Directors: What are some traps that you have fallen into. . .?

Question

. . . while working as a director? At the time they seemed like good ideas, but the outcome was not what you were looking for, an/or in reflection it was not the best Idea. What do you think are the TOP THREE biggest mistakes that directors make?

Bravo - these are brilliant!
More, More, Please!!

Answer 1

I had an actress who auditioned beautifully and was amazing on paper. In the first rehearsal she was afraid to do more than mark with her voice. She said it was because of her evening performance that night with another company. However, I didn't call her on it and I never get her to give the kind of performance that would have been fantastic!

2. I assumed that the set designer understood that all the actors were barefoot-bad because he didn't remove all rough edges.

3. Didn't share my overall vision of a performance with the cast soon enough.

As I have directed more and more shows I have found other traps, but as a beginner, these were the most catastophic in the way that they hurt the shows. We still put up good shows, but the difference between good and great was apparent to me.

Answer 2

As an "actor who directs," I like to think that I'm especially sensitive to the needs of performers, and I'm constantly imploring them to contribute their own ideas to the production.

The #1 mistake that directors make is when they assume that it's part of their job description to CREATE (as opposed to shape, mold, guide, enhcance) each actor's performance for him/her. It's not. The director's primary task is to show up at rehearsals with the guiding "vision" of the show that defines the boundaries within which the actors (and the designers) must work. Beyond that, directors simply MUST allow the other participants in the process to do their own work.

Without exception, the best directors I've worked with over the years have been the ones who eagerly solicited actor input, and who consistently found a way to weave the actors' ideas into the finished product. That way, EVERYONE feels the same sort of "ownership interest" in the production.

Answer 3

Big number one for me is having too complete a vision of the final product and failing to encourage the actors to add their own essential vision of their characters to this. I used to try to polish away everything that didn't fit my conception. The product is much more alive when each character brings something to the table that I had not thought of.