re: Casting Yourself In Things You Direct?- Page 2

[Dancin Thru Life]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 6:09pm

If you've got the money and the time, then go for it!

Often when there is a specific "person" a director has in mind for a show, they don't materialize during the auditions.
At that point, the best choice left may be the director, who then has responsibility for delivering his/her own vision.

I've done it before...and I'll do it again!

Also, the smaller the town, the more likely this will have to be one of your options!

GOOD LUCK!

[gumbo2]

Posted: 3/26/08 at 6:13pm

Passing Strange and In The Heights were directed by someone else though, no? I think that's a little different, as they did get outside opinions on it, it wasn't just one person running everything.

Also, like others have said, it's so much more manageable for film than live theatre. On a film set, you can act in a scene solely as the actor, and then watch it from a 3rd person perspective as the director. You don't have the responsibility of performing both roles at the same time, whereas in theatre it definitely would be harder to see the production as a whole if you are always involved in the acting.

Hence, film people who do it have generally been much more successful than those who try the same thing with theatre.

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 1:46am

"Gene Kelly starred in, directed and choreographed "Singin' In The Rain" and "American In Paris," among others."

Vincent Minnelli directed An American in Paris and Gene CO directed Singin' in the Rain with Stanley Donen. Just sayin'...

Is there no where here that agrees an outside eye and opinion is vitally important?

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 1:50am

Even when I have directed myself, I have asked people I trust to come in sometimes and take notes for me.

[piperlacyboo]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 2:02am

Noone is feeling the Guffman reference? I'm never as clever as I think I am.

[haddaddy3]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 2:06am

I'm 16. I used to put on shows in the backyard when I was little. Then my ideas got bigger and the later shows were eventually performed on a stage. Most of the time the idea was for me to be the star because I was doing it with my family and they didn't want to actually do it anyway.

The first staged one where I was the star was horrible. I adapted "All About Eve" into a male version with my uncle playing the Margo character and me playing the Eve character. The problem was that in adapting it all I did was scale down EVERY scene of the movie. Needless to say, with all of the different scene changes, it was horrible. It was horribly directed. And because everytime someone would mess up I would make this angry face, my performance wasn't the best either.

The last show I did with the family was my version of "Annie" called "Andy". That time I actually took time to lay out the entire show and it worked very well (except for two diva-ish people who thought they knew what they were doing and did not).

I directed an adapted version of a Christmas movie in my church in the fall of 2006. I was a supporting character and I loved how it turned out, I just hated my choice for a lead. When she read for me she was great, and she claimed she had so much experience, but at the first rehearsal I realized she was crazy and medicated.

I would totally direct and star again and eventually plan to, but I agree with what someone said before, I would totally get an assistant director. I would tell that person what I wanted to see on the stage and have them make sure that was what they were seeing.

[bk]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 2:24am

As others have said, it depends on the person and the show. It certainly worked for Anthony Newley, who did an excellent job of directing and co-writing book, music, and lyrics, AND starring in Stop The World.

I directed myself in two films and it worked very well for me - no problems at all, but then again I wrote myself roles I could play easily. I have directed myself onstage and it was much more difficult - not because I couldn't do the staging part or my part, but because I wasn't there enough for the other actors, and I would also find myself watching their performances rather than really being into my own. Very difficult and I after I'd done it a couple of times, I had others direct my shows that I felt like being in.

But a show like Stop The World, which basically just has two leads and a chorus, it's certainly doable.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 10:30am

i think it depends on if there is a role that is a good fit for the director. For my shows I direct, design (sets and costume) and usually play a lead. However the method I go for is having my assistant directors weigh in on the right role for me. For example when we were considering doing Reefer Madness (its been put on permanent back burner for the near future) I was hell bent on playing the lecturer, but my staff pointed out that there was a much better candidate and I would be a better fit for Jack.

[ThatBroadwayBitch]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 11:09am

It's a terrible idea. Unless you are Dustin Hoffman, no one wants to see you try to direct and act at the same time. It's incredibly hard and you won't be seeing the whole picture if you are onstage the whole time. Maybe for a film, where you would have an A.D. and producers to give you feedback, but in the world of theater, the stage manager isn't going to say crap if you suck, the theater isn't going to say crap if you suck. It's just going to be you alone, to blame, for the whole thing.

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 3/27/08 at 12:03pm

I think starring and directing your self is different than writing and acting in something that you write. Starring and directing something you write is never really a good idea because you don't have someone to be objective on your performance, it doesn't matter if you have people come in and take notes, as the director you are going to end up playing the part you have however you see it going. So casting yourself in things your direct, unless it's a small small small role, usually doesn't work out too well, unless you're Tommy Tune, then you'll win a Tony or 9.