Directing
Fall 2018
I directed Wit by Margaret Edson at Southwest Baptist University from August-September 2018.
Wit
How the process started...
In the Spring of 2018, I was selected as the student director for the next season at SBU Theatre. My next task was to choose a play to direct.
At first, this seemed like an overwhelming task. There are so many plays in this world and I had to pick one that fit with my vision as a director and with the mission and capability of my program. So, I set some guidelines for myself. First, I knew I wanted a play that had a flexible or heavily female cast. I also knew that I would prefer a play written by a woman. Gender equity in theatre is important to me, and one way to achieve that is representation and opportunity. Second, I wanted something that would connect with my love of words, writing, and literature. And finally, I knew I had to do a play where I could recognize myself in the characters. Something that would challenge me and excited me creatively.
Then I started reading plays. After about three or four plays that were almost right but not quite there, I found Wit while perusing the school library. Once I had read about half of the play, I knew I'd found the play. However, there were some challenges. Being that I attend a Christian University, we have to consider our audience and what would best represent our Christian campus. The only way we would be able to do this play was if we had permission to change some offensive language. So, after some digging, I found Margaret Edson's email and presented my case. Meanwhile, I kept searching for other plays, although my heart still clung to Wit. And then, the miracle of miracles, Margaret Edson emailed me back and gave me permission to alter the language. And so, the selection was made.
Pre-Rehearsals
Preparations
After our 2018-2019 season was announced, I collected my crew. Over the summer, I created my prompt book, rehearsal schedule, and director concept packet, and discussed concepts with designers. I also started working on rehearsal plans. I read up on Viewponts and decided which exercises I wanted to do with my cast.
Before Auditions
Before school started, I met with my stage manager and decided how auditions would go, and looked more in depth into what our process would be like. I also met with the set designer and started getting solid ideas of what the set would look like. Then I planned out my blocking script.
Auditions and Casting
We started auditions by having the actors prepare a monologue, and then chose actors to come back for callbacks to do cold reads. We chose our cast shortly after that.
The Rehearsal Process
5 weeks of rehearsals. Short but sweet.
The Read-Through and Blocking
After the show was cast, we jumped straight into rehearsals. We started with a read-through so that the cast and crew could read the script together and get an idea of the direction the show would take. After that, we started blocking, and then character work. Each day of rehearsal consisted of 30 minutes of viewpoints exercises before rehearsing, and then 2-3 hours of running and breaking down the play.
Nursing Practice
Before rehearsals started, I knew I wanted to have students from the school nursing department to come in and give us a run down of how some of the procedures in the play worked. I invited a nursing student to come in for one of our rehearsals and he spent an hour demonstrating how to take vitals, answering questions, and guiding the actors as they practiced the procedure.
Conference Call with Margaret Edson
When I initially contacted Margaret Edson, she was so kind to offer talking with our cast via a video conference call. Once we had our cast, I contacted her to update her on how rehearsals were going and set up a time for our call. The cast met and Ms. Edson shared her vision of the show and discussed the themes with us. It was an amazing experience and we are so thankful to Margaret Edson for providing that opportunity!
The Show
Dress Rehearsals and Tech
After weeks of rehearsal, we finally got to put tech elements together. Costumes, makeup, lights, and sound were added and we started to run the show in show conditions. With only a few minor hiccups to conquer, tech week was a success.
The Run
Finally, we made it to opening night. The show was out of my hands and in the very capable hands of my stage manger and crew. All three performances were met with laughs and tears, and I got to sit in the audience and enjoy a show I adore.
Audience Response and Community Involvement
Each night after the show we had a post show discussion led by the dramaturg. We discussed the themes of the play and related the play to our community. We hosted the discussion in the school art gallery, where art students displayed art created in response to the themes of the show.
Example of Script Analysis for Wit
June 2018