On Collaborating with a Playwright in Process - Director's perspective

My colleague, Professor Tamera Izlar, was the Director for our recent staged reading of "Repairing a Nation" by Nikkole Salter. Here's what she had to say about the experience:

In a rehearsal setting, including those that are largely collaborative, inevitable a cast and/or production team will look primarily to one individual to provide specific information and direction for a particular production and/or reading. In Howard University's Department of Theatre Arts Visiting Playwright Series, the age-old ritual continued. In the staged reading of Nikkole Salters new play, Repairing a Nation, ironically, the focus was not placed on the concept/ analysis of the director; instead, all precedence was given to the playwright, Howard's acting alumna and playwright Nikkole Salter. The focus was not given through happenstance; instead, it was a strategic decision, which provided an unprecedented opportunity for actors to work one-on-one with an award-winning playwright.

In a conversation with Ms. Salter held before her residence began, I asked her how she envisioned the rehearsal time allocated and/or workshop sessions given to progress. For the first two days of rehearsal, Nikkole had a specific analysis structure she intended to follow leaving the final day of rehearsal to reviewing rewrites and staging the final reading. Besides supplying an analysis of the play by breaking it into a series of units and objectives, as director, my primary responsibility was to be available, engaged, and ready to stage when requested. In addition, I provided scripts, binders, and music stands while creating an environment in which Ms. Salter could work. The reading stage manager, Erika McCrary, was a great asset in this process.

In order to clarify the collaborative dynamic in which Nikkole and I worked, it is imperative to assemble a rehearsal paradigm. The first rehearsal session was a continuation of auditions. In the audition session, Ms. Salter encouraged the actors, from the sides given, to provide an analysis of their characters "wants" justified solely from the script. Similarly, from a directing perspective, the exercise cut to the root of the director's research foundation supported through Francis Hodge's assertion that "dialogue is the only reliable source of given circumstances". Consequently, from a playwright's perspective, the exercise intensified to provide further an opportunity to clarify the characters' intensions immediately. Although a director, through heavy analysis uncovers the playwright's ideas of setting inserted within the script, in the workshop, the analysis was supported and clarified through the playwright, usually without the necessity of a director's analysis.

The second rehearsal session was an exercise in which the actors, stage manager, and playwright went through the script and created titles for each scene as well as highlighted the major events each character experienced in each scene. This process provided an opportunity for Ms. Salter to furnish rewrites as each actor fought for their super objectives while continuing to utilize the script and previous group discussions for support. With the script as a catalyst, the actors also had the responsibility to find and secure workable objectives within a small timeline. Within the first reading, for example, the playwright, a graduate from NYU with a MFA in Acting, immediately provided clarification of the dialogue's intension when the actor/actress failed to unravel the intended objective from the script.

. In a reading/ production, it is imperative that actors read lines as intended by the playwright. The final rehearsal involved a reading coupled with limited staging to draw focus to the relationships placed on the page. In staging the reading, it was crucial to the director and playwright for the actors to listen and respond to each other while executing their objectives. During a reading, typically, the focus is not on the staging, props, lighting, and/or set, instead, it is on the writing, themes, plot, characters, and character relationships. Although, as director, I interjected blocking notes as it related to the play, major discussions of actor's objectives were lead by Nikkole Salter. As playwright, if an actor failed to grasp the technical and/or emotional quality of the character, they received acting coaching. This is the benefit with working with an actress/playwright. As a result, all of Ms. Salter's training was introduced and embraced by the actors.

Hence, as a director, it was an opportunity to work with a playwright and actress who had a specific idea of what she wanted to receive and give throughout the process. It was also an opportunity to aid the playwright in achieving an environment necessary for development. Lastly, it was a testament to communication. The most gratifying part of the process involved follow-up from audience members and actors alike. Yet the most memorable part of the project was the actors' remarks toward the conclusion of the reading. Each actor made personal connections and became a true advocate for their characters by offering tangible information derived from their workshop experiences. It was truly an artistic and education process.

In speaking with audience member Howard Biology major, Cheriise Hughes, after the performance, she remarked, "it was more than expected. It forced me to use my imagination; I was able to picture every detail in my head; the narrator did an excellent job with descriptive details." She then proceeded to ask questions and offer comments concerning the reading. Hence, we proceeded to have a discussion instigated by extracted words from a page. Ahhh, the power of theatre…