LEARNING TO LEAD:
STUDENT DIRECTING AT TCU
The cast and crew of "Circle Mirror Transformation" chat quietly in small groups in the Marlene and Spencer Hays Theatre.
The set behind them is simple.
There is a door, some cubbies for bags, a lamp and one thing that immediately catches the eye: a massive mirror spanning the length of the stage.
It reflects the entire stage as well as every actor on it. The clock strikes 6 p.m. and rehearsal officially starts.
Jacob Reece, the student director of the play, steps onto the stage. The room quiets down, and all eyes are on him. He asks:
“What is your favorite type of cat?”
Experiential learning
“I always liked to start off with a question of the day,” Reece said. “I just did it to create a sense of community.”
This kind of casual yet intimate connection defines Annie Baker's "Circle Mirror Transformation," a play about a group of strangers in an acting class. The audience learns about the characters and their relationships through the acting exercises they take part in. This also reflects the experience of working on a student-directed production. With minimal faculty involvement, the cast and crew learn how to develop their collaboration and leadership skills on their own.
Every year, Theatre TCU chooses one student to direct a full production. This means everything from lighting to costumes to blocking is fully student-produced with almost no direct faculty involvement. Students are given the opportunity to be self-sufficient and gain firsthand directing experience before they graduate college. This year, Reece, a senior musical theatre major, was chosen to direct.
“Jacob really allowed us to bring a lot of ourselves to it,” said Stella Woodall, a junior musical theater major. “I think with the student-directed play, you could tell that there was a lot more room for group collaboration with everybody, especially with this being such a small cast."
Student directing
“There was no handbook or playbook,” said Maryclare Ramirez, a TCU alum who was the student director of the show "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" last year.
“My professors were very supportive. They were always there to answer any questions I had. But they let me be independent. They didn't micromanage me.”
Ramirez said the independence she felt while directing greatly boosted her confidence in her own abilities. She also gave Reece advice on directing as a student.
“She was a huge support system for me in this process,” Reece said. “She just gave me a ton of advice on just trusting my gut and really believing that I can do it.” Reece also said his faculty advisor, Lydia Mackay, supported him when needed but otherwise let him take the reins.
"She was there for auditions and callbacks, and then she was there for our first table read,” Reece said. “After that, for pretty much all the rehearsals, it was just me, the stage managers and the actors.”
Riley Nowicki, a senior acting major, said the actors appreciated how different the production felt from what they were used to.
“I think it's going to make me a smarter actor,” Nowicki said. “Sometimes some directors might want a little more feedback and some might not, so it's interesting to see the dynamic shift.”
Having the chance to direct as a student can also provide valuable experience post-grad. Since graduating from TCU, Ramirez has moved to New York, where she said her experience directing as a student has greatly helped her.
“I've had people reach out to me being like, ‘I love the artistic vision behind this. Would you be interested in interviewing for this other project I'm doing?’” Ramirez said.
“It gives the students the opportunity to lead for the first time and really take charge of their career if that's where they want to go,” Reece said.
In "Circle Mirror Transformation," Woodall plays Marty, a 55-year-old acting teacher. “I think that was definitely the most challenging part for me, just to make it seem like I was this adult figure that these people in the class are looking up to,” Woodall said. In a different way, Reece also had to learn how to play the part of an authority figure he hadn’t had much experience being before.
“Everything almost had to run through me as the director,” Reece said. “It was hard to keep track of who I talked to about what, changes that we were going to make, and how that would affect different technical elements.”
In the show, characters learn about themselves and each other through acting exercises, improvised interactions, and understanding the hidden meaning behind their words. The same is true of working on the play itself, Reece said.
“We spent a lot of time just sitting down and really discovering the characters together.” Reece said. “I tried to give as much creative freedom and collaboration as possible while still executing the vision of the show.”
“Jacob had a vision of what he wanted the play to look like for him, however he was still very collaborative,” Nowicki said. “He was like, ‘What did you think? I want to hear your thoughts,’ which is very collaborative.”
Everyone interviewed emphasized how important they believe experiential, student-directed learning can be, especially working in the arts.
“It provides all of us aspiring designers with the skills we need for professional productions and lets us make mistakes and learn in a safe, educational environment where we know we will get help from our mentors,” said Krystabelle Banda, a senior acting major who worked as costuming, hair and makeup for the show.
“I think it's there's only so much you can do, learning behind someone, and there comes a point where you just have to be the one to do it yourself” Reece said. “Now I know this is a passion of mine, and this is where I see myself going.”
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