Β. 02. 15. – International Journal

Directing in Theatre: Its interaction with social phenomena

Stamatis Gargalianos

Associate Professor – University of Western Macedonia

Dimitra Tsiaka

Director in Secondary Education in the Prefecture of Fthiotida

Abstract

In this article, we attempt to analyse the directing of 9 (nine) theatrical plays that were staged in Greece, in the period 2013-19. The analysis examined the internal time of the plays, and in particular the element of pace / rhythm.

Every play contains rhythms that determine its evaluation by both audience and critics. The pace of the events unfolding on stage affects not only the way they will be perceived, as well as accepted by the audience, but also determines their direct or indirect relationship with the play script and their stage-interpretive performance. At the same time, life itself contains rhythms, which affect all beings that move in various ways and which, in turn, affect every form of theatrical act.

Concepts such as the actors’ kinesiology and speech utterance pace, the slow or fast music accompaniment -and the reasons for its use on stage- and the alternation of sets and lighting during a play are all analysed here, as intrinsic and dominant elements of a play.

The rhythm existing in gazes and silences is also analysed, as it is inherent in directing, and characterises, as well as influences the entire dramatic and directing process.

Finally, a comparison is made between the different rhythms in which a particular play script can be performed. This comparison aims to determine pace suitability for a play script, as well as the relationship between an adequate rhythm and the contentment of audience and critics.

Keywords: Direction, Rhythm / Pace, Actor, Time, Society, Art

Methodology

For the purposes of this study, we analysed the 9 (nine) plays that were staged or presented in the Greek theatrical landscape during the period October 2013 –May 2019. This period was selected because, in these 6 (six) years, the following plays contained time and pace elements that were very relevant to our research.

These were: “Immortality”, directed by Christos Dimas, at the “Michalis Cacoyiannis Foundation” Theatre; “With Exquisite Music, with Voices”, directed by Sofia Spyratou, at Moni Lazariston – Thessaloniki; “Misanthrope”, directed by Yiannis Chouvardas, at the National Theatre; “Closer-So close”, directed by Petros Zivanos at NTNG; “Mathematics of the Heart”, directed by Nikos Ortetzatos, at Vis Motrix Theatre – Thessaloniki; “Divine Words”, directed by Giorgos Lazanis, on ‘Monday Theatre’ – ΕΤ2 –; “Servant of Two Masters”, directed by Michalis Sionas, at SMS-NTNG; “Shirley Valentine”, directed by Alexandros Rigas, at Aristoteleio Theatre – Thessaloniki; “Miss Chaos”, directed by Antonis Karayiannis at Maiotron Theatre – Thessaloniki.

For each of them, observation sheets were completed regarding elements of time and pace, such as: the actors’ speech pace, the rhythm of set and costume alternation, the total pace of the play; we also examined these elements’ relation to the play script, as well as the intentions of the director (see Appendix).

At the same time, we studied theories of theatre directing and semiotics, as these are analysed in texts by Moussinac, Helbo, Pavis, and Ubersfeld, because every object, phrase, action, sound, and lighting on stage are signs pointing to the style, quality or specific significance of a theatrical play.

Part One: Types of time in theatre

Time in theatre has three dimensions:

a. The time in which the play or events take place (e.g. 1789 or 1821 or the Present)

b. The time referring to play duration (e.g. it lasts 3 hours)

c. The time in which it is performed before an audience (what day, month, year, decade, century)

Time in theatre also includes the meaning of a play’s rhythm, and therefore the pace of event succession during the development of the plot, namely, when something remarkable happens or is said on stage (Pavis, op cit.: 425).

Pace and combinations of pace in theatre

Consequently, the possible rhythms in theatre are, at the first level of analysis, three:

a. slow pace

b. moderate pace

c. fast pace

Certainly, there are intermediate grades; nevertheless, here, we are only interested in this principal, preliminary classification. We understand that, in general, there is a pace:

I. in speech utterance,

II. in actor movement,

III. in set alternation,

ΙV. in music,

V. in lighting.

We admit, therefore, that the possible combinations of a, b, and c with I, II, III, IV, and V are numerous: a rapid speech utterance pace can be combined, as well as balanced by a slow -slow or moderately fast- pace of actor movement on stage.

