CamTrad Talk 2: Directing Shakespeare

"People go to the theater as a cultural duty, when really they should be going with the feeling of a hot date."

At least that's what we were told on July 14th (I know I'm behind) and I totally agree.  Yes, the 14th of July, I got to talk to and shake hands with (insert fangirl scream there) Tim Carroll, creative director of the Globe Theater from 1999 - 2005.  Who's cool? I'm cool.  I really enjoyed this talk because I think he had a really unique take on the theater for reasons that will be elaborated further on in the post; I might not necessarily have agreed with everything, but who agrees with everything a speaker says?  WARNING:  I am a Stage Tech.  I do lights and scenery.  I may geek out regarding theater stuff.  Be prepared and forewarned...

One of Mr. Carroll's main points was that you have to understand everything about a line to express the full meaning.  That may seem stupid and obvious, but this guy does Shakespeare; so, of course, there's more to the text than just the words.  You have to use the verse and the meter.  You have to use it to unlock the power and the sense of the passage, otherwise you'll make it nonsensical.  You always have to know what you're saying.  Actors are (surprisingly) very good at acting like they know what they're saying, but they often (at least in Mr. Carroll's experience) don't really understand.  I think that this is really important.  I've been to a lot of Shakespeare (I've 20 out of 32 plays, most 3-4 times) and one thing that really annoys me is when its clear that someone in the production doesn't know what's going on.  Directors and actors need to know what they're saying and performing; which too seems like an obvious statement, but a really important one to make.  Mr. Carroll brought up some interesting points regarding how to do this.  I've already elaborated on his passion for and opinions on the verse and the meter, which happen to be contrary to everything I've ever been taught about Shakespeare and the performance thereof, but he also brought up some good points on SHOUTING SHAKESPEARE and on the idea of the Performance Utterance.  Mr. Carroll is big on the intention as opposed to the motivation of any line of dialogue, which I think is a really interesting idea.  Shakespeare wrote "thick scenes", so if something feels a bit empty, the intention isn't being shown.  Every line expresses a desire and every line should be interesting because every line has intention.  Even something as simple as "Hail good sir" is important because there are so many other ways to greet someone.  Because there are options, there is significance.  That is (kind of) the idea of a Performance Utterance: something you say which is also an action.  Which is pretty cool.  This leads into the idea that, because every word has an intention, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOUT SHAKESPEARE.  In Shakespeare, you believe you're right and if the other person would just listen they would understand why you're right and be more right in their own opinions.  And you don't have to shout to accomplish this.  So please, Shakespearean actors everywhere, please stop shouting.  You don't have to.

So that brings us to Tim Carroll's philosophy on performing Shakespeare.  I know you're thinking "Wait, wasn't that all performance stuff?" but bear with me.  His philosophy can be boiled down to the statement that: Shakespeare wrote for the actors and the audience, so Shakespeare's plays should be performed with the audience.  On the most basic level, that means no lighting.  That's kind of where I disagree with Carroll.  As someone who does stage tech and someone who has done lights, I think that lights, sound, and scenery are really important parts of the theatrical process.  They create an environment for the actor and they can make or break a scene.  But Mr. Carroll has an interesting rebuttal to that idea.  Actors nowadays have been brought up to commune with themselves and talk into the lights when they soliloquize, but really they should be talking to the audience.  The first space he directed in without theatrical lights was The Globe, and The Globe really has no lighting.  There are some overheads for when it gets dark at evening performances, but not proper theatrical lights.  That's not to say he doesn't appreciate lighting, he still directs in spaces where he has the option to play with it, but I think that's a really interesting philosophy regarding lighting.  This idea is brought a really interesting end with The Factory's Hamlet Project.  The audience gets to sit wherever they want, they are encouraged to bring any object, they vote on who will play what part, and the play is performed without any pre-agreed upon sets, props, costumes, lights, or sound effects.  The actors must respond to the audience and every performance is unique.  I really want to see one of these shows.  Like a lot.

All in all, Mr. Carroll told some really interesting stories and I came away with the feeling that I had talked to someone that was genuinely passionate about his work and the theater.  As he says, "no one ever regrets doing theater".