In Shambles

The children's theatre piece that has been rehearsing for a while now is to take the stage this coming Wednesday. Unfortunately I am finding the cast to be in complete shambles. I do not know if it is the result of an apathetic cast or a student director that is simply too soft-spoken, but one way or the other, they are in no means performance ready. The blame cannot be placed on any one party because the rehearsal process is a dynamic experience that requires the enthusiasm of both the actors and the director. I find that the problem is coming from the lack of experience among the cast. Many of the students have come into the theatre program without any previous experience on stage. This has resulted in a misconception of what it means to be an actor. There is no realization of the dedication and contract an actor is signing by accepting his or her part. Many of the students feel as though rehearsal is limited to the class. There is no independent thought process as they move across the stage, each action seems to be something dictated by the director. This was something I could sympathize with as I ran into the same problem when I directed my own casts. I think it comes from the fact that as a student director, there is not that same level of respect from the actors. It is much easier to brush off tasks like preparing one's character or memorizing one's lines because the director is someone your age that you are a familiar basis with. It is therefore that much more difficult to harness something sincere from the actor, as they will ultimately approach their characters on the most superficial level.