Important and insignificant phrases-actions in Theatre

In relation to the overall pace, something important is happening or is being said on stage when this act or phrase drastically changes the flow of a play’s plot, and influences (or sets in motion) plot development.

For instance, the events or phrases that set off the plot are considered important. It is certain that anything else (i.e. not important) does not drive plot development (“Divine Words”, Monday Theatre-ET2-1998). No matter how fast or slow these lines are uttered, the viewers realise that they offer nothing, so they do not consider them in the overall dramatic flow of the play. In this case, both the director and the other creators on stage, especially the actors, have the right to choose a fast rendition of the script, to diminish its importance.

Internal elements of a theatrical play

In parallel with the above, the other internal elements of a theatrical play are examined, namely, initially, the play script and all its intrinsic elements (words, phrases, scenes, punctuation marks, etc.) (Bablet, 2008: 98).

Every script contains its own “pace”, which differs from the actors’ speech utterance pace (Pavis, op. cit.: 423). In this sense, we evaluate the total internal time of a play, i.e. the pace of the above, both individually and combined.

An important element of rhythm in a play is the kinesiology of the actors, and particularly the pace in which they walk or move on stage, but also gesture alone or in relation to the script and the other actors. Of course, it is possible to observe a different pace among actors, both within a scene and throughout the entire play (“Servant of Two Masters”, KTHBE, 2019). This differentiation can be the result of the director’s wishes or the actors’ capabilities.

Another important element of pace is music. Music can be classified as live or recorded. If it is live, then it can -in terms of rhythm- ‘follow’ the actors. If it is recorded, then it is up to the actors to keep up with its pace. Any acceleration or deceleration here represents the most interesting of all examined elements, as it is something “living” and changing, while everything else is stable and fixed.

Finally, pace is inherent in the alternation of sets and costumes, both within a scene and throughout the play. As a rule, sets change between either scenes or acts. Intermediate changes (within scenes) involve smaller objects, such as accessories, or furniture rearrangement. In addition, costumes alternate between scenes or acts, unless, for dramatic purposes, one or more actors stay in the same costume throughout the play. In general, the alternation of sets and costumes are intrinsic elements of directing, which not only contain their own pace, but are also related to the other elements of directing, which also contain pace (“Shakespeare in Love”, 2018-19- Athens-Thessaloniki). Multiple rhythms in the elements of a play bring an important dimension to the analysis of what we see on stage. It is possible to associate slow and fast pace, in all or individual elements of the play.

A preliminary conclusion could be that the pace of a theatrical play is directly related to the pace of life itself, to the point that the two rhythms interact and cause corresponding changes in these two phenomena.

Part Two: Types of Pace

Internal-external pace

In order to analyse this dipole, we examine the relationship between the pace of a play and the daily external pace of social life, namely, the pace of people’s movement at work or at home, and the temporal alternation of total phenomena or events that regulate everyone’s life.

These are the so-called “external influences” on our lives, which are inherent in social life, such as traffic lights, cinema, television, radio, sports, the pace of public transport, street demonstrations, etc., as well as family moments such as conversations between parents and children, the pace of movement at home, etc. To the latter, we add each person’s pace of life, as well as the pace of his own body (pulses, breaths, gait, special gestures, speech pace, etc.). All of the above are “elements” of social life, namely, “transmitters” that convey messages and signals to the art of theatre (Pavis, 2006: 422). In this way, they influence and interact with the elements on stage, which, essentially, acts as their “mirror” (Eco, 1985: 26).

On the other hand, certainly, the pace of a theatrical play is directly related to the pace of life itself, to the point that the two rhythms interact and mutually bring about corresponding changes in these two phenomena: persons leading a fast-paced life will not be able to “accept” a play that is too slow. Likewise, if the actors in a play speak fast and spectator X understands only his fellow citizens who speak slowly, then he will find it difficult to understand the actors, and might leave the play.

