Director Dispatches Part One: Auditions & First Rehearsals

This post is by Meridian senior Yvonne, who will document her experience as a student director over the next several months.

Meridian’s plays have consisted of tragedies, romances, comedies, and political dramas, but I wanted to direct something that we’d never done before. I mean, I love suspenseful and thrilling stories, so I was confident that I wanted to direct a murder mystery.

I had a few scripts to choose from, such as The Bold, the Young, and the Murdered by Don Zolidis, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by John Bishop, and Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring. Some plays were more comedic than they were suspenseful, others had a concerningly small list of characters, and some just didn’t click. However, there was one script that pulled me into its story. Making the set for this play, making scenes suspenseful and engaging, adding the right elements of comedy, choreographing physical scenes, and directing actors in general will be challenges for me. I thought, If I put on this play, I think I’d be proud of myself. Meridian’s 2016 spring play will be Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie.

At auditions, it was awesome to see both middle and high school students showing interest in the production, and they were even more exciting because every actor is so gifted and passionate. There were students who have never been in theatre before, but showed that they had great capabilities. My initial fears around directing were pushed aside, because this was a chance to work with Meridian’s talented and supportive actors. How could I be afraid of that?

Last Thursday, the actors finished their first read-through of the play. They seemed just as, or even more, excited about the script as I was. And ultimately, I think, the more excited a group of actors are about their play, the stronger their play will be. It’s such a privilege to work with these students, and to work behind the scenes with Humanities teachers Catherine and Nathan, and with my friends Emmanuel, Sabina, and Haben, who will be helping me direct whenever they have a chance.

I’m getting a good feeling from all of this. There are so many exciting things happening right now. Even though things will be challenging in the moment, I think they will be worth it.