BackStage Utah

Can you explain what you mean by "working" a scene? I think I know what y'all mean, but I'm curious to hear how you explain it.

Cheeky Monkey wrote on Mar 31^st, 2010 at 12:40pm:


There are some basic things a Director should do:

• Block so that the story is told and actors do not get in the way of one another.
• Review that blocking enough times that the actors are familiar with one another's paths across the stage
• Present any lighting and set needs to actors and include those needs in the blocking so that tech rehearsal stress is lessened

To me, this is where most Actors get 'over-rehearsed'. Because these things can be time-consuming, many rehearsals get hung up on the nitty gritty of whether or not an actor should go step this way or that. Some actors (particularly beginners) are not so good with the learning physical movement and spacing.

Working a scene in a group context includes all that. But the movement must be generated from the objectives and tactics of the characters, which is part of an actor's preparation. I divide "working a scene" into two categories: One, the actor's preparation. Two, the group preparation rehearsal provides.

To use a metaphor: The actor prepares on his/her own and this is a skeleton of the character. At rehearsal, the director challenges this in order to build and add muscle to the skeleton. Working the objectives and tactics with the rest of the cast is the tendon and joint work, navigating how one character will play off another. To complete it all, a costumer and technical crew add the skin, which also plays into the original objectives.

When a director is only focusing on the skin, an actor can grow weary because there is no framework to support the whole system. However, when an actor prepares the framework in advance, everything else works together, no matter how long something is rehearsed.

Working the scene in the context of solo preparation is different for everyone. I like to read the scenes I am in at least 5 times. First, to find the events. Second, to find the objectives of my character. Third, to find the tactics my character will use and possible counter tactics/objectives of other characters. Fourth, to find the love. And fifth, to solidify the information. I follow that up by reading the entire text of the piece with the newly-acquired-knowledge about my character.

As a director, I've made a lot of mistakes trying to get to a systematic approach to 'working the scene' in the context of group work. Out of these mistakes, I've found that asking lots and lots of questions works best. I see my job as director as similar to the sport Curling - I sweep in front of the actor where I think they should go, but I mostly let them do the moving. A really good question can spark an amazing objective or a really incredible moment. That's not just the director, though. Those moments don't come without the actor preparing before rehearsal and attending rehearsal with the desire to find more (and sometimes new) connections to the character and to the other characters.

None of this takes into account the fail of a director who is either mistaken in approach or just not doing appropriate scene work or an actor who lazily expects the rehearsal period to fit her/his own lack of preparation. Those are different aspects of scene work and require a different approach altogether.

Great stuff guys.

Rosie, what do you mean by "find the love?"

That makes a lot of sense! Especially the fact that the people we hurt most are usually the people we love most.