Student Blog: Classes Outside of Your Concentration?!

This semester is all about trying new things, and that new thing for me is directing. I have never really had any chance to direct as I have always been behind the table furiously scribbling down notes alongside a director. Yet here we are!

It’s been an experience, to say the least. We have blocked the show, and are continuing to rehearse, working hard to really get into the details of the piece. It has been extremely rewarding to be able to create that creative space in which everyone has a say. Something I have loved about this process is just how collaborative it is. The class allows us to partner with acting students, many of whom are freshmen, and create a short scene together. While I am directing, I am also creating a space for us to explore the work together.

This whole process has made me realize just how important it is to really expand your own understanding and to work in a sort of multi-disciplinary way. Of course, it is all theatre; however, directing is vastly different from acting, stage management, set design, etc. From this experience directing, I truly feel that I’ve learned ways that I can be a better stage manager, as well as ways I can help my actors and shows that I’m doing.

Another thing I love about this class specifically is that it is not for directing students. It is for other theater arts majors. Most of my classmates are musical theater or acting majors. I happen to be the only stage management major in my section of the class but every section has a slightly different variety of majors.

Because of this class and the conversations we have had, I find when I watch plays I’m paying attention to the nuance of movement in ways I didn’t before. It has really helped me to appreciate all of the different elements that go into staging these productions in ways that I had not previously fully understood. It has also helped me to understand more of my own stylistic choices, as well as my voice as an artist even even though the scenes we are directing our small we have been given a lot of freedom to really explore what we like as artists.

This process has not been without challenges though. As a stage manager, some of my skills are not as transferable as I would hope. blocking was very difficult for me because I want to focus in instantly on all of the details rather than allow us to start with a big picture. Working opposite how I want to work has definitely forced me out of my comfort zone, but has ultimately taught me a lot! I’ve learned how to block! I wouldn’t say I am a professional by any means but I’m very thankful to now have that foundation.

Overall, I am really thankful for my program which allows us to experiment in all of the different areas of theater. This is something. I feel really passionate about it and definitely likely sound like a broken record when I talk about it; however, I truly do believe in the power of learning the theatre arts in a more multidisciplinary fashion.