When Actors Don’t ‘Get It’: How Directors Can Break Down the Tough Stuff
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Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week’s email,
We explore how directors can bridge the gap when young actors struggle to grasp complex emotions and themes, offering practical techniques to help students connect with their characters on a deeper level.
We have another new Shows You Should Know selection from Host of The Scene: Podcast and Theatre Tiktoker Justin Borak!
The latest free read from Playscripts: The Things She Held by Martha Epstein.
So, raise the curtain and shine the spotlight as we dive into another thrilling week in the theatre world. Welcome to The Scene.
Jean Smart Sets Return to Broadway in Call Me Izzy by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Sarna Lapine will direct Jamie Wax's one-person play. Read...
Kristin Chenoweth-Led Queen of Versailles Musical Will Open at Broadway's St. James This Fall by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill | The project reunites Chenoweth with Wicked songwriter Stephen Schwartz. Read...
Broadway's Good Night, and Good Luck Begins Performances, Get a 1st Look at George Clooney as Edward R. Murrow by Margaret Hall, Playbill | Co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov from the 2005 film, David Cromer directs the new play. Read...
Boop! The Musical Comes to Broadway by Andrew Gans, Playbill | Jasmine Amy Rogers stars as Betty Boop in the new musical from Bob Martin, David Foster, and Susan Birkenhead. Read...
No American Drama Is as Haunted by Ghosts of Actors Past as ‘Streetcar’ by Ben Brantley, The New York Times | With a revival starring Paul Mescal and Patsy Ferran in Brooklyn, a look at the carefully weighted balance that actors playing Blanche and Stanley need to strike. Read...
Playwright Athol Fugard Proved the Pen Could be Mightier than the Sword by Charles McNulty, The Los Angeles Times | W.H. Auden, meditating on the role of the artist in a poem by W.B. Yeats, concluded that poetry “makes nothing happen.” While generally true, the precept doesn’t hold in the case of playwright Athol Fugard, whose body of work helped transform the history of his nation. Read...
With Most Male Actors At War, A Small Ukrainian Theater Reinvents Itself With An All-Female Cast by Illia Novikov, Associated Press | With so many men serving in Ukraine’s armed forces to repel Russia’s invasion, the theater has adapted to the realities of war, and women are taking the spotlight. Read...
5 Years After Covid Closed the Theaters, Audiences Are Returning by The New York Times | Broadway is almost back, and pop music tours and sports events are booming. But Hollywood, museums and other cultural sectors have yet to bounce back. Read...
Big Idea Story
When Actors Don’t ‘Get It’: How Directors Can Break Down the Tough Stuff
by Zach Dulli, The Scene
It happens to every high school theatre teacher at some point. You're deep into rehearsals, the production date looming ominously closer, and you're stuck. Your actors, eager and talented as they are, keep bumping into the invisible wall of "just not getting it." Maybe it's Hamlet's existential dread, the deep-seated regret in Death of a Salesman, or the complicated social satire lurking beneath the surface of The Importance of Being Earnest. You know it's there, clear as day on the page, yet when your young actors take the stage, something critical is missing.
Blaming youth or inexperience might be the easiest route—after all, these are teenagers tackling material that can challenge seasoned professionals—but the truth usually lies in something simpler and far more fixable: communication. As a director, your real job isn't telling actors what to feel; it's showing them how to find it within themselves. This requires creativity, patience, and an understanding of how to translate complexities into realities students genuinely recognize.
Take Hamlet. It's easy to lose students amid the ornate Elizabethan language and labyrinthine philosophical musings. Hamlet’s existential dread can feel abstract at seventeen. But what if Hamlet’s hesitation wasn't about princely indecision in a Danish castle? What if you reframed his famous paralysis—"To be or not to be"—in terms your students actually experience daily: the anxiety of endless choice, the paralysis of staring at an Instagram feed, frozen by the pressure of presenting the perfect version of themselves online. Suddenly, Hamlet isn’t a distant Danish prince—he's that kid in third period who can't decide between five different future plans, immobilized by the overwhelming options in front of him.
The trick to conveying complexity lies in grounding it. You can't expect students to reach Shakespeare; you have to bring Shakespeare to them.
Consider, too, improvisation. The spontaneity of improv isn't just fun—it's deeply instructive. Suppose your script revolves around complicated human emotions like betrayal, love, jealousy, or loss. Design improved scenarios where students directly face these emotions in a low-stakes, safe environment. Let’s say betrayal is the core conflict. Have actors improvise a scene where one friend casually reveals another’s minor secret. Watch how quickly emotions shift, trust breaks down, and genuine hurt surfaces. Suddenly, when they return to scripted lines, that authenticity transfers, they're no longer reciting; they're reliving. Your audience will notice.
But it isn't always about games. Sometimes complexity requires quiet conversations. Invite your students into dialogue. Ask open-ended questions: “What do you think your character is fighting for?” or “Can you recall a time you felt similar confusion, grief, or rage?” When you shift from director to facilitator—trading dictation for dialogue—you empower your actors to discover emotional truths independently. And when they find those truths, they'll defend them fiercely, embodying complexity in ways no amount of explicit instruction can achieve.
Equally crucial is creating an environment of honesty. It's okay—essential even—to admit when things are hard. Telling your actors, plainly, “This scene is tough. It’s okay to struggle,” does more than reassure. It validates their process. Struggle is the birthplace of meaningful art. Students who see their struggles recognized rather than dismissed develop the resilience needed to dive deeper and push further. They’ll risk vulnerability because you've made it safe to fail. That courage translates directly onto the stage.
Physicality can also unlock emotional depth. Encourage actors to physically embody struggles their characters face. If a scene demands desperation, have your actors speak their lines while physically pushing against a wall or holding a weighted object. The exertion isn't just symbolic; it grounds emotion in tangible effort. Their words become urgent, their need undeniable. It’s not acting; it’s experiencing.
