The Great Acting Blog: “The Director’s Culture”

The Great Acting Blog: “The Director’s Culture”

So often the director sets the tone for a production. His approach to the work becomes the approach of the company. If he shows seriousness, commitment and focus for example, then that becomes the dominant culture of the group. Other directors prefer to create a jokey, light-hearted environment, and the actors will respond accordingly. Of course, there are as many different approaches to the work as there are directors.

This is why a director needs to first look at himself if the actors are not delivering what he wants. Is he sending out the right message? After all, if he is sloppy and casual about the work, he can hardly be surprised if the company lack thoroughness and intensity. My general view is that actors should be fully self-reliant, not taking their cue for their own work from others, they should work to their own standards. However, the reality is that so many do take their cue from the director and this infectiousness is why his approach to the work is so important.

My intention going into any production is to fully support the director, even if I don’t always agree with his decisions. This is because I want to maintain a happy work environment, also it’ll help to make the production as a whole a success (which is good for me) and because I genuinely want to embark on a creative journey with whoever I work with. Furthermore, I loathe politicking and anything which distracts from the work at hand, I want to give my all to the work and so I try to avoid anything which might take my energy away from it.

I once worked with a director who, I discovered when I turned up for the first day of rehearsal, didn’t have a clue what the play was about, whatsoever. I shuddered inside but maintained a positive show outwardly. Despite my best efforts to believe,  my trust in the director drained away as the production rolled along, as did my respect for him. I learned that failing to prepare correctly was only the tip of the iceberg with this guy. I maintained my professionalism throughout though, meeting my own standards.  Unfortunately, my attitude of self-reliance did not become the culture of the group, the director’s lazy, arrogant attitude did (the production itself turned out to be a miserable, shameful mess).

For actors then, it’s important to know what conditions you need in order to do your best work. Also, actors mustn’t let their own standards slip when faced with an inferior director. On the other hand, directors need to look at the beam in their own eyes before moaning about the actors. Have you prepared correctly? Do you deserve the respect of the actors? Have you created the culture you want?  Are you articulating yourself cleanly? Are you getting what you want, and if not why not? Do you embody what you preach?

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