THE ART OF THE THEATRE-THEATRE 100

Director Role in Theater

We learned that directors are important in any theatre experience as actors, audience, playwrights, and producers are. Directors keep theatre alive by giving orders, encouraging the actors, and coordinating everything. A director combines dramaturgy with research and many expressions like lighting, staging, music, actors’ movement, and scenery. He or she directs the current of theatre while ensuring that the audience focus on the main thing at a particular point during the performance. Looking at Thomas Kail’ directing the song on Hamilton, he uses staging to ensure that the story reaches the audience as it should. According to chapter 6, “Staging is the core of the rehearsal process, where the director and actors work together to decide where everyone is on the stage at every moment (Cucuzza, 2018).

Kail tells a story through the actors’ positions. When the performance begins, Kail moves the actors upstage and improvises on a one-point perspective where the point of focus on the stage where the three girls, Angelica (in pink dress), Eliza (in green dress), and Peggy (in yellow dress) this was to draw the audience attention to the three sisters who were the main character in the story that was being told, this is evident in 00:18 mark. At the 00.56 mark, Kail applies the two-point perspective where Eliza and Angelica are situated far apart from Peggy. This was to draw the audience’s attention back and forth, from the two to Peggy, it showed that Peggy was the youngest and that Angelica and Eliza were closer. Kail then moves the actors downstage. At mark 01:33 there was the utilization of three-point perspective, where Angelica is the main point of focus while her two sisters and Burr form the second and third. This was to show that Angelica was the eldest of the sisters.  The staging also showed that the sisters were loving and supporting each other in the song when Peggy sings, “Daddy said to be home by sundown.” and Eliza tells her that she is free to go and their daddy doesn’t have to know (The Schuyler Sisters from Hamilton, 2020).

“Theatrical Roles”

Chapter 5 indicates, “Every play starts with words on a page, so will begin with the originator of most shows, the playwright.” Play wrights are essential for the survival and existence of the artform. (Cucuzza,2018) Centre Theatre Group, had a social media attack on how they represent gender equality. Jeremy O. Harris; the “Slave Play” playwright who threatened to remove his play as a way to give women in the industry a chance to represent their work. His concerns were also supported by Activist Sarah Schulman who said, “I emerged as a playwright decades ago into a world of all-male, all-white seasons — with all-male, all-white critics who were hostile to women writers who had perspectives different from the men who ran the world.” and playwright Jessica Goldberg who was seconding Sarah’s concerns. Michael Ritchie CTG’s outgoing director gave an apologetic response acknowledging that they have fallen short when it comes to gender equality. Later CTG wrote a letter addressing the issue by indicating the plans that on the way that will ensure women will be well represented in the next season (Los Angeles Times, 2021) The full Taper 2022/23 will entirely have women playwrights and The Douglas 22/23 will have the majority of women-identifying and BIPOC playwrights. CTG’s Expanded New Play Development Programs will commission six new plays by Black women. Lastly, CTG will appoint new artistic directors who are committed to the changes they are making and program next season (Los Angeles Times, 2021).

CTG response can be seen from different perspectives. It is not justifiable in a way that it didn’t give the main reason why women were not included. It is also justifiable because afterward, they responded by making changes that could create balance when it comes to gender equality.  By CTG responding by implementing changes that inclusively support women playwrights, it will help theatre in the future by ensuring that women will be given equal opportunities as their male counterparts, not just as playwrights also as actors, producers, and directors. Playwrights always have a point of view on what they are writing about and giving women equal chances, will be a representation of women’s view on different things affecting society.

References

Cucuzza, Robet (2018). The playwright 2nd edition. Great River Learning.

“Center Theatre Group Makes A Big Promise To Women And BIPOC Playwrights”. Los Angeles Times, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-10-12/center-theatre-group-women-bipoc-playwrights-slave-play.

“‘Stupid And Enraging’: Lack Of Women In L.A. Theater Lineup Sparks Protest”. Los Angeles Times, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-10-05/center-theatre-group-slave-play-jeremy-o-harris.

The Schuyler Sisters from Hamilton. (2020). [Video]. https://youtu.be/2bkqXVc_1go.