Be A Real Director

People always say that you can never predict the future. I was so worried about the performance part for this class, but now it seems like I worried too much. Performances is actually an interesting thing. I learned much about performances these days, especially staging. For a good scene, you should not only focus on having excellent actors who perform on the stage, but also have to design the stage and edit the scripts appropriately off the stage. I think it is easier to set the stage, however, I can hardly edit the scripts well. 

First of all, in my opinion, plays is all about pleasing the audience, so when directors stage the scene, they should consider the people who sit in the auditorium. This is the first thing and the most important thing I learned; luckily, I think it is kind of easy to do. When we set the stage, we have to make sure everybody can see. Thus, the stage has to face to the audience, and actors also have to face to people while they are performing. This is actually not so hard for me to achieve, but I have to pay much attention on it. I have to think about which angle is the best angle for the audience to see or which equipments are good for people to understand the scene. For example, when we staged the act 3 scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet, we set the couch diagonally, so it would be better for the audience to see Lucie( Juliet) was propping up in bed. Also, we used a black stick to substitute the real cord, but unfortunately, I did not find it while I was performing. Consequently, when we stage the scene, it is important to consider the people who sit there, so we have to make sure people can fully see and get the scene. 

Secondly, if you want to direct a good scene, indeed well-cut scripts are necessary, but this is the most difficult part for me. I think scripts is one of the most important parts of staging; the stage actually depends on scripts. A good scene should not be too lengthy, so the directors need to edit or delete some lines. Last week, Lucie and I chose Act 3 scene 2 to perform. I thought a conversation scene would be easier for me to stage and perform, but actually it was so hard to edit the scripts. In the book, this scene has one hundred and fifty-seven lines, and we should cut them to a five-minute-scene. This really stumped us, because we thought every line was so important and emotional. In Lucie’s words:“These lines are so cute!” As a result, after we deleted the lines twice, the scene was still too long. In summary, it is so important to have an appropriate script for a good scene, however I lacked of this part. 

In conclusion, I learned many things in this class, and I know I have a lot more to study. It is hard to stage a good scene, because directors have to consider everything. From editing scripts off the stage to performing on the stage, audience is always the most important thing, and it is not easy to do well. After the critique, I think I can do better next time.