One of my favorite quotes when it comes to successfully directing moments on stage is:
“You do what you do you on stage for the ability to stop what you are doing and create meaning.”
I mentioned this in directing class and it stumped them ever bit as much as it stumped me. The only difference, of course, was that I was a junior in college and they are working this puzzle in high school. It did take me several failed directing scenes to understand anything about the quote – but slowly over time it began to ring true.
Here is how I shared it today: If you have a character writing a letter on stage during a scene – the value of having a character doing this is only that you have the chance to stop them from writing – and the moment that you have stopped the character’s writing you are pointing to and adding meaning to the action on stage. For example if there is an argument that is being played out between two friends as a third character is writing a letter = = every time you have the letter writer stop writing, you are adding GREAT significance to the other characters on stage and to the specific point that they are discussing at the moment. In short, the stopping of an activity on stage becomes a giant highlighter for the director to point to the dramatic action and move the story forward in clear tangible ways.
You are getting something from nothing.