Stage Direction for Beginning Teachers

If "all the world is a stage" then it may just happen that someday you may be in charge of the school play. If you have ever worked in a small school setting, or a school with a limited arts budget, you know that the need to be flexible is the primary requirement. Sometimes you will find yourself filling roles you never expected to be in. And one of those may be teaching drama or theater classes. You do not have to take a crash course and bury yourself in manuals, but you can avoid the common mistakes of a first time director by following a few basic steps.

1. Observe Others

If possible, observe several performances in a variety of settings. Go to a professional play. Watch a kindergarten program. Observe a Christmas cantata. Take mental (or written) notes on how the director made use of the stage, of the actors' placement on stage, the flow and transitions in the program, and how lights, scenery, et cetera were used. Not all programs will move smoothly nor will they be well directed but you will start to get a feel for what works and what does not.

2. Choose a Simple Script

It may be tempting to start out with a grand performance but as a beginning teacher, think on a smaller scale. You will not know how good your actors are, how much help you can get, etc. right from the start.

If you are starting the group from scratch, begin with one smaller scale performance such as a mini-play or a half-hour program. Work your way up to longer and bigger performance. Learn early in the small settings what works and what will not. Adjustments are easier to make for the next performance, if the first is small.

If your school, church or other group already has a set schedule, try to follow it with simple plays. Look for plays or musicals with straightforward dialogue, smaller casts and adaptable stage space. Plays set in modern day times will be easier to cast and manage than historical dramas. Also be aware that in most school settings, you will need to find a play that incorporates more girls than guys in leading roles. If you find yourself directing a musical, be sure to get help from a music instructor or dance coach if you are not comfortable or qualified in those areas.

Remember that the best performances are always character or cast driven...not ones with great costume design or set pieces. If the cast is lousy or the script inane, no one will care about the great threads on the main character. Some of the best performances I have ever attended or directed involved no set changes and had very few props.

3. Stage the Play

Once you have your script and cast, map out the stage and scenes. Do this in advance as much as possible. Do not allow your actors to move freely (particularly if they are beginners). The reason you want to map this out in advance is to avoid stagnant usage of the whole stage. Actors, if left to their own direction, have a small view of the stage and will stay in their comfort zone. You as the director, like the audience, see the whole stage. Use the stage well and avoid negative space. (Negative space is unused space.) Keep your actors downstage (closest to the audience) as much as possible.

Be sure to watch the actors from different areas of the auditorium. Listen to be sure their words are clear and loud. Avoid microphones in smaller rooms. They are more of a hassle than need to be. Actors should be using their voices to project rather than work on accents or nuances in speech patterns. It is not television, this is the stage where volume counts.

Also watch to make sure the actors are not turning away from the audience (unless directed by the script.) Actors' faces need to be visible not only for volume, but also for the audience to see their reactions within the play setting. Direct your actors to keep their downstage shoulder open to the audience. Have them "cheat" when there is a need to face another actor. Cheating means that the actors "face" each other at an angle rather than face to face. They both keep their downstage shoulder open to the audience and look at each other from the side. The effect still looks like a face to face but the benefit is that the audience can still see them.

4. Directing the Production

The big picture, or the production in its entirety, rests on your shoulders. In early rehearsals, do be picky about lines, movement, etc. But as it gets closer to opening night, step back and focus on the major issues.

One of the biggest problems with new directors is not starting on time. Regardless of what else happens that day, do not delay. This is why you have understudies for major speaking roles. If recasting must happen, let it happen well before the start time. Your audience will not appreciate having to wait and it will appear that the play was haphazardly thrown together.

Another obstacle to overcome is lag time. Do not allow time to lapse with nothing happening. Again, this is a television generation that you are performing for so keep the performance tight. If the script calls for your leading lady to come in, take off her coat, slip into an apron, start baking bread, and watering plants, have her do it while she is delivering lines or have the narrator speaking. I recently attended a play where there was an in-scene costume change. Unfortunately, the person doing the change went behind an onstage screen and we waited in uncomfortable silence for about three minutes with absolutely nothing else going on. That would have been a perfect time for the narrator to "voice over" or have another scene happen. If there are big issues like this, cut the scene or adapt the play to overcome it.

Lastly, think like an audience member. This program may be your "baby" but try to look at it objectively. Bring in other people for a pre-performance viewing and get their ideas. Video tape and view the actors in action and costume to see it with new eyes. I guarantee that a video picks up more than you will notice in rehearsals. Accept help but be firm in your direction. You will not make it alone, but you are the glue holding it all together.

You will not always have a great production. But each time you will come away with a new knowledge and more ideas for improvement.