Allie Boettcher
Directing
5/9/11
What it Means to be a Director
This Directing class has given me the opportunity to take a step off of the stage and to work in front of a camera, behind a camera, and to direct other actors. I have learned a lot by being placed in the shoes as a director because I was taken out of my comfort zone, which is to perform and asked to instruct others. At first, I was intimidated to take on the role as a director, but in accepting the challenge I came to discover more about myself as an individual and an actress. I also learned how to differentiate between a realistic scene and a non-realistic scene. This class has been beneficial to me as a performer and has shed light on the responsibilities of a director.
The first scene that we were asked to work on within this class was a realistic scene. I chose to do a scene from Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy, Act 1, scene 1. Within this scene there are two characters, Prudence and Bruce. These characters meet each other by blind dating each other, and this scene is the first time that they ever meet within the play. Although this scene can be interpreted as non-realistic because of the blunt dialogue between the characters; I portrayed the scene to be realistic in emphasizing the nervous state of the characters to justify their bluntness. The two actors I chose for this scene were Robert, who played Bruce, and Sammie, who played Prudence. Both these actors committed to their characters well, but I did find it difficult at first to find my voice and be able to take on the role as the director. Often times Sammie would interject and voice her opinion, but I had to make clear that my decisions were official and worked for the scene. Once I got through the hurtle of taking on the voice of a director, directing the scene became easier and more fluid. I feel that I did a good job with the blocking because I did not have the characters sit the entire time and at one point Prudence throws water in Bruce’s face. What was hysterical was that Sammie accidentally missed his face the first time and when she threw the water the second time she got him, which was not the original blocking. But sometimes mistakes like that can work brilliantly for the scene. This scene was fun to direct and my actors did a great job in their characters.
The second scene that we were asked to do was a non-realistic scene. I chose to do “Mama Who Bore Me” and the reprise version as well from the musical Spring Awakening. This musical is one of my favorite musicals because it is a story that follows the coming of age; the trials and tribulations that go hand-in-hand with adolescence. Also, I was fortunate enough to see the off Broadway version of the show in downtown San Diego when I was in high school and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I have been hooked to the musical ever since then. Within this scene I sang the beginning song “Mama Who Bore Me,” and I sang the soprano part for the reprise. In the reprise I also had Michelle, Jessica, and Kay. Michelle was on soprano with me and Jessica and Kay were on the harmonies. This scene was non-realistic because we were singing the story and movement and formations were incorporated into the performance of the scene as well. I thoroughly enjoyed directing this scene because I truly love musical theatre. I found that directing this scene came more natural to me then directing an acting scene, but maybe that is because I have more experience with musical theatre and movement. Overall, I felt that the scene was a success and I enjoyed directing it and performing in it for the class.
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