Latest Newsletter--June 5, 2024
A Director Speaks
by Mitch Tyler
The date is the first of June, which marks the beginning of another celebratory month of pride and universal love and acceptance. As I sit down to write these words on this date, I find myself reflecting upon my time and experience bringing my debut directorial effort to life with ‘Dog Sees God,’ which enjoyed a sold-out crowd on its closing matinee performance at the end of a two-weekend run at the George F. Plautz Theatre Co-op a little under two weeks ago. Therefore, I find myself incredibly fortunate and grateful for the befitting opportunity to return to this show twice more on June 17th and 18th at the Eccles Regent Street Blackbox Theatre; a show that emphasizes the importance of unconditional love and empathy, accepting one’s differences in the face of fitting in, and embracing ourselves wholeheartedly, regardless of identity (sexual or otherwise.)
It was Spring of 2014, while I was a Junior at Riverton High School, that I first discovered and fell in love with this play in my theatre class’s play library. I was so profoundly affected and had never read anything like it before. Having spent the past decade dreaming of telling this story, with no true intention of directing (I only ever had my heart set on starring as CB), I knew soon after I was offered the chance to finally have the show produced here that I would be the one to direct and steer the vision of this equal parts humorous and heart-aching story. Despite my insatiable passion for acting and the performing arts, I had always subconsciously told myself that I’d be open to trying my hand at directing should the right project ever come along. Of course that’s exactly what happened here, and in the months spent casting, rehearsing, and performing it, it has almost instantly become one of the crowning and proudest achievements in my life thus far.
What I certainly didn’t expect going into this process was just how much my duties as actor-director would snowball from there. In addition to directing and starring, I found myself in the positions of casting director, production designer, prop/set piece designer, costume designer (I had already sketched the outfit concepts for each of the characters in my costume design class at UVU’s theatre arts program several years prior), lighting designer, and even sound designer and getting to choose the music and transition cues. To say that the unprecedented amount of influence and artistic control I exercised over this production surpassed anything beyond my wildest dreams would be a vast understatement. Furthermore, it should go without saying that having the backing of and getting to meet and talk to the playwright himself Bert V. Royal was the cherry on top of this glorious and too-good-to-be-true sundae.
Alas, as ecstatic as I was to be bringing my dream production to fruition and overseeing virtually every aspect of it, it should be of no surprise to learn that with all that responsibility came a lot of hard work. Despite jumping into it confident and prepared with a concise vision, there were several times where I psyched myself out or found myself panicking internally whenever I wasn’t 100% sure of how I wanted to stage certain scenes or moments when it came time to rehearse them. In addition, the amount of running around set I did to ensure smooth-as-possible scene transitions was both remarkable and chaotic to say the least. My biggest concern/doubt wasn’t my capabilities as a director. It was what my cast thought of me and if they had faith and trusted in me and my vision. Their patience and willingness to work with me and pitch ideas of their own did wonders in helping reassure me of their support and fidelity to both me and the show. It paved the way for a highly agreeable and collaborative process and experience for all.
I was always open and made no small secret about this being my first time directing to my cast. With it being a healthy mix of past collaborators of mine, as well as some new faces, every single one of them rallied behind me and understood just how special this story is to me and how long I had been waiting to tell it. The experience of getting to shape and mold your actors into telling a story the way you see fit was a sometimes nerve-wracking but always interesting and gratifying experience that leaves me eager and curious to see what and when I might direct next. And even in moments where I wasn’t as confident as I wanted to be, I did my absolute best to just power through and maintain the illusion that I was, which I can honestly say is the biggest takeaway and piece of advice I can give to any director, new or experienced. ALWAYS appear confident, even if you’re not! An honorable mention takeaway that comes to mind is to have a plan B when things go awry (because trust me, they will.)
