Just so people can see what's in my brain.

[winneganfake]

1. What do you like about each play?

With Henry V, it would have to be the character of Henry himself. Also because it helps to continue a tradition at Greenstage and bring a full cycle (beginning with Henry IV, part 1) to a close.

With Tempest, I love the fact that it is, for all intents and purposes as much a fairy tale as it is a romance. And like Henry V, it's also about circles coming full turn (for Prospero at least).

2. Is there a specific concept or theme you are thinking about using?

Besides what's already present in the texts, none at this point, and certainly no plans to adapt the plays outside of their own context as far as culture and time period go.

3. What about roles? How many actors? Gender? Age issues?

At this point, I need to take some more time with the scipts, but a maximum limit of 12-14 actors should be no problem whatsoever.
As far as issues of gender go, I'd prefer to keep to the genders as presented in the script largely, and hopefully, find actors to fill out the age requirements decently.

4. Are there any special needs for this play? Weaponry, props, costumes,
etc that are expensive or difficult to find? Fight choreographer? Dance
instructor/choreographer? Musicians?

Henry V: Weaponry, obviously- arms and armor for a large majority of the
cast. Personally, I'd love a cannon on stage for some scenes, but I realize
that is most likely impossible between the hauling and construction
involved.

Tempest: Possibly an actor/musician to play the part of Ariel (preferably on
pipes or a flute of some kind). I'd love some ship wreckage for the set, which if I recall, Greenstage currently has in storage.

5. What do you think are the greatest challenges of directing for the
Outdoors? How do you overcome it?

The largest challenge of outdoor theatre in my opinion is strictly the lack
of being able to fall back on any form of technical assistance. The
performance rests completely upon the skill of the actors to enthrall an audience. In my opinion, that also makes it one of the most rewarding aspects of doing outdoor theatre.

8. Do you have a philosophy and/or method of approach and rehearsal? Can
you
summarize it and explain how this enhances your productions?

A large chunk of my directing experience stems directly from when I was
working with an improv theatre company- My approach is largely to let the
actors find their own voice with the characters, and with the show- often
for the first rehearsals, my intervention is strictly limited to when and
where people will be entering and exiting. I tend to save specificity in
direction for later in the rehearsal process. In short, I see myself as mor
of an editor- most of my direction is about taking the existing work of the
actors and melding it into a unified whole, rather than molding each actor
to a vision from day one.

As for how it enchances the performances I've directed, honestly, I'm not
sure how to judge it decently. I know it's infuriated some actors I've
worked with before this. Hoenstly, I think it improves the performance on
several levels- for one, my actors in the past have come up with stuff in
this manner that I honestly hadn't even considered.

9. What do you expect from your Producers?

I expect their support behind the scenes in whatever capacity they choose
to involve themselves in. However, I don't see my producers as a fallback
for myself or as surrogate directors. Typically, the majority of shows I've directed
have been self-produced, or a large number of the production staff are
involved in other roles for the show. I expect my producers to have a final
say in the production as a whole, but not to be involved in the decision
making process for the day-to-day minutiae of a rehearsal.


10. Would you want to work with an Asst. Director? Would you be interested
in being an Asst. Director?

I would prefer not to work with or be an asistant director for two reasons:

First, I have no experience working with that kind of a system. As a
director, I would never be sure of how much control to give my AD or when to
rein them in.

Secondly, I know myself. Working as an assistant director would more than
likely cause me to come into direct conflict with the director on too
regular a basis.

11. Do you have 'people' you like to work with? Actors/designers you would
want to recruit for this project?

Yes. Mostly on the technical side, but I do have a few people (no more than
two) that I'd like to bring in. If that isn't feasible, however, I'm more
than willing to change on that subject.

12. How do you feel about the idea of an Artistic Director having approval
on final casting decisions?

To be honest, I'm not entirely comfortable with it, but I realize that
between coordinating the casts of two different shows and my relative
inexperience as a director for Greenstage, it would be a necessary evil.


13. Which of the following best describes you:

a. When a play opens I can usually point out a prop I built, a costume
piece I found and a moment I choreographed (dance, song, fight).

b. After opening weekend, I leave it to the Stage Manager to keep the show
true.

c. I know every line, costume change, and movement onstage or off, but
you'll never see me behind the curtain

Honestly, It'd be a bit of a mix of all three. Ideally, I prefer to be a B. In actuality, however, it's hard for me to stay out of helping with all the different aspects of a show, mostly because I enjoy doing so much more in theatre than just the acting and directing. With next summer's shows, I'd be turning the reins over to the stage manager, and making no changes to the show itself from that point, but more than likely be there for most of the shows simply to lend a hand where needed (and fighting myself to keep from being backstage).

Comments

[guenneth.livejournal.com]

Who is Henry V? Is V the first letter of this guy Henry's last name? Is he a freind of yours? Where is he bringing the bicycle and how is he going to carry all of those weapons on it? especially that cannon, those things are heavy!

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