Directing Philosophy
My job is to help tell the story; my actors are the ones telling the story.
The theatre world allows many people from many different places to share their stories and lives through art. As someone who is plus size, non-binary, Queer, and of Latinx descent, I believe theatre should reflect our diversity worldwide. Due to this, an ideal at the forefront of my directing ideology is colorblind casting unless the role requires a specific ethnicity, anyone can play anything, and people of all shapes and sizes deserve to play any role. Theatre is all about telling different stories from different perspectives and unique interpretations.
During rehearsal time, I take time to help my actors find the deep meaning behind their characters. As the director, I want to challenge my actors by asking them concrete questions such as: “What was your character doing before this scene? Why is your character here?” As a director, one of my favorite things to do is focus on specificities, i.e., “what does your character lead with? What are your character's ‘nervous’ ticks? What is your character's backstory?”
One of the most important messages for my actors is to go on stage and have fun, allow themselves to be a part of the story, and enjoy their time on stage. An old professor, Mark Brotherton, shared, “It's a play, not a serious. Just have fun!” This quote is something I always keep in mind with my actors and team during rehearsal. Actors should not dread coming to rehearsals; they should feel as if they're in a safe place. Actors shouldn’t feel bad about making mistakes and make choices they see fit to bring their characters to life. If I disagree with them, we can work together to see what the character needs and how we can achieve that as a unit.
Giving the actors this choice gives me a lot more inspiration to add things to other parts of their character they would have never thought of. Theatre is a collaborative effort. Through this, so many different parts go into having a show come to life that everyone is essential and necessary.
Theatre is a collaborative effort. The show can only go on with designers, stage managers, producers, technicians, and every other role a production may require. One of the best times is the pre-production stage; collaborating with my team and seeing ideas flow allows us to create a natural bond when bringing a show together. Additionally, hearing ideas everyone has for the show allows so many perspectives to be heard, and they can be involved with our vision for the show.
When collaborating with others, I present in a PowerPoint with thoughts on sets, costuming, and color palettes! It is always beneficial to have ideas going in and be open to any other ideas people have. Creating a vision of what the show will be and the overall tone can help everyone get on the same page during the pre-production/rehearsal process. As a director, there is no deadset way I wish for my cast to do things. There is a beauty in nuance and perspective that I may not have; creating an open environment where the actors and team can have ideas and inspiration is my goal as a director.
Theatre is a collaborative homage to the human spirit and emotion; connecting to the audience and getting an emotional response is the drive behind the entire show. Creating the team dynamic and encouraging the engagement of ideas to put on the show. The collaboration really makes everything shine.