as a theatre guide, with the most noisesome older women's names in the largest letters as "authors." Pictures, of course, a bit of history of the show, some notes about international performances.

None of these things will really stop the noise if they're in the same space, but at least it will be useful noise. Better, though, if you can put them in an adjoining room to do these things.
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:30 PM on December 12, 2004

Instead of making their actions the focus, try making the monologues the focus. Pull each of them aside and privately tell them about the importance of the program and what it means to be focused and exacting. Explain that they're full participation is essential to an effective production and any courtesy that can be extended to other members (in helping them reach that goal) would be tantamount. Tell them you think they're role is important and you'd like to have it work out.

Short, succinct and respectful.
posted by omidius at 1:31 PM on December 12, 2004

Are you a student? Faculty? Neither? It seems from what you say that they are treating you as a student, and asserting what would (in other situations) be superior status, based on their perceived professional/social capital.

So even though you don't want to pull the status game with them, they are pulling it with you.

So perhaps this *is* the language you have to use with them. Mabe you could do something like pull them aside, and say - from your experience as director - that you feel their behaviour is disrespectful/disruptive, and intrusive on the space of the theatre students. Explain you *do* have a job to do - direct/manage the production - and that you have the experience to do it, but at the same time you require their cooperation.

Or, you could call a company meeting, and explain that as the rehearsals progress, and things get more complex, disruptive behaviour is not welcome, and you are going to lay down some house rules, for everyone's benefit.

I'm implying (perhaps unfairly) that you are a bit intimidated by them. Is there anyone you can ask for advice re. how to deal with a situation where your authority is not being recognised, perhaps because you are being typecast by others as socially inferior?

Good luck!

[on preview - what others said ...]
posted by carter at 1:36 PM on December 12, 2004

Hm. My suspicion would be that these women have something specific against you. Do you know what that might be? Because all the advice here is going to do no good if this is the case. Try to think about it...

It's difficult to imagine that they all go into this act automatically for no reason. I doubt that trying to assert your authority is ever going to do much good, because I don't think that that the original problem has anything to do with the idea that they don't respect the authority - I think they just don't respect you, for whatever reason. Are you talking down to them, or being patronising in some way? Or a million other possibilities I can't list? I don't know anything at all about it, but it sounds to me like you've really turned them off somehow.
posted by taz at 2:15 PM on December 12, 2004

Does the 'positive space' thing mean that the audience will be allowed to converse freely during the performance? They need to be told to shut up. The fact that they haven't acted before means that they really, really, need to be told to shut up.
posted by bingo at 2:18 PM on December 12, 2004

I direct plays in NYC, and this can sometimes even be a problem with professional actors.

I tend to deal with things like this by remembering that theatre is a highly collaborative artform. You are not having a problem; the GROUP is having a problem, and the group should brainstorm to solve it together.

I would start (or end) a rehearsal with a group meeting. Praise them for all the good work they are doing onstage, and then bring up the fact that there's a challange to the group that you need their help solving. Be honest about your issues -- say that you don't feel comfortable being dictatorial, because you like everyone and want everyone to have a good time at rehearsal. But say that the socializing is too distracting to the people who are working. Ask the group how they can solve the problem of having-a-good-time while not detracting from the work.

Can people go into another room when they're not onstage?

Do you have a stage manager? It shouldn't be your role, as a director, to play the cop. That's the stage manager's job. It's important that the actors see you as a positive, supportive teacher. If you don't have an SM, try to get one.
posted by grumblebee at 2:50 PM on December 12, 2004

Positive space, schmositive space. You're the director -- be the director and tell your actors to be respectful and behave professionally.
posted by ludwig_van at 3:00 PM on December 12, 2004

We faced a very similar situation when we performed The Laramie Project and our director cast people from the community and faculty, so we had a real mixed bag of experience (fourth year drama students through to the 52 year old man with poor hearing). I was the ASM responsible for keeping them quiet, changing costumes, and calling cues. Holy moley, do I feel your pain. Some of the novices tried very hard, listened to all of the directions, and honestly tried. But some sound very much like the situation you are dealing with.

My best advice for a first step (from watching my director) is to lay down the ground rules. It's far far better to do this in a group. The drama students should realize you aren't lecturing them personally, and the old bats won't feel singled out. The ground rules should sound just like Juicylicious and grumblee describe.

If that doesn't work (and try repeatedly!!), you could pull some rank, but better to do it covertly at first. Is there someone in the cast they consider more of a peer or a superior that you could enlist to help you? We had the President of our university in our production, and he bailed me out numerous times when I was losing all patience during performances. He made these big signs that said "QUIET PLEASE!" and "DO YOU KNOW YOUR CUE?!" and would saunter silently through the group waiting off-stage in the basement with me. You'd better believe they calmed down.

Your tech crew (especially the stage manager, as grumblee stated) should be your side on this, and be willing to keep the actors in line when they're offstage. In my experience, the stage crew has absolutely no problem with playing bad cop to the director's good cop. In all honesty, if you're the only one trying to shush these women, their taking your direction personally could stem directly from that. Do you have crew or cast members you could designate the corralling to, so you can focus soley on directing?

