Think for a
bit about a stage performance and the role of a good director.
Clearly, successful directors don’t simply buy scripts, put them in
the hands of actors, give a few directions, and expect compelling
results. In fact, much of the power behind a play that “works” happens around rather than in the script.
Along the way, a successful director must create affective and
physical environments in which the play will evolve.En route to
creating a play that works for an audience, the director has to
make it work for the actors. This happens on at least two levels.
First, the director has to come to know and understand each actor
as an individual—his or her strengths and vulnerabilities,
preferred ways of working, and life experiences. It is upon these
individual aspects that the director will draw as rehearsals
progress. Not knowing these things would not only limit the
potential impact of the actor, but of the director as well. To
prepare, the director will likely do some background “research” on the actor before rehearsals begin.
This will be followed by individual conversations throughout the
rehearsal cycle, and by careful observation and reflection to
understand what makes the actor shine as a character in some
instances and what makes it difficult for the actor to bring a
character to life in others.In addition to learning to know and
understand the actors as individuals, the director needs to help
the actors move from being a collection of individuals to a cast, a
troupe, an ensemble, a company—a team. They need to unify around a
shared and commonly understood endeavor, without losing their
distinctiveness. In other words, the director has to help build a
sense of community among the actors so that the group works
cohesively to benefit both individual and shared
development.
Finally, in
building an environment in which the actors can evolve, the
director must create a physical context for the play. In the
theater, of course, this is called a set. It is a miniature world
designed on a small piece of real estate called a stage. It will
contain whatever is necessary to make the play come to life and
enhance the work of the actors. Nothing on the set is without
purpose. From flats to props, everything contributes to the
viability of the little universe. Shape, color, design, texture,
and location are elements that sculpt the play and enliven the
acting. When the set is ready, it is almost never final. Changes
are nearly always made right up until opening night, and they will
often continue throughout the life of the play.The role of the
teacher in developing an effective classroom environment is much
like the role of the director. The drama, of course, is a
compelling one— the interaction of individuals with ideas and
skills that will change the individuals for better or worse. It
requires risk, extreme effort, failure, self-awareness, honesty,
small victories, and major triumphs. To make the drama work, the
teacher must work quickly to get to know the actors and
persistently understand them. He or she must begin early to build a
team from a group of disparate individuals and continue the
team-building process for as long as the drama runs. In a small
piece of real estate called a classroom, the teacher must offer a
set in which the actors can work to make the play compelling. The
remainder of this chapter will exam- ine these three elements:
getting to know students, building a community, and designing the
physical environment of the
classroom.