Directing A Play: 6 Things You May Have Forgotten

Holidays are great...

Hi Amateur Theatre fans (though I'm still not 100% sure anyone else reads this, so if I'm right, Hello Mum)!

I'm sorry it has been a while since I last spoke to you all, but I have just come back from Holiday, in CYPRUS!!!! (for the place I stayed, please see Blue Serenity Cyprus).

But now I have returned, and am in the middle of the biggest undertaking of my amateur theatre career. Directing my own play!

I know, they let this guy direct a play...

I have directed smaller things in the past, even been involved in writing a few pieces, but this is the first time I've been given the chance to go at a full play myself.

The play in question is Codsall Dramatic Society's Puss In Boots (tickets on sale now). It has been a challenge, but one I have relished in many ways.

Yet there have been a number of moments that have surprised me, and I thought I would share those with you today. So here, for anyone interested in directing amateur theatre, is my list of things you may not have thought about...

1. Casting Plays is a mine field

Ok, who killed the lead?

When I got to the audition phase of my production, I was excited, I was thrilled. I rushed up to the Hall, and set out the chairs, delighted to be having a go at directing. I stumbled on getting things up and running, but I managed to settle down into it.

And I discovered, that casting an amateur theatre production is fraught with difficulty. In the past, I have found it a fairly easy task. These were shorter pieces you understand. Here, however, was a full play, with character development, plot twists and many other maddening things I may not have been 100 prepared for. To get the cast balanced, even with the much valued support of my co-director, was not easy. And one mistake now may be irreparable. I had to get it right...

2. There's more to blocking a scene than telling people where to come in

Having successfully cast the play, blocking (getting the scene worked out) began in earnest the next rehearsal. I was clear in my mind about where people were going. I knew what the scene would look like, no problem. 

Yet had I considered that people who go off in a scene may need to come back on later? No, I hadn't. I thus becomes the labyrinthine task of moving my chess pieces around to get people in the right place, at the right time.

And even then, you have to ensure that there are many other things that go right. People need to know how to move through the scene to get off in the right place. I have been blessed with a group who take great care in how they move on set, and in that I was very lucky. Otherwise it might have given herding cats a whole new meaning (herding cats, Puss In Boots, genius).

3. Why am I doing this though?

Motivation is key to performers. Without it, you might as well get some talking robots to do it (still be better than some hollywood stars though). As an actor, your job in amateur theatre is to come up with your own. It's easy(ish). As a Director, you've got to understand every single characters motivation. This has been a challenge with this play, and its a Panto about a cat in boots, hardly the Merchant Of Venice.

Yet motivation is paramount, it shapes scenes. Every character has dialogue that relies on knowing why they are saying what they are saying. Without it, there's no life to the words. A good script (like the one we have) is only as good as those who deliver it. Again tough, my cast have helped immensely, bringing scenes to life, allowing me to explore the deeper motivations of why a lonely millers son should give a random talking Cat his boots...

4. You want me to wear what?

 Costume are fun. I love a good, daft costume. It makes things so much more fun. You get to see so much more than when you simply walk on in jeans and a t shirt. It adds so much more life to productions.

So what am I wearing? Erm....

I am very lucky to be in an amateur theatre group with such a wide variety of costumes available. Some small professional theatres could probably stage a show with what we've got. This adds a whole new dimension, it's less what don't we have, but how much we have. It is a very laborious task to go through costumes, but they can make or break a production, so it is vital to choose the right ones.

5. LET THERE BE LIGHT

I keep going on about how lucky I am to be in an amateur theatre group with such great resources. On top of having a great venue, Codsall Village Hall, we also have some very dedicated sound and lighting technicians.

They do however, need to be part of a discussion about things. They need to be given ideas. There has to be a meeting.

Organisation is key, so anyone who likes the idea of directing better have a good idea of how to sort themselves, because everyone will need to be a part of the discussion. Sound and Lighting is vital, and you need to have a clear picture of how you want that to go, or else you may be in the dark for a long time (honestly, I should do stand up...)

6. And finally your life..

Do you know the worst thing in amateur theatre? Life, work, children, they don't pause so you can just concentrate on directing. You have to go to work, you have to look after the kids, feed the cat (that's not a joke, we do have a cat, she's called Mittens). Amateur Theatre is something you do because your passionate, because you love it. 

At the end, I'm told it will be worth it. All I want to do is survive, and produce the best show I can!

Come and see Puss in Boots, at Codsall Village Hall, Thursdays and Fridays 28^th, 29^th November and 5^th, 6^th December at 7.30pm, Saturdays 30^th November and 7^th December at 2.30pm and 6.30pm. Tickets are only £4.50; adults come at children’s price, ticket price includes a drink and biscuit for children during the interval. Free entry into our colouring competition for all children, with prizes! (Aimed at children aged 3-11) 

Tickets will be available soon from Knit & Stitch, The Square, Codsall. Alan Rigby Jewellers, Birches Bridge and Learning Ladder Toy Shop, Anders Square, Perton, or you can order online at www.codsalldramaticsociety.co.uk. For parties of 6 or more please telephone 07792784908 or order online.