The fast pace in a director’s life -what he feels, but also what he sees around him- will possibly lead to a fast pace in his directing. The play script itself might turn out to be an opponent, imposing -indirectly or directly- a pace; the same is true for the actors, especially when they cannot follow what the director advocates in respective issues (Moussinac, 1948: 83).

Speech utterance as a directing pace

Pace in speech utterance can be conceived both as the temporal distance between the words uttered in a sentence by an actor and as the pace of all words uttered in an entire dialogue (or even a large monologue) of a scene or a play (Kowzan, 1992: 29). We also accept that the pace can be fast at the beginning of the play and slow afterwards, without excluding the case of an alternating pace (time distance between words) from one scene to another, from actor to actor, in the same scene or in the same dialogue. These associations render the act of theatre extremely interesting for any scholar studying play scripts or directing. The present reasoning gives a significant perspective to those who are able to go beyond viewing a play in a simple and one-dimensional manner and wish to delve into pace analyses, comparisons, and associations, and by extension, the stage performance of play scripts.

Important phrases or actions

Hence, there are performances in which the heroes, at the beginning of the play script, express some general thoughts that do not concern the central tale (“So close”-“Closer” by Patrick Marber – 2019), and the first important phrase is uttered even fifteen minutes into the play. Thus, such scripts have the disadvantage of a slow dramatic development. A “dry” narration by an actor on stage, as well as the mere utterance of lines that bear no dramatic significance, dictate a fast pace in order to overcome the audience’s boredom (Kowzan, op cit .: 30).

Another example is the lack of frequent alternation in the action of the overall development of the central tale (“Shirley Valentine” by Willy Russel, Aristoteleio Theatre, 2019 – “Immortality” by Christos Dimas, “M. Kakogiannis Foundation” Theatre). Such a slow pace is combined with the actors’ parallel slow speech utterance pace or their static performance on stage: if the actor speaks slowly and nothing important happens on stage, then the whole spectacle becomes extremely tedious. However, a middle ground equally exists: a slow -at times- speech utterance may be combined with stage acts or dramatic events that, by their mere execution, accelerate the actor’s aforementioned slow pace (“Misanthrope” – National Theatre – “With Exquisite Music, with Voices” – KTHBE – 2013-14). A middle ground can also be achieved the other way around: a fast speech, combined with the absence of important actions. These combinations are infinite, if we consider the cases of a intermediate pace, as well as the pace of the other elements in a play (sets, music, lighting, etc.).

Part Three: A comparative approach of pace in theatre

At the same time, plays can be compared in terms of pace: a fast pace in a play based on a specific theatrical oeuvre can be compared with the pace of another play based on the same play script. In this case, the question arises as to why a theatrical play script should be performed in two (or more) different rhythms. What dramatic and conceptual goal does a fast or a slow pace of performing the same play script accomplish in terms of dramaturgy?

Next, the question arises -as an element of a play’s external evaluation- as to which performance is most or best suited for a play script at hand. The notion “best suited” here refers to both audience contentment (see attendance) and the regard for the author’s intentions. Namely: does a play script that is rendered in a fast pace by the actors (according to the director’s wish) become more gratifying to -or better understood by- the viewers? Or, on the contrary, does a slow utterance of speech render it more understandable both in its entirety and in distinct instances, for which a preliminary comparison can be carried out (“Closer”, KTHBE, 2019)? In other words, a slow pace in a play aims to give the audience an opportunity to better understand certain “difficult” concepts of the theatrical play script or adequate time to process them.

Pace in silences and gazes

Silences and gazes constitute an important stage category that is subject to the associations of what we call “pace”. They both have their own pace and largely determine both the overall directorial approach and the interpretation of the play script by the director and the audience. They are subject to the overall directing analysis and give a special “stigma” to the entire stage performance (Pavis, op. cit.: 423).

