Our program's mission is to provide an educational theatre community for and by the students to question the world. In that mission, we recognize that part of our job is to help our audience and community better understand the how and why of theatre. For many, we are their first experience with theatre, and the director’s note is a way of helping our audiences develop a deeper understanding of the theatrical process, how to think about theatre, and see its value. (Any way you focus, this is an important piece of theatre advocacy!)
Each season, we choose a major theme, idea, or question that connects all of our shows. Last year's season was "Interconnected: how your actions affect others." This year's season is "Coming Together: the strength and value of community." Making that information public helps our students, parents, and audience community begin to see why we have chosen certain shows and the educational merit of each pick. The director's note is an important way to further educate the audience on the merit of each individual piece. (This is especially helpful in productions where there might be controversial content. For shows with controversial content, check out this blog HERE that explains a process to help the audience find the merit of a show.)
Having a season theme is also artistically helpful because it guides your actors to delve deeper into their own performance. How do their character and their character’s actions play into that theme? When producing “Mary Poppins” this fall, the actors-- unprompted-- began to discuss how the Banks family has to be completely dysfunctional and disconnected at the beginning, for there to be a transformation by the end of the show when they learn the strength and value of their family through Mary. The theme had set up a framework for each student to analyze the show and created a pathway for discovery based learning. The joy of discovery motivates students to learn, and makes it personally meaningful for the student.
We noticed that most of our audiences were never taught how to even begin to think about theatre and that the director’s note is an important piece in modeling how to approach and think about theatre. This note is an opportunity to shape the lens in which the piece is viewed, leading the audience to think beyond the sheer entertainment value of a show, and to begin to see the well thought out purpose behind our choices. For example, in “Mary Poppins," it is quite easy to take the show on the surface level of spectacled entertainment and magic. We used the director's note to help the audience dig deeper into the meaning and themes of the piece. (I have the link HERE if you'd like an example.)
To begin writing the director’s note, I consider what message, idea, or question I’d like the audience to come away with. Typically, this is very closely related to our season theme. Then, I gather my company together for inquiry-based instruction. Inquiry-based learning is fundamental for the development of higher order thinking skills, as it teaches students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information or new understandings. The higher order thinking skills that students develop during inquiry activities will assist in the critical thinking skills they can transfer to other subjects.
As a facilitator, I gather all the students in the company together and begin with the following questions: “Why is it important that we tell this story? What message, idea, or question do you want the audience to come away with? What message, idea, or question do you think the author wanted the audience to come away with?” We synthesize our answers into one key idea, and begin to obtain supportive evidence by identifying where this message, idea, or question is brought up in the show. (I find it helpful to take notes during this process because it makes the final writing process much easier!) The next stage of instruction is to ask students, “Why is this message, idea, or question important today?”
From this one discussion, students have now gained a broader understanding of theatre’s purpose, and you have now armed each of your company member’s with the important arguments of why theatre. Nothing makes me feel like a proud teacher more than when an audience member asks a question in our talk back and students can quickly respond to the why and value of theatre.
If the show connects to another discipline like history, English, or science, we can use the director’s note, and/or a dramaturgy note, to highlight those connections. Theatre has the power to take abstract concepts and make them concrete, and it is essential advocacy to show your audiences that. Many times, while I write the director’s note, students pair this note with their own dramaturgical note to directly evidence the students’ curricular connections.
Our current show, “The Kentucky Cycle: Fire in the Hole,” is based on the Mine Wars of West Virginia in the 1920s, studied in junior year US history. Not only did we want to display that connection, we wanted our public to see how the show reflects real historical events and people, especially since some of the events were violent. Sharing the dramaturgical note connecting to those real events with the history teachers will,l in turn, encourage those teachers to advocate their students to come see the production. Exhibiting this interdisciplinary value will help get other teachers, administrators, and community members behind your program, and any support is always greatly welcomed. You can even consider emailing the note to company parents before the show, and the proud parents will discuss with other parents how their student is learning history through theatre, becoming advocates themselves. It also helps parents talk up the show, which is great publicity!
As teachers, we want our program to thrive, and a director’s note is ultimately a great piece of advocacy. While many argue against it, looking at your mission will help you determine if a director’s and/or dramaturgy note is appropriate for your show. While this is one way to create a director’s note, what methods do you use to create yours? ------------------------------
Jessica Harms
Theatre Director
Acton MA
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-02-2017 00:46
From: Garry Tiller
Subject: Director's Note
I just always try to tie the overall theme of the production with the experience of working with the students. Also, it can be interesting to share why you chose this show at this particular time. I usually start it early and work on it sporadically up until deadline time. I try to make it fun and hopefully, interesting.
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Garry Tiller
Theatre Arts Teaching Artist
Hawaii Independent Schools
Honolulu, HI
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-01-2017 09:31
From: Valerie Farschman
Subject: Director's Note
Since so few high school students want to be a Dramturg (or do not research well) I tend to use my Director's Notes as a way to communicate important background information and the production's artistic vision to the audience. Often important concepts are discussed. When we performed Little Shop of Horrors last year, my director's notes in the program not only explained choices made in the production (such as the three Doo Wop girls were really Greek goddesses visiting New York to observe the melee of the plant) but also explained that in our production, the green Audrey II represented greed. That gave the song "Don't Feed the Plant" and the impeding spreading of the plant to take over the world a much deeper meaning. Audrey II's success in invading the planet at the end of the play I connected to the recent greed of big Pharma (ie. the EpiPen cost hike) and other corporations to seek high profits, even at the expense of mankind or the planet. Thus the closing song where the entire cast pleads with the audience to "not feed the plant" was a cry to not get sucked up into corporate or personal greed. Many people approached me after those performances to comment on their thoughts concerning my notes. Some claimed they had seen the show many times and this was the first time they realized it had such a deep meaning. Conclusion: most audience members may ignore the Director's Notes, but I will continue to write them for the few who may read them and gain a deeper understanding of the play.
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Valerie Farschman, Drama Director
MLS Theatre Company, Troupe 1422
Marion L Steele High School
Amherst, Ohio
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-31-2017 17:35
From: Elisabeth Ledwell
Subject: Director's Note
I do a note for every program. Sometimes I'm a bit of a dramaturg, providing context for the audience, sometimes I share process notes. It depends. Do what feels right.
Sent from my iPad