In concluding remarks, when all was said and done, the smiles, tears, and other varying emotions I saw on the faces of my audience members after each performance was the biggest reaffirmation I could have possibly asked for. Evoking raw feelings and emotions is often what we as artists and storytellers strive for, both for ourselves as the characters we portray, as well as the audiences that come to see and feel something from us. Judging by the reactions of each of my audiences thus far, I think it’s safe to say that my efforts most certainly paid off. For those of you who have yet to see this labor of love that I’ve put together and feel and experience those emotions for yourselves, this is my way of inviting you to do so on June 17th or 18th. From me to you, with love.
It was Spring of 2014, while I was a Junior at Riverton High School, that I first discovered and fell in love with this play in my theatre class’s play library. I was so profoundly affected and had never read anything like it before. Having spent the past decade dreaming of telling this story, with no true intention of directing (I only ever had my heart set on starring as CB), I knew soon after I was offered the chance to finally have the show produced here that I would be the one to direct and steer the vision of this equal parts humorous and heart-aching story. Despite my insatiable passion for acting and the performing arts, I had always subconsciously told myself that I’d be open to trying my hand at directing should the right project ever come along. Of course that’s exactly what happened here, and in the months spent casting, rehearsing, and performing it, it has almost instantly become one of the crowning and proudest achievements in my life thus far.
What I certainly didn’t expect going into this process was just how much my duties as actor-director would snowball from there. In addition to directing and starring, I found myself in the positions of casting director, production designer, prop/set piece designer, costume designer (I had already sketched the outfit concepts for each of the characters in my costume design class at UVU’s theatre arts program several years prior), lighting designer, and even sound designer and getting to choose the music and transition cues. To say that the unprecedented amount of influence and artistic control I exercised over this production surpassed anything beyond my wildest dreams would be a vast understatement. Furthermore, it should go without saying that having the backing of and getting to meet and talk to the playwright himself Bert V. Royal was the cherry on top of this glorious and too-good-to-be-true sundae.
Alas, as ecstatic as I was to be bringing my dream production to fruition and overseeing virtually every aspect of it, it should be of no surprise to learn that with all that responsibility came a lot of hard work. Despite jumping into it confident and prepared with a concise vision, there were several times where I psyched myself out or found myself panicking internally whenever I wasn’t 100% sure of how I wanted to stage certain scenes or moments when it came time to rehearse them. In addition, the amount of running around set I did to ensure smooth-as-possible scene transitions was both remarkable and chaotic to say the least. My biggest concern/doubt wasn’t my capabilities as a director. It was what my cast thought of me and if they had faith and trusted in me and my vision. Their patience and willingness to work with me and pitch ideas of their own did wonders in helping reassure me of their support and fidelity to both me and the show. It paved the way for a highly agreeable and collaborative process and experience for all.
I was always open and made no small secret about this being my first time directing to my cast. With it being a healthy mix of past collaborators of mine, as well as some new faces, every single one of them rallied behind me and understood just how special this story is to me and how long I had been waiting to tell it. The experience of getting to shape and mold your actors into telling a story the way you see fit was a sometimes nerve-wracking but always interesting and gratifying experience that leaves me eager and curious to see what and when I might direct next. And even in moments where I wasn’t as confident as I wanted to be, I did my absolute best to just power through and maintain the illusion that I was, which I can honestly say is the biggest takeaway and piece of advice I can give to any director, new or experienced. ALWAYS appear confident, even if you’re not! An honorable mention takeaway that comes to mind is to have a plan B when things go awry (because trust me, they will.)
In concluding remarks, when all was said and done, the smiles, tears, and other varying emotions I saw on the faces of my audience members after each performance was the biggest reaffirmation I could have possibly asked for. Evoking raw feelings and emotions is often what we as artists and storytellers strive for, both for ourselves as the characters we portray, as well as the audiences that come to see and feel something from us. Judging by the reactions of each of my audiences thus far, I think it’s safe to say that my efforts most certainly paid off. For those of you who have yet to see this labor of love that I’ve put together and feel and experience those emotions for yourselves, this is my way of inviting you to do so on June 17th or 18th. From me to you, with love.