I recall once when I applied to direct the second coming of BUS STOP (2nd in 10 years with this company - and I directed it the first time) well that same question was put to me "what is your concept for this show?" Well my response - albeit perhaps a bit smart-ass - after being there for nearly 15 or more years at that time - was "Did you see it 10 years ago"?  Response by most was YES.  I said - "that's my concept....it worked then and it will work now. And I always believe if it isn't broke you don't need to fix it"!!! Essentially I had directed it before but what I really would have said - and ultimately wanted to - is that I don't need to answer a stupid question like that - especially since all of those people already knew my work.  Again someone felt the need to ask that question out of some foolish sense of formality. BUT what I really ended up doing was giving them hints as to what MY intent was this second time around - that being to improve upon the characterizations (since it is a show that's heavily character driven) and to make everything at least better than it was the first time around (which was to sold out houses and critical acclaim by loads of people 10 years before). 

 

It's kind of sad - I think that people that ask those kinds of questions really don't have a clue what they even mean by asking - nor would they usually have the capacity to understand your process even if you told them.  The "process" changes or should change pretty much based upon what script you're working on, your own research, the supposed intent of the author but again bringing something to it that is new, fresh, exciting, innovative even - while taking into account history, tradition, convention and doing the best you can with talent who you'll have to instruct and develop to get them to present their roles with what YOUR idea is without having steeped themselves in perhaps what THEY think of the piece - especially if it's a classic or the like.  However, I say that and I RAIL against doing Shakespeare in contemporary formats - about that (perhaps wrongly) I'm a traditionalist.

 

At any rate, I suggest you do what you can to minimize an explanation for "your process" because it would only serve to confuse those who ask that foolish, inane question when giving them a lengthy discourse would provide nothing that they could understand anyway even if you did.  As you say their eyes "glaze over" and you begin to feel more and more foolish as you try to make them understand what they never will.

 

I feel your pain.  Yet ANOTHER reason while after 50 years of doing theater I don't do it at all anymore unless it's on MY TERMS TOTALLY.  I have far too many artistic outlets and interests to allow theater to totally wear me out and annoy me.  I loved it for 50 years and it was time to quit doing it before I grew to hate it and anyone involved in it still TRYING to make it work as we all wish it would

 

 

By the way I think your comment assuming that what they might be saying with your thought - "what makes your rehearsals unique to your style of direction" is FAR more astute than the question "what is your process".....even more than what they would even know to ask much less understand an answer to - especially if they ARE theater people but who are NOT really in the know and haven't walked in the director's shoes or don't understand what it takes to put a good show together.  And even if they do you have to gauge who knows what they're talking about and who does not.  Just sayin' - unless they have been in it and know what they're talking about - they're just blowin' smoke and therefore I think it imperative to minimize an answer would be to your advantage - be truthful but vague to those who wouldn't know even if you told them.

 

TonyDi

 

 

For instance, your scenario with an airline pilot - sure they can "rattle off" anything they think you might know and then proceed to fill your head with things that they know you don't know - and totally BS you about their abilities to do what they say they can do.  Granted it's a FAR LESS SAFE gamble to trust that a PILOT knows what they're doing if they're just full of baloney (and trust me if they're flying they usually have had experience enough to get a plane up and down) BUT the trouble is HOW MUCH experience and is it enough to safely do what they have to in emergencies and trouble.  Of course it's a little different in directing a show.  I mean, I KNOW the company I used to work for, has hired more than one director who at the outset looked and sounded great, who gave all the right answers, who even could talk intelligently about the craft and business of producing a quality end product............that subsequently had to be fired because they really had no clue what they were doing.  TALK IS CHEAP - the proof is in the pudding.....but it can be risky if the producing company isn't watching closely enough and thus wind up with a major turkey if they're not careful.  I've seen it far too many times.  And as you already noted - "she might be a convincing fraud"...........but just being a "professional" and being able to discuss the job is not enough.  THAT accomplishes nothing when money is on the line to produce a show.

