By ANNA PANUNTO
I wrote and produced my first play ( a biographical story as a tribute to my beloved father) in 2022 and then wrote, produced, and co-directed my second one ( a semi-autobiographical that took place during the early times of the coronavirus pandemic) in the fall of 2023. This was no easy feat but I desperately wanted the challenge. And, by golly, I got it!
With my first play, I did some “off the record” co-directing but it wasn’t officially stated as such because I had had no experience with live theatre. Having an academic background in English Literature and of course, having taught English literature to adult high school students did not qualify as experience. However, as I was informally co-directing, I was developing a clearer idea as to how I would co-direct my second play. Yes, I am indeed, a visionary!
Once I found my co-director in 2023, I felt relieved! Not only did he agree to co-direct but he also agreed to play one of the characters in the play. Getting my full cast was quite a challenge for my second play as it took me almost 5 months to find all of them. Actually, I had come close to giving up! One thing I learned about putting together a play – be patient. The universe always delivers.
So, I signed a contract with my co-director, and of course, discussed how to divide the tasks accordingly. When tasks are written down on paper, everything seems so clear! However, splitting tasks is not easy when put into practice. One thing learned from both plays – conflict is inevitable and emotions can run high with theatre work. Mine certainly did – both times!
Co-Directing Style
What is my directorship style? Not sure. I am cognizant of the four basic ones: dictator, negotiator, creative artist, and confrontational. Perhaps, I am an amalgamation of all four but I would easily add, “ intuitive”. One thing is certain though that I desperately tried to follow a collaborative process ( perhaps one that imitates the classroom). At first, it worked like a charm because there was an organic process to the development of each character ( there were five characters in total). My co-director worked on coaching them as actors- they all came from varying professional backgrounds. A lot of focus was put on voice projection and voice energy. When we met as a full cast and started doing full read-throughs of the drama script, I warned my actors ( taught to me by the former director of my first play): to get ready to undergo many drafts of this script. Most of them had film experience but unlike film, the script of a play is not set in stone. So, the written word, “my word”, was open to change.
How can a writer and co-director( I had on both hats) do this without compromising the motivation of each character in the play? Well, the intention of each character was open to change but the motivation was not. This flexibility with intention of character, was in fact, my way of giving some creative control to the actors. Some appreciated this experience while others did not. I cut my losses and carried on.
By the time I reached my 50th draft ( exaggerating a little bit), all of us had felt drained from the process. Not an easy task to have a four-hour rehearsal at a time, then go to your laptop and dedicate another hour or two for revisions, then re-print, and have the actors recite their new lines! Not easy on the actors’ end either, to adjust to the changes made and remember new lines or deleted ones. In the end, it was worth the investment.
By the end of this “drafting journey”, we had a story that flowed with ease in the proper context for live theatre. A story that imitated real life. I could finally see, taste, smell, hear, and touch each character! It was an exhilarating feeling!
Character motivation and Co-Directing
Character motivation was clear to me from the get and I was not very flexible in this department. I did not mind walking each actor through it – step by step. Actually, I preferred doing that instead of having them “figure it out” which seemed very time-consuming. At times, I even acted out specific scenes – illustrating what I wanted from each character. This came naturally to me. Character motivation was fundamental to the message of the play – the two worked hand in hand.
My second play had such a strong nuance of cultural understanding and misunderstanding mixed with a high complexity of intercultural dynamics. This being semi-autobiographical, I evidently lived through the cultural experiences. My fundamental goal was to make the audience live it with me while connecting with the story as if it were a piece of their own. Highly ambitious of me? Perhaps… perhaps not!
Blocking scenes and lighting was not my forte and this is where my co-director completely took over. He made it his priority to make sure that no character would be upstaged in any way and he did a damn good job at it. A couple of my actors already had a sense of blocking – even if it was mostly in film. I stood back and observed and learned a few things…
Cohesive Vision
What about co-directing and having a cohesive vision? Does that even exist? What about the entire cast – is that possible? From my perspective, not really. Two directors can come close to sharing a vision but two people can never have the same vision. Creative differences even among the actors are to be expected. However, when there is disagreement in directing the actors or even when actors disagree with the directorship, this is where it can get tricky. I am not certain that I have the solution though. I guess that it is a give-and-take as anything else. I still need more experience in directing to establish a firm opinion.
One thing is for sure though, that the actors need to equally accept both directors as authority. This can be at times challenging because some will naturally favor one over the other. What to do with this? Not sure. It is human nature to favor one style over the other.
Conclusion
Will I write and/or co-direct a third play? This is the question that many have asked me. I am not sure. Theatre work demands an incredible amount of energy and time. It is not always gratifying either. Self-producing a play demands a substantial financial investment –one that I am not ready to take on…again!
However, to all the women out there who would love to co-direct a play – go for it! I only had the opportunity to do this in my 50’s… In fact, there is no age, no right time to do anything – if you get the inspiration to write and co-direct- just do it! The experience alone is transformative, to say the least!
Short Bio
Anna Panunto is a teacher, freelance writer, playwright, and visual artist living in Montreal, Quebec Canada. She speaks three languages: English, French, and Italian. She is of Italian origin. Anna has been an adult education teacher for over 20 years and just recently produced and co-directed her second play. She is also a visual artist and presented her first art exhibit in June 2023.
