THE PROCESS
So what can you expect from me as a director? I’ll be honest, this is the first time I have directed amateur theatre in a very long time. I am used to an intense rehearsal period of one week and working on multiple productions at once. Therefore, I’m really excited to have the time to work and develop a show. I have a really clear vision for the production and part of that comes from what has really worked for me in the 2016 pro tour, but I want to take those aspects and create a brand new production that is tailored to the cast performing it and the venue.
I think I’m pretty good at getting the best out of people and have worked with quite the range – I’ve directed pop stars, soap stars, children and animals. My favourite celeb to direct (and probably the easiest) was Pudsey the dancing dog from Britain’s Got Talent! It’s extremely important to me that a production is fun to be a part of and I always cast a team rather than individual characters. It is always clear to an audience when performers love being part of a show and absolutely enhances everyone’s experience.
In the rehearsal room, I’m sure I’m not the only director who can’t really work with scripts in hands. Therefore, the schedule will be planned in a way that blocks through the show in a timely fashion so that everyone can get it learnt. We would then work back through in more detail, developing characters and fine tuning for a really slick production. My rehearsal room is also a safe and supportive space where we can explore, experiment and develop through our mistakes.
You would start rehearsals with all music and SFX in place so that we can work with them from day one. This will get transitions really tight but also allow underscores and soundscapes to help develop scenes. As a technician, it’s really important to me that everything works as one and having all this in place from day one will cement everything together really well.