There is no lack of performance venues in Aurora and the surrounding suburbs. What is lacking, according to Heidi Schultz of The Riverfront Playhouse in Aurora, is opportunities for aspiring directors.
“There aren’t many opportunities for local theater folks to learn what it takes to direct in a small theater outside of college and university settings,” Schultz said. “Directing is more than just telling people where and when to move during the course of the play. They need to learn about the business side as much as the artistic side of producing a play.”
To help combat the scarcity of directing opportunities, Schultz is conducting a Director’s Workshop which started June 27 and ends July 5. Eight participants are learning the basics of directing and a chance to direct some short scenes by local playwrights.
“The purpose of the Director’s Workshop is to give folks who have never directed before an opportunity to direct a small show in order to prepare them for the whole production process of a full, two-act, main stage play,” Schultz said.
Schultz is conducting the workshop with help from her brother, Jackson Schultz, who helped structure the workshop, and Jake Murphy, who is assisting with some of the program.
“We will have a panel of current Riverfront directors for a night to give the participants an opportunity to get varying opinions on different topics and strategies regarding the process,” Schultz said. “Our guest panel will include Sherry Winchester Schultz, Gene Scheffler, Gary Puckett, Jackson Schultz and Jake Murphy.”
Schultz said that the workshop mostly consists of lectures and exercises.”Once you know the basics, it’s all about your vision of a show and trying to convey it through actors, sets, lights, props, etc.,” she said.
“The members of the Riverfront Playhouse have always determined that you learn more in front of an audience than in rehearsal or in a class. The same can be said for directing. We can sit in classes for weeks, but you’re not going to really learn anything until you’re actually doing it.”
Each director will direct one scene. Schultz has asked local playwrights to provide scenes with two to three people in them and the directors will decide which scene they would like to direct.
“This gives the directors a chance to just work one scene rather than a whole one-act, so they have a smaller bite of the action,” Schultz said. “Craig Gustafson and Katie Lentz have written a couple of pieces for us so far.”
Schultz indicated that the playwrights also benefit from the workshop.
“We give local writers an opportunity to have their scenes be performed,” she said, “which is also a great fit for the Playhouse. We have worked with local playwrights before and have received great results. Our audiences love that they can see original plays and works at the Riverfront that they won’t see anywhere else.”
As part of the directing workshop, auditions for actors will be held and the new directors will select actors for each scene. Auditions will be held July 6-7. Call 630 897-9496 or email at [email protected].
“Anyone with even a mild interest should audition,” Schultz said. “No experience is necessary. The new directors will be a part of the casting process. Casting your show is a huge part of directing and a lot of theater people who have never directed before don’t realize how tough it can be. It’s a difficult process, but it’s extremely important to go through.”
The workshop will culminate with performances on the Riverfront Playhouse stage in front of a live audience Aug. 5-6. Performances will be free, but donations will be accepted.
“The length of the evening will depend on how long scenes run,” Schultz said. “The goal is to have each scene performed twice — once each night. If there are particularly long scenes, we might split it up between nights, but I would like all the participants to have a chance to be seen by folks stopping by for First Fridays. The Riverfront doesn’t get many opportunities to participate in First Fridays, and we love what First Fridays events have been doing for downtown Aurora.”
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Although the nearby Paramount Theatre offers a number of classes, Schultz believes that the Riverfront workshops fills a specific niche.
“This workshop is a lot less formal,” she said. “It’s not a very long time commitment and it’s very specific to directing in small theaters like the Riverfront and other local suburban and urban theaters.”In the end, the workshop will help keep things fresh for The Riverfront Playhouse.
“The Riverfront wanted to open its doors to new directors, new actors and fresh ideas,” Schultz said. “New ideas breathe new life into our theater. It helps keep our Riverfront regulars inspired and our audiences coming back for more.”
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.