Tips for Actors: Taking Direction

Whenever the director gives you instruction, do not look puzzled, do not think for a moment, do not immediately start speaking, start to defend yourself, explain why you weren’t doing it in the first place.

Instead, the trick to taking direction is to repeat it back to the giver in your own words with the confidence that you’ve understood them.  This gives the director (or whomever it may be) the opportunity to correct your understanding.

You can apply this to receiving any type of instruction, but it will work well with a director. It shows that you are attempting to give them what you want.  Don’t question it immediately.  Or ask them to repeat themselves.

Just repeat it back in your own words.  You can use this to confirm that you’ve understand.  If you pretend you’ve understood, the chances are you’ll drop a clanger later when it doesn’t happen.

Directors particularly hate to repeat their instructions to you. It seems like you’re wilfully being disobedient or don’t understand, can’t understand or worse – that you might disagree with the direction and might be failing to do it on purpose.

If someone has to tell you something more than twice, it just seems like rudeness on your part, so make sure you listen very carefully.  Use the repeating it back to the director as a way of making sure you’re both on the same page.  This is vital.

You can do this in an acting class, in rehearsal, or when you’re getting directions to the new supermarket that’s just opened.  Try it, you’ll see that the director enjoys your attention and your seeming enthusiasm to take on board their suggestions.

Then do it.