PROFESSIONALISM: Conversations with actors

[kiwitechgirl]

I had a gig this week followspotting a massive production of A Midsummer Night's Dream - eleven actors performing a fairly severely cut-down script, full symphony orchestra playing Mendelssohn's incidental music and eight young ballet dancers - and for various reasons was early to the tech rehearsal.  I was killing some time chatting in the dressing room corridor with the actor playing Flute, who happens to be a good friend of mine, about a different (and wonderful!) show which I've been doing a bit of work on.  The director came along the corridor, heard what we were talking about, and proceeded to tell me off for discussing the different show with the actor!  Apparently it's a "psychological thing, they must be allowed to concentrate on their own show and don't need distraction."  Sadly I was too gobsmacked to retort "excuse me, this is a private conversation and you have no right to regulate that."  I've worked with this director before, and while he is undoubtedly a brilliant man, he can also be one of the most difficult, picky, controlling, nasty people I've ever met, but this is a new extreme!!  The actor in question was as stunned as I was - and pointed out that he had about three lines, so it wasn't like he was struggling to remember them all; it wasn't like I'd barged into the dressing room of an actor I didn't know and started banging on about how wonderful the show was, it was simply an idle conversation with a friend!  I have never been told not to discuss other shows with actors before - has anybody else?!

[Celeste_SM]

Nope. I think I'd just blow off that particular incident as unwarranted and chalk it up to director stress.

I did have a director yell at me once because an actor missed his entrance due to talking with a crew member (just chit-chat) and not paying attention to where we were in the show. He put full blame on the crew member. In my world, actors are responsible for making their own entrances, so I thought it was utterly unreasonable. (Plus there was a monitor in the room, which was just offstage, it was only the 2nd run-thru so the crew member who was still unfamiliar with the show had no way to know that the guy was close to his entrance, etc.)  So I just gave a blanket reminder to the crew not to distract the actors, and gave the actor a reminder to not miss his entrances. It didn't happen again.

[missliz]

I've had a couple instances where an actor's told me in advance "I don't mean to be rude, and I'm listening to everything you're saying, but if I'm not responding it's because I'm getting into the show/character." And during a run I learned who needed space like that and who didn't. But I was lucky enough that the actors who wanted that time told me themselves, ahead of time, and politely!

[sievep]

A great friend of mine once told me to never take anything said during tech personally . . .and that would be my advice to you now.  I have no idea why you were the unfortunate target of his venting, but dust your shoulders off and move forward.  At the end of the day we all have to act how we want to be remembered, and taking the high road in times like this will only be to your benefit.   

If it helps, I've had opera divas scream their heads off at me, and the greatest lesson I learned from that is how to take a good tantrum like that and brush it off (or figure out what the real problem is and help if you can).  It took a LONG time to get there, but it's a good skill to have.

[kiwitechgirl]

A great friend of mine once told me to never take anything said during tech personally . . .and that would be my advice to you now.  I have no idea why you were the unfortunate target of his venting, but dust your shoulders off and move forward. 

Oh, I'm not too bothered about it - if I'd taken everything this director has said to me personally, I'd be a gibbering wreck by now!  I think my favourite one was when he told me that clearly I had absolutely no idea how to prompt an actor, or that I had too much initiative and should just do what I was told...I'm pretty thick-skinned - I was just amazed at the fact he seemed to think I shouldn't be talking about anything except the show!