When an audience member watches a play, the last thing they will think of is the show’s director. However, a director is the one who makes a script a story.
D’Jaliana’s Olivet Directing Debut
Though D’Jaliana Herring, an Olivet Senior majoring in Public Relations and Strategic Communication, began her theatre career long before she came to Olivet, the first show she directed at Olivet was “These Shining Lives.”
“I just connected with [These Shining Lives] and loved it,” Herring said when asked about her experience as a director.
Herring said working as director for this show “proved that I can do something as heavy and chaotic as this and still maintain calmness and leadership.”
As director, Herring compared her role akin to a part-time job.
“It took about 25 to 30 hours a week, me working on stuff. It would just be constant meetings with people, making sure that rehearsals go smoothly, running rehearsals, teaching the cast what I’m expecting from them, and those types of expectations as a cast member,” Herring said.
The audition process alone took nine hours to complete, and that was only the beginning of what it takes to lead in the creation of a production. As director, Herring was not only in charge of every technical element, but had to learn how to lead others through the process as well.
“[The cast] needed someone to vent to and while they were talking to me, I had some close friends and family I would talk to about the process. It was chaotic, but it was still a beautiful process,” Herring said. “Not everything’s gonna be perfect… and you need a group to lean on.”
Camila Yanez, a director for Olivet’s production “David,” related to Herring’s struggle. In an article discussing her directing experience, it says, “Yanez remembered learning to be humble. Being overwhelmed with stress was a big challenge but she was always reminded that it was not about herself but sharing who the Lord is.”
Herring employed techniques of transformational leadership, which include “interactive, inspirational, and empowering communication that invites group members to exchange ideas and transcend self-interest for the sake of the group” according to Theatre as an Individual and Collective Art, by Chin Wai Wong.
Herring strived to not only get all the technical parts of the show right, but to create a cast that became a family. When the show had its last performance, the sadness of its ending was felt by the entire production team.
“The last show definitely hit me most because I spent so much time on this project and so much tears – just like the phrase so much blood, sweat, and tears – and finally seeing it be over was really sad because even though it was a crazy process, it was still a meaningful one,” Herring said.
The Right Hand Man: Lauren Neel
Lauren Neel, a Olivet junior majoring in Theatre Production and Performance, began her role as Assistant Director for “These Shining Lives” a little differently.
“When [Herring] was chosen to direct the show, she asked me to be her assistant director because directing is what I’m hoping to do in the future and working on shows and that kind of thing,” Neel said.
As the assistant director, Neel’s role included duties ranging from helping Herring run rehearsals to one-on-ones with actors to working on the tech side.
“When you’re an actor, you only really have to worry about yourself and the people you’re acting with. You have to remember your lines, your blocking, all that kind of stuff. But then when you’re a director, you have to worry about the big picture, every single moving piece where actors are on stage, lighting, sound cues, different costuming pieces, props are a really big thing that you don’t normally think about,” Neel said.
And as the long rehearsal days ended and show week passed, Neel reflected on her time in a directing role.
“I don’t really have a really long shelf life with shows. But I think working on this show with this specific group of people was such a wonderful experience that I’m just going to keep it as that experience and look back on it fondly,” Neel said.
A Professor’s Point of View
Professor and head of Olivet’s theatre department, Kelsie Davis, aided in further clarifying the special role a director must play.
“The director’s role should really be invisible… it should look like this world is just happening on stage,” Davis said. Directors must be both leaders and collaborators.
According to a 2021 Theatre Makers Magazine article, “There’s something about working in collaboration that provides a real sense of support and safety, that allows…to push forward the creative risk, or the helpful or exciting risk, that [a director may] want to take. And it mitigates the system risk [a director] would rather not have to deal with alone.”
Davis’s thoughts reflect the need of a director to be both a leader and a collaborator.
“Letting [student directors] do that and just saying, ‘You know what, they’re gonna figure it out’ … the goal is not perfection. The goal is going through the process, learning from it, seeing what works, seeing what doesn’t.”
