Community Players present acting, directing workshop

The Bigfork Community Players will have a workshop, Directing for Actors: The First Stage, Sept. 26 and 28 in Bigfork.  

The workshop will be conducted by Missoula Children’s Theatre Founding Director and seven-year veteran of the Bigfork Summer Playhouse Jim Caron.

“We, the members of the Players, are trying to enhance our knowledge and skills so that we can produce truly enjoyable plays here in Bigfork,” players president David Vale said.  “I’m thrilled that Jim has offered to help us. With over 40 years of writing, directing, and teaching experience, Jim is a massive talent and I think we’re all going to benefit tremendously.”

 “The focus of this workshop is at the first stage in selecting and directing a play,” Caron said.  “It’s intended for current and prospective directors of community theater, people who are familiar with theater but may have little or no formal training in the theory and art of stage direction. But not just for directors, the workshop will also be valuable for the actors who will act with these directors because it will give them a common language and understanding.”

 “I’ll start with the technical things,” he said.  “Things that are necessary for developing a common language for all involved in a production; things like standard vocabulary, the shorthand of block notation, and planning tools and charts. Things that are helpful for dividing a play into functional scenes and then making effective use of everyone’s time.”

 “Then I’ll go beyond the technical into important techniques for encouraging creativity, both of the director and the actors.  Everyone comes to a production with different strengths.  We’ll discuss how to identify and bring those out and use everyone’s unique talents to create a rich production.  And we’ll discuss that important aspect of character: confidence: How to develop it, how to show it, how to fake it.”

 Friday evening will be heavy on the fundamental, but Sunday afternoon will be devoted to trying out the theory, putting it to work directing and acting in a few short scenes given as homework Friday evening.  “We’ll block the scenes, perform the scenes, and then change the whole character of the scenes by applying different motivations.  Everyone will have an opportunity to act or direct, each choosing which to emphasize.”

 The workshop is free and is open to all members of the Bigfork Community Players. Membership in the Players is open to all with an interest in theater for $10.  The workshop will be conducted in Bigfork.  Participants should plan to attend both sessions, one Friday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and the other on Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.  Pre-registration is required.  Details at bigforkcommunityplayers.com.