Delvyn Case Jr » directing

THE TEXT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

December 07, 2015 by admin in directing, lighting, Production Advice, staging, Uncategorized 0 comments

In a New York Times review (11/12/15) of a New York production, the reviewer makes this very illuminating comment, “Ms Lloyd's “Henry IV” is, among other things, a celebration of the metamophic wonder of live stage acting, and of the distinctive insights it affords as we watch people transform themselves into others.”

From the play "Scattered Ashes", performed in Bonita Springs, FL

Isn't that the truth? A play starts with a text, but that is only the beginning. It's then the actors with their interpretation of the text, along with their movements and emotions that propel the work into THEATRE. But it's not only that. As director, I also see others involved in a production make the play a wonder. Watch the set designers. Witness the excitement in their faces they put together the staging, as in the recent production of my play SCATTERED ASHES in Florida. The set designers built right in the church an open grave and a graveyard, that made a wonderful contribution to the production!

An open grave with a skull on top right on stage! THE EXCITEMENT OF THEATRE! What about costumes? In our production the costume designers transformed two actors arriving for rehearal in tee shirts and jeans into 14th century grave diggers. What MAGIC! And makeup. The actors had to look like they had already dug a few graves before they reached John Knox's grave to finish their jobs. Lighting? An important key to any production. Over the years ofdirecting my plays in Portland, Maine, the lighting technician in charge of the spot had some of the best comments and criticisms that really fueled the finished production. Don't forget sound. Most of large spaces like a sanctuary in a big church need amplification. Sound is key. If you don't hear the lines... WONDER in theatre is live stage acting but also the COLLABORATION of all involved in a production. So when the audience looks and listens, they experience THEATRE.

Stage Directions: From The Dramatist Nov/Dec 2015

November 10, 2015 by admin in directing, Production Advice 0 comments

Playwrights and directors agree on a lot of things about producing a play, but there is one thing they often disagree about: STAGE DIRECTIONS. As a playwright I don't understand why. When I write, I see more than talking. I see action. The mise-en-scene. What can happen when someone says, “I love you” on stage? Can a director really know what was in the playwright's mind—who wrote the play-- with just those words? “I love you” can elicit a response from the extreme of an embrace to a slap in the face. And everything in between. How can you direct (or act) in a play without knowing the response of characters to the words as the playwright intended? That is why stage directions are just as important as dialogue. A column in the November/December issues of The Dramatist, the journal of the Dramatists Guild of America, addresses the issue of stage directions. The writer, John Patrick Bray, Assistant Professor of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Georgia, states that in his basic dramatic course students told him they cross out every stage direction “because stage directions didn't matter.” Where did they learn this? In high school! Although there are a variety of opinions about stage directions among playwrights, most feel that stage directions are just as important as dialogue. Stage directions reveal a major component of the inner life of characters that is lost if stage directions are ignored. How a character responds to “I love you,” can tell us even more than what they say. As Edward Albee has said, plays are literature and what is expressed on the page needs to be expressed directly on the stage. Just as a pianist can botch a piece of written music, so can an actor spoil a play by making choices not specified by the text. The Dramatists Guild of America states, “Stage directions are part of an author's play, much like the title or dialogue itself.” Importantly where there are many earnest opinions about this issue, a spirit of collaboration must exist with all involved in a production regarding stage directions. For more discussion about this important topic, please read the full article “Stage Directions: Do Playwrights More than Dialogue?” in The Dramatist.

ATTENTION ACTORS: KNOW THE STORY

November 09, 2015 by admin in directing, Production Advice, timing, Uncategorized 0 comments

While rehearsing my play SCATTERED ASHES in Florida in November 2015, one of the two actors was having difficulty memorizing his lines and actions especially when the other actor would miss a line or change a line. The first actor could not remember where he was—on the page and on the stage. A problem actors (particularly new actors) have is trying to memorize their lines and actions before they know how the play is developing. KNOW THE STORY AND THE LINES WILL COME. If an actor first reads the play and understands where the dialogue and action are going, it is much easier to learn the lines. In this way the lines and actions are absorbed organically and character can be developed in the rehearsal process. And if the actor does not understand where the play is going and how a line or action fits, ask the director and/or the playwright. There maybe be some logic behind the line or action that the actor does not understand, or maybe the line needs to be changed or deleted! Another example of this principal also occurred during the rehearsals of SCATTERED ASHES in Bonita Springs. It became obvious to both actors and all others at the rehearsal that a line was best said by a different actor than originally written for. Why? KNOWING THE STORY. The other actor had prior lines that build up to this particular line: “Almost forgot a big one!” This line referred to leaving John Wycliffe's skull on top of his grave that was dug up. Want to know more? SCATTERED ASHES is available on my website. KNOWING THE STORY worked during the rehearsals of SCATTERED ASHES, and the production benefited from it!

ATTENDING REHEARSALS at the Theater At Monmouth

July 27, 2015 by admin in directing, Production Advice 0 comments

This past week I concluded my 13th summer of attending rehearsals at the Theater At Monmouth. The theater in Monmouth, Maine is the designated Shakespearean theater of Maine. Over the years I have sat in on rehearsals of many plays by Shakespeare as well as other classical and modern playwrights. This has been a wonderful opportunity of watching a director work putting the text of a play to life on the stage with actors. During tech week, the whole production takes shape as all the elements of the show are added. This year I attended rehearsals of “The Winter's Tale” and “Fallen Angels.” This experience continues to be very valuable to me as a director and playwright. I highly recommend contacting a local theater company to learn by becoming the audience for rehearsals. Over thirteen years I have met a number of young actors as well as continued friendships with a many veterans who return to Monmouth each year to be part of this excellent repertory theater. I can't wait until next summer to do it again!

Raising the Dramatic Intensity of Your Play

July 13, 2015 by admin in directing, Production Advice 0 comments

How do you make your play(s) more dramatic? Direct them! When I have the opportunity of directing one of my plays, I discover as I sit down for the first reading of the play as director my play appears like someone else wrote it. This is because I look at the play totally differently—as how the play looks on stage. Of course this should be how we consider all our plays as we write them, but a director carries with him the additional responsibility making the play come alive with real actors in real costumes, real staging, real props, and real lighting. Directing my plays has made me look at my plays with the eyes of a director. Directing my plays has made me think right from the first words on the page how much more dramatically my play can be. As a result directing my plays has made me a better playwright.