Guiding a Theatre Company

Guiding a Theatre Company

by Robert Armin

Although I entered the theatrical profession as an actor in 1973, I later discovered that I was less interested in my own performance on stage than on the overall creative and technical aspects of a production. As a director, I am interested in establishing a unity of style and purpose among the various participants and in maintaining a working atmosphere in which everyone involved can be at their most creative. I would prefer, in most instances, to cast an intelligent, enthusiastic actor who is able to work with others, than to endure the erratic and often neurotic behavior of a "brilliant" talent who will simply antagonize everyone involved. This philosophy extends to the use of guest artists, as well. Performers who treat their fellow actors as inferiors offstage make it virtually impossible to create a balanced ensemble work onstage.

In dealing with actors, I like to focus on the intention behind the words, helping the performer find an appropriate intensity for each moment, rather than requesting vague "end results" or relying on relative terms such as "faster" or "louder." I have found this method particularly useful for actors with a limited amount of experience, as it relates to them as people rather than technicians.

In scheduling a season, I would try to select plays that speak to a variety of interests, but which share, in some way, a common theme. This link between productions, however slight, enables an audience to relate to a season as a single entity -- to think about one play even as they watch the next. In this way, even a less "successful" production will be looked on as a piece of the whole, rather than as a misfit to be quickly forgotten.

For an audience, theatregoing should be, for want of a better expression, an "uplifting" experience, even when dealing with serious or even depressing subjects. A play about cynical, self-centered people can offer a positive experience by pointing out our own weaknesses and warning us of similar traits in others. At the same time, a light comedy should do more than merely divert our attention. The great door-slamming farces of Feydeau are relevant to contemporary audiences because they deal with timeless human emotions and weaknesses. More than any other art form, theatre brings people together in a shared experience that can have a very favorable effect on a community as a whole, but it is essential to avoid the appearance of preaching -- ideas are most effective when the audience imagines them to be of their own invention.

When presenting a "classic" play, it is important to approach the work as if it were a new creation, finding in it something that will move contemporary audiences. This does not mean, necessarily, updating a play's language or look, but finding the relevant material and focusing on it (Arthur Miller's adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People is an excellent example).

A well-rounded season should include a combination of contemporary plays (including recent New York hits), established classics (from Euripides to Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams), and new works (which could be developed in-house via playreadings and developmental workshops).

Naturally, musicals are an important factor in attracting audiences, and I welcome the opportunity to present both established hits and lesser known works that deserve revival. I would especially like to revitalize the great theatre music of the past by revising or replacing the now dated and unusable librettos once attached to works by Kern, Rodgers, Porter, Berlin and others.

In summary, I believe that for regional theatres to thrive they must be an active part of their community and offer more than mere diversion. For an Artistic Director to succeed, he or she must participate in and become a part of that community, and help to reflect - through exciting, involving and entertaining theatre -- that community's ideals and concerns.

http://www.robertarmin.com/guiding.htm