I just finished

directing my first real play and boy, am I tired.

I directed

Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" for Fayette Community Theatre.

I have directed sketch comedy shows before and student films at UGA but

this was my first official three-act, regular play. I think it went well.

People said they enjoyed it and some came to see it more than once. I

had a good time and my cast didn't try to kill me, so I guess everything

went OK.

I was a little

unprepared at the beginning. We had auditions and not enough people came

out for them. Instead of just conducting auditions for two days, I spent

the next week auditioning people who might be interested all over the

county. I also had to persuade my friend, Brad, to do the play, knowing

that he would be perfect for the role of Paul.

Eventually,

the principal roles were filled but we still needed someone to play the

telephone man and someone to play the delivery man. Several people were

asked to play the phone guy and they all couldn't do it for one reason

or another. Three weeks before the show went up I gave the role to myself.

I was reading the part in rehearsals anyway.

I must say,

though, that I have a newfound respect for Kevin Costner, who is always

behind and in front of the camera.

As for the

deilvery guy, we didn't find him until a week and a half before opening

night. An old member of my comedy troupe had returned home for a month

and we snatched him up. It worked out beautifully and in the end our cast

was phenomenal.

Directing a

play isn't just casting the show and making sure everyone memorizes their

lines. There are also the hurdles of blocking the action, getting the

set built, collecting the props, deciding on costuming, getting a crew

together and making sure the show runs smoothly on a technical level.

All of these things were done because I had a great crew backing me up

and helping me along.

It was a lot

of work and a lot of fun. I was involved at almost every level and learned

more in the last four months than I did in the past year.

For instance,

directors have to know the answer to every question. This takes some getting

used to. Early on, I wanted to get everybody's input on decisions, but

I soon realized that it was just a lot easier if I was the one with all

the answers. To have the answers, though, I had to study. I must have

read the script over 30 times and now I have seen it done close to 30

times as well. I think I know every line in the play now.

I also learned

that each director has a style and my style is very laid back, which is

different from most of the directors I worked with in the past. I never

flipped my lid, which surprises even me. I stayed cool, calm and collected

and even my cast remarked how calm I was the week of the show. That's

because I did all my panicking the week before.

Ultimately,

I think if a director has a love of the theater, a good cast and crew

and a great script (Thanks, Neil), everything will go just fine. If the

director shows that he is working hard and is the first one there and

the last one out, the cast and crew will respond accordingly.

They did and

I love them for it.

I will return

to the director's chair again someday, but I am looking forward to reuniting

with my comedy buddies and sharing some of my new knowledge with them

for our next show. It should be produced sometime in late April or early

May. Keep your eyes peeled for it.

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