Santa Susana High School

Successfully Directing a Musical Theatre Piece

Senior Project Research Paper

Grant Measures
CP English 12 Period 3
Mr. Fredrick White
20 November 2015

Measures 1
Introduction
For my senior project I am student directing Santa Susana High Schools Production of
Addams Family the Musical performed by the Musical Theatre Production Class. I will be
working directly with Mrs. Albertson to put together the best show possible. My duties will
include going through the script, scene by scene, deciding where people will stand, and what
stage-business they will be doing. I will also have to stage and choreograph several musical
numbers within the show. I will need to be able to have a specific acting style in which to direct
my actors with, as well as being able to keep them happy and healthy in the process.
Additionally, I will most likely be portraying a character in the show, which I know is a lot to
take on all at once, but I am confident that I can be successful in my endeavors.
In order to be able to accomplish all of the above, I had to do a great amount of research.
There is always a chance that one of your actors could have stage fright, which is why I needed
to know both the symptoms of stage fright and how to stop it from occurring. I researched acting
styles in order to have a single acting style to direct my actors with. Performers are constantly
getting sick and losing their voices, so I needed to know the ways in which a performer can take
care of their voice, as well as how to recognize and prevent vocal disorders. I need to be adept at
resolving conflicts, because in theatre, there is a lot of drama. People are constantly getting in
quarrels, and I need to be able to end whatever conflicts people are having within the cast. After
my research is done, I will have to present all of the ideas that I collected from my research to
Mrs. Albertson, who is both my co-director and mentor. My knowledge on stage fright, acting
styles, vocal health, and conflict resolution will all help me to achieve my goal of successfully
directing Addams Family the Musical.

Measures 2
Research
Stage fright is the persistent phobia that may be triggered when an individual has to
perform in front of an audience (Clevenger, 141). In a performance anxiety study done on
orchestral musicians, it was found that stage fright is directly connected with everyday anxiety,
fear of public speaking, and social situations in general (Steptoe and Fiddler). The symptoms of
stage fright include trembling body parts, a change in vision, dry mouth, a tight throat, excessive
sweating or feeling cold, nausea, and fast breathing (Clevenger, 137). People with stage fright
were used in a study on the ways to cure stage fright. It was found that stage fright could be
reduced through group desensitization and relaxation in both children and adults (Konda).
Other cures include limiting caffeine and sugar intake, finding away to relax and calm oneself,
and taking the focus off your fear (Stein et al., 410) However, people often mistake smaller, less
intense forms of anxiety for full-blown stage fright, which is why it is important to know the
symptoms (Clevenger, 144).
There are many acting techniques with which a director can direct his actors. The
Meisner Method is one in which the actors would memorize their lines without any emotions,
instead of pre-preparing the way they would say their lines, and let the emotion come through
naturally during performance (Teachers and Techniques). The Chekhov Technique is where the
actors first convey their lines through physical gestures without talking in order to better
understand the emotion behind in, and then put that same emotion into speaking the line (Acting
Techniques). The Stanislavski Method is where the actors take the situation their characters are
in and asks themselves What would I do if I were in my characters situation? The actors also

Measures 3
deeply analyze the objective and motivation of their character, when using this method
(Teachers and Techniques).
The Johnstone Method is an acting technique where, in an effort to get to know their
characters better, the actors would improvise scenes as their characters, and deal with situations
presented to them as their characters would (Acting Techniques). The Hagen Method is one
where the actors would heavily research their characters, and then the actors would receive
questions to answer about their character, as their character. This method also includes the actors
being as real as possible in their roles, by fiddling with things, people watching, and talking to
themselves, just as a regular person would do in real life (Teachers and Techniques