The pace in silences can be examined on two levels: a. silences in relation to the entire play script; b. silences in relation to each other (how many silences per sentence, per scene or throughout the play). Silences are often more eloquent than a conversation and can convey a special interpretation to a play script, precisely because the director wants to emphasise certain points. They themselves often “speak” louder than the script itself (“Mathematics of the Heart”, Vis Motrix, 2019).

The pace in gazes has three levels: a. Pace of eye contact between actors (how many times the actors look at each other during an exchange of lines, a scene or the entire play); b. Pace of gazes between actors and spectators; c. Pace of actors’ gazes directed to the rest of the set on stage or the overall surroundings within the theatre. The frequency of these gazes goes hand in hand with the other stage elements (actors’ speech, set alternation, music, etc.), offering infinite stage combinations, worthy of a detailed analysis in other studies.

The pace here is not only quantitative, but also qualitative: we study how the actors look at their colleagues on stage, as well as how they relate to spectators (for instance, the case of theatre of alienation), with what intentions, what meaning, etc.

Associations between the pace of speech utterance and other intrinsic elements of a play

The pace of speech utterance can (or sometimes has to) be associated with the other rhythms in a play. Thus, we can say that a performance with a speech utterance pace X can be examined in relation to actor movements and lighting or set alternations, as well as in relation to the key element called “music choice” or “music creation” (“With Exquisite Music, with Voices” – KTHBE – 2013-14).

Along with the pace of speech utterance, we must study the pace of set alternation. Pace, here also refers to the case where one scene lasts 2’ and the next one lasts 10’. Here, clearly, we have a case of a peculiar play script pace that differs from the other principal ones, and which concerns an intrinsic distinction of pace from one scene to the next, and their sequencing (Kowzan, op cit.: 30). Moreover, here, we study the one-dimensional set in terms of time, namely the set which does not change throughout the play, but is merely partially modified by one or more actors (“Miss Chaos”, Maiotron Theatre, 2019). This is a pace that can only be justified on the grounds of dramaturgy or directorial choice.

An important comparative approach is that of associating the pace of different elements on stage, as, for instance, the pace of speech utterance compared to the pace of pauses: if the pauses in speech are frequent and numerous (“Misanthrope” – National Theatre), they contradict the general pace of the entire script delivery and create an interesting contrast, worthy of assessment by critics and directors alike.

The end of pace

Even the point in time which marks the end of the storyline (not the script, but the dramatic plot) of a play is decisive for the analysis of the general pace: the ‘solution’ of problem X may occur right at the end of all speech, but the action on stage may continue for several more minutes, namely, until the director decides to turn off the lights or close the curtain. These directorial choices, combined with a generally slow pace during the entire play, tire both audience and critics, and can render the overall production a failure. On another level, even the slow pace in which the actors (directed by their director, of course) come out for the final bow extends an overall slow pace and a negative sentiment to the play, especially since this bow also represents its finale.

Conclusions

The pace of everyday life is clearly linked to the internal pace of plays being presented on stage. These two paces are strongly correlated, to the point that they go “hand in hand”. Ultimately, theatre constitutes a perpetual “battle” between the demands of a play script and the director’s wishes, in relation to the actors’ desires or capabilities. Here we find the magical “chemistry”, which plants the theatrical “seed”, which bears as fruit the theatrical plays that we -spectators and critics- are called to evaluate and appraise.

Furthermore, the pace of a play is examined -intentionally or unintentionally- by the spectators. The latter constitute a special category of appraisers, who either accept any kind of pace without objection or react, even by leaving the theatre, when -due to the pace- they do not agree or they do not understand the play script itself or the director’s intentions.

This entire issue is a distinct aspect of theatre that interests both the artists who bring a play script to life and the spectators who watch it, especially if they are specialised in theatre studies (theatre critics, playwrights, students of Theatre Departments, and other directors in general).

APPENDIX – PLAY OBSERVATION SHEET

Actor speech pace