Another powerful tactic is leveraging modern parallels. Use the contemporary realities your students face—issues like peer pressure, or social anxiety—as entry points to historical dramas or abstract texts. If you're staging The Crucible, instead of getting bogged down in historical Puritanism, connect it to something they recognize—social media bullying, peer pressure, or rumors spreading through a school hallway. Suddenly the stakes become clear, and the subtleties are anything but subtle.
Lastly, don't forget about patience and trust. This isn’t something that happens overnight. Every actor’s journey is different, and every student will connect at their own pace. Your faith in their ability is often the most powerful catalyst. Encourage risk-taking, applaud small breakthroughs, and celebrate even minor victories. Eventually, they'll arrive where you hoped they'd be—performing with depth, complexity, and genuine emotion.
The next time your actors aren’t quite "getting it," remind yourself this isn’t an obstacle; it’s an opportunity. Complexity demands creativity, honesty, and vulnerability from both the actors and you, the director. When everyone is willing to meet halfway, the payoff can be more than great acting. It can be transformative, unforgettable theatre.
Shows You Should Know
Island Song by Sam Carner and Derek Gregor
About: An ambitious group of 20- and 30-somethings navigates the promises and perils of big-city life: Cooper is an actor giving himself one year to land his first big break; Caroline is finding her footing after a messy breakup; Will, an architect, and Jordan, a high-powered executive, are figuring out how their personal ambitions fit within their relationship; and Shoshana is discovering herself amidst the whirlwind of New York City romance. As the city swirls around them and their peers, they stumble, push back, fall in love, face setbacks, and, most importantly, discover the strength that comes from conquering the Big Apple. Carner & Gregor’s Island Song is the perfect musical for any situation—and here’s why: This contemporary musical duo has created a song cycle that stands out with an electrifying pop score and memorable songs that linger long after the final curtain. They've crafted the show to be incredibly adaptable, offering three cast-size options—from an intimate black box production to a large-scale high school show—with pre-approved clean versions of songs available if the original lyrics are too adult for your school. Additionally, the musical is packed with songs ideal for showcases and auditions, making it an excellent choice for focusing on contemporary musical theatre with your cast or students.
Rating: PG-R | Casting: 2M, 3W (Small Cast); 4M, 6W (Medium Cast); 6M, 9W (Large Cast) | Genre: Passionate, Energetic Song Cycle Musical | Run-Time: 105 Minutes
Click here to learn more about Island Song. And don’t forget to check out The Scene Podcast!
Immersive Theater Experience ‘Storehouse’ Set to Challenge Information Narratives in London by Naman Ramachandran, Variety | The large-scale show, which occupies a space equivalent to two soccer fields (9,000 square meters), invites audiences to explore an archive of humanity’s stories since 1983, described as “the dawn of the internet.” Read...
Starter for Ten to Return to Bristol Old Vic With Great British Baking Show Star Mel Giedroyc by Margaret Hall, Playbill | The 1980s-set coming-of-age story explores love and social class against the backdrop of the legendary British quiz show University Challenge. Read...
New Musical INDIGO Sets U.K. Premiere at Curve's Studio Theatre by Molly Higgins, Playbill | With music and lyrics by Scott Evan Davis and a book by Kait Kerrigan, the musical depicts a family living with Alzheimer's, autism, and synesthesia. Read...
Weird, New Pop Version of Macbeth, Will Make World Premiere in 2026 by Andrew Gans, Playbill | The new Shakespeare-inspired musical from Nick Butcher and Scottish siblings Kerri Watt and Fraser Watt will play the Newcastle Theatre Royal. Read...
A Play About Segregation Tries to ‘Ride a Fine Line’ in Florida by Jonathan Abrams, The New York Times | A production partly aimed at students that highlights Tampa’s history in the civil rights movement lands at a time when the state is changing what schools teach about race and history. Read...
Guthrie to reopen its third stage and produce a new Pulitzer play for 2025-26 season by Rohan Preston, The Minnesota Star Tribune | The upcoming roster includes adaptations of classics like “A Doll’s House,” “Little Women” and “Private Lives,” plus the musical “Come From Away.” Read...
Many Happy Returns, The Things Around Us, Late at the Annex Join Williamstown Theatre Festival's 2025 Season by Molly Higgins, Playbill | The Massachusetts Festival's upcoming programming is themed around Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire playwright Tennessee Williams. Read...
Steppenwolf Theatre hits 50: Its Anniversary Season will include ‘Amadeus’ and a new play by Tarell Alvin McCraney by Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune | Steppenwolf Theatre Company, a Chicago theater company perennially famed for its youthful irreverence, has announced its 50th anniversary season, an age that might be hard for some of its most fervent supporters to grasp. Read...
Free Reads of the Week
Read entire plays for free! Playscripts offers a selection of full-length and one-act plays that you can access for free, which is ideal for use in theatre productions, school performances, or competitions. To explore these titles, click on the cover image below or select the "READ FOR FREE" button at the bottom of this section. This action will direct you to the play's page on the Playscripts website. Once there, click "READ NOW" to begin enjoying the play immediately!
The Things She Held by Martha Epstein
The Story: The Things She Held follows a girl as she delivers an acceptance speech to one person, or a few people, or an empty space, or a collection of memories. It’s a play about how we hold onto the things we love. Or maybe it’s about how we let them go. Do they go? Can anything really last forever? Isn’t it all so crazy?
Casting: 5 W, 1 Any (4-20 actors possible: 3-20 W, 0-17 M) | Genre: Comedy Drama | Run-Time: 25 - 30 minutes | Set: Flexible
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