Anything Goes : Directing your own work? by Paul Carroll

A director can see things the writer misses and add to the mix. But it's up to you (in theatre) to allow any real changes. My thoughts are "if they make the piece better" - great. As far as not being protective of your script. That's really all up to your maturity and knowledge of the situation. Have you worked with actors? Have you worked with lighting and sound? And, more importantly, isn't there another script you can be working on? IMHO, of course.

I have frequently directed my own work (I was also a professional actor). These past few months, I directed a play of mine, Ella's Secret, in Rome Italy in Italian — see the English translation of the reviews. http://www.hwfreedman.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8... During rehearsals I always rewrite and improve the dialogue, especially with a first production of the piece. I love to experiment, and I enjoy collaborating with talented and intelligent actors. I always listen to suggestions but I don't always agree. I ask the actors to show me not tell me. If what they show me improves the dramatic tension, and conveys the meaning intended with more impact we do it their way or something in between. But you have to be careful, actors, even the best, often have a tendency, especially at the beginning of rehearsals, to adjust the dialogue to make it easier for them to say, less uncomfortable or they try to make it conform to their idea of the character, a character they have an idea of but haven't developed. Once a good actor finds the character, it is not uncommon for them prefer the original dialogue and ask me to change it back. I do of course. Working in Italian, not my mother tongue, is a completely other matter. In English I know how my characters speak. Here the translation, which may be technically correct, may not reflect the way people, the characters, actually speak. In fact, it was fascinating to work on the dialogue with the actors, they truly brought the language to life. This was a play that I had directed in English and I thought was done. It wasn't done. I made changes on every page of the translation, and because of the meticulous way the actors examined the dialogue to understand the intent and the meaning, and then how they struggled to find the right word or phrase in Italian, I have now revised my English text for the better. As for staging, I ignore my own stage directions (usually very sparse in the script) and come up with a new approach. This production looked nothing like my previous production of the same play. This one was better. An adventure.