Incite/Insight Spring-Summer 2019 Incite_Insight—Spring_Summer 2019 Final | Page 7

and ignoring the opportunity to
really concentrate on how the play
sounds—painting word pictures in the
audience’s mind, hearing the music
of the language.”
One of the playwrights commented
on the importance of the director
realizing “how potentially perilous
readings are for new plays, and just
how hard it is to do certain plays
justice via reading (e.g., plays that
are visually or physically dynamic
or theatrically complex)—especially
given how little rehearsal time there
is.”
With these common misconceptions
in mind, when asked about the guest
artists’ highest priority, goal, or
learning objective in leading classes
on directing staged readings,
answers ranged from practical tools
(“how to manage their time, stage,
and dramaturg”) to perspectives
one guest put it, “I wanted them
to be aware of the challenges and
perils of readings. I didn’t want them
to be blind-sided by them mid-
process (like I was). I wanted them
to anticipate some of the common
challenges, be aware of the intrinsic
drawbacks to doing readings, and
have tools for troubleshooting and
optimizing the rehearsal process for
readings.”
Alex Ates, a student in this cohort
(also managing editor of this
publication), was charged with
coordinating the logistic of the Skype
sessions. “Managing the connections
between the MFA directors and the
guests required some logistical
communication,” said Ates. “But once
the connections were stable, our
cohort was able to lock into the guest
instructor’s words. I have a whole
notepad full of notes from these
Skype lectures.”
Acknowledging that the distance
might make an authentic connection
between the guest artists and the
grad students difficult, I asked them
each to remark on any noteworthy
takeaways from their time with the
directing students. All of the guests
had positive things to say about the
students, such as their “eagerness
to learn.” The fact that the students
were able to impress their eagerness
through Skype when the literal
distance might make passivity more
likely was also noted by the guests.
When asked about the process of
teaching this topic over Skype, all of
the guest artists reported a positive
experience, while noting that, of
course, “Nothing beats being in the
room.”
In terms of advice for future
practitioners teaching via
this medium, one guest artist
commented that it is “challenging
to keep the energy going or to get a
sense of what they’re feeling via this
medium.” Another acknowledged
the “convenience” of teaching
through the technology, and another
remarked that all things considered,
“It was surprisingly hitch-less!”
While Skype will never be able to
replace the connection that occurs
in a theatre or theatre classroom, it
is important to note that distance
should not impede theatre artists
from being able to share their
wisdom and experience with the
next generation of theatre artists, no
matter where they happen to be.
Annie G. Levy is a theatre-maker
and director whose work often
revolves around modern mythology,
historical turning points, and
scientific breakthroughs. Her
research focuses on the integration
of theatre and STEM subjects with
college-aged populations. She is
an assistant professor of theatre
and leads the directing and stage
management MFA concentrations
at the University of Alabama.
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