As far as their response to your direction, well you're just going to have to be tough, positive space be damned. They need to know that being a director is your JOB and it's important to you that they feel supported but also that the audience can also hear and understand them. We were dealing with a very touchy subject in Laramie too, and my director used that as a way to get through to the trouble-makers. If you couldn't have enough respect for the material to want to present it well, be part of a team, and be supportive of your fellow actors, then you shouldn't be in the production.

Try to get an upper-year drama student to coach them before you consider removing them from the production, in case it is just you they don't like (I really doubt that's the case). But if they can't be team players and utterly refuse to listen or take your direction then in all honesty, it's likely that none of your techies or other actors relish working with them either.
posted by nelleish at 3:10 PM on December 12, 2004

I never considered that they might just hate me! Now I'm scared. Seriously, though, I don't think that's the problem. The problem is that these women are very very busy and they think they're doing us a favor. Which they are. We're trying to raise money, a lot of money, for our school's women's center. In our small town, having these doctors (medical and academic) in our production is like having, say, Susan Sarandon in a big city production. They're going to generate ticket sales and they're going to be able to get donations that we lowly students just couldn't. I just need them to act professionally, and you've all given me some really great ideas for that. I'm definitely getting a stage manager, immediately. I already know someone quite handy with a whistle and a clipboard who would probably love the job. It's going to be great to be able to focus on getting good performances instead of shushing people.
Nelleish, we're doing Laramie a month after the Vagina Monologues wraps. The fact that we're doing both of these plays in our little bible-belt community is a big step. There's already talk among the militant Christian types here about protests (they protest the Halloween showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show every year, they're real excited about their new targets).
posted by cilantro at 4:13 PM on December 12, 2004

My guess would be that the chatty people just have no idea that they're that big of a disruption, especially if they're inexperienced and have no acting experience. They're probably mostly reasonable people and I can't imagine why a quick word with the offenders wouldn't solve the problem.
posted by gyc at 4:34 PM on December 12, 2004

it's been answered already but I just want to second (or third?) that this should be the stage manager's job. Their inexperience is most of the problem I'm sure, and not that they hate you :)

Talk with the stage manager, if you make routine "quiet please" statements the message should get across. I'd hope!
posted by freudianslipper at 5:05 PM on December 12, 2004

It sounds like being authoritarian to them would be a bad idea, because of the circumstances. Walk up to them while they talk and say this:

"Hello, there hasn't been any complaints yet but it would help the practice if you all could talk farther from the set. Thank you."
posted by Keyser Soze at 5:54 PM on December 12, 2004

Did you have an audition? Or did you just recruit by asking people directly or have some sort of sign-up sheet? The fact that these women feel that they're doing you a favor is a huge problem and won't end with chit-chat during rehearsals. You can probably expect a few of them to be "unavailable" for tech rehearsals or show up late for call on performance nights. They'll also chat backstage, in the wings, etc.

Hare some status-reinforcing tricks you can play on these "community leaders" to get them to shush:

1) pull the noisiest of them aside and ask them if they, as a favor to you, can help keep the other actors quiet

2) pair actors up to run lines with each other. don't let them choose! pair older, noisy actors with younger, not-so-noisy actors. the older actors will take a proprietary interest in the younger actor's monologs and at least shut up, if not actively police the other chatterers.
posted by zanni at 8:01 PM on December 12, 2004

This show was SMed by my best friend in a bible belt town, with a similar kind of cast. I'll e-mail her and see if she's got any tips for you, which I will in turn e-mail to you, if I think they're of any value.

There's great advice in this thread. From previous theatre experience, the only thing that's helped in such situations is emphasizing the "professional" nature of what you're trying to do. You're the director, you've got an understanding of what is professional- an understanding that they don't have. The group meeting sounds like a great way to do this- just reestablish the serious professional nature of what you're doing.

Great show btw! I'm currently in rehersal as "The Woman who Loved to make Vaginas Happy".
posted by stray at 8:11 PM on December 12, 2004

Agreed, this is a stage manager's job.

I was an SM (and a fucking good one, if I may toot my own horn) all through high school, and for a couple years afterwards. There is a very simple way to deal with these people:

You take them aside, and sit them down. In a very calm but firm voice, with a smile, say (or have your SM say-- you really should have an SM already, by the way, and at this late juncture I would heavily advise against getting a n00b. Find someone experienced, or you are, in a word, screwed) "Hi. You're all wonderfully talented people-- but so is everyone else involved with this production. They, and I, respect you when you're on the stage. You have two choices: respect them in return, or leave the production. Choose now, or I will make the decision for you."

There will be brouhaha and a lot of rhubarbrhubarbrhubarb. Ignore it. Give them ten seconds, and then say again: "Your choice. You either respect everyone else in the production, which includes but is not limited to being silent while they are rehearsing, or I will find someone else to play your part."

Give them a Meaningful Look, and walk out of the room. Usually they'll sort themselves out after that. This is how I dealt with innumerable high school prima donnas, and community theatre prima donnas (who are, if you can believe it, worse-- and I went to a performing arts high school!)

I very, very strongly disagree with all of the above suggestions to give these women extra tasks/etc. It just reinforces the awful behaviour. Put them in their places: a production is a team effort, and without respect for one's fellow performers, the production will not work.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:56 PM on December 12, 2004