 

I'll grant you that I have had my share of turkeys in the past but it wasn't because I didn't know what I was doing.  I ALWAYS was lucky to cast good people but you never ever really know.  For instance I directed a show once - small cast, three people......and who knew that the BEST choice for one of the characters - who did NOT have ANY PROBLEMS or issues AT ALL during auditions or rehearsals, would show up darn near DRUNK at almost every performance.  What do you do then?  Well you simply write it in your book of memories and never cast that person again, chalk it up to experience and hope for at least breaking even or even fooling enough of the patrons who paid to see the show.  LUCKILY the OTHER actors were impeccible and could "cover" as necessary - and it was often necessary.  But when he was on, he was on too - like on weekends when he couldn't evidently get to the bar.  But when he wasn't........well you know it just wasn't pleasant but there was nothing that could be done about it when you didn't know it was going to happen.  Even telling him NOT to do that didn't work. He might be good for a few days but then revert right back to his drinking problem.  Tough three weeks for sure.

 

So it's not always being able to TALK A GOOD GAME - if you can read past the convincing or intelligent discussion and get to the core - then you're better off.  BUT there are better ways to do that than to continually ask inane questions like "what is your process" or "what is your concept for this show" that MOST committees and boards of community theaters don't have a clue to ask or would understand even if they did and they got an answer that they couldn't interpret.  And even on theater boards who make the decisions of what to produce and who to hire, I've seen far too many of those board members who really did NOT have a clue who were just actors themselves, but who happened to be hard working enough to get selected to be on the board.  Didn't make them any more qualified to make these kinds of decisions - and in most cases that I dealt with in the 20 years I was there - was actually quite useless for the most part. The only thing that could be done was to "clean up the mess" that some director made, who they hired, who didn't know what he or she was doing after they were hired but who then had to be relieved of their duties.  Didn't happen often but more than once is too much.

 

Tough job - hiring directors - and artistic temperament - I don't EVEN want to go there.  BUT I DO see what you're saying - it's just one of those issues I have dealt with for many years and never have I seen asking those questions produce the kinds of answers that made sense nor that gave us a good view of what a potential director could or could not do - until they were actually doing it.  And again, having had to fire directors numerous times - well - it's just not an easy task.

 

TonyDi

 

 

By the way - it's why I also said that while it's OK to "tell them your process" - that you should minimize it or "dumb it down" enough that they can be satisfactorily and honestly answered without the need to fill their heads with more unnecessary information than they can understand or handle.  If there IS someone who is far better than "you as a potential hire" who DOES know their stuff then THEY will ask the right questions and know whether you're just BS'ing them or not.  But the trouble lies in the fact that most of the time it's mere formality to sit a potential hire down and ask all these inane questions that they think they must just to hire someone.  And in MY case, I'd worked for this company for 15 years and done - oh, I don't know - 25-35 shows or so for them so they knew my work and certainly could have simply said - "Wanna direct? You're hired." and let it go at that.  They knew what they were gonna get.  And for the record EVERY SHOW EXCEPT ONE made more money for the company's bottom line than anything that had been done there before and for a long time since I quit doing it completely.  Guess which one didn't make money? Yep, the guy who was drunk all the time.  BUT it was a much different show - good but different, dark and sinister and they just weren't used to that from the company.  MY fault for wanting to direct it - because it's an excellent show for three solid actors.  Live and learn.

 

 

As angry as the question might make you, consider answering something like, " As you know I've directed a dozen shows before.  I won't bore you with the details of developing a vision, but I can share a few ideas I have for this show.  I'm excited about this show here are a few things I want to do...."  If you answer that way, they know you have a clear idea of the job and a plan for this one.  They can measure the values you bring to the show.

Having a scene preliminarily blocked and notated before coming to rehearsals

Working on main objectives for each character in each scene before even starting blocking

Working with the actors to figure out their characters from what we know in the script and what we work out during rehearsals and how that will influence posture, inflection, and movement

The rest of it is . . . collaboration and spontaneity (the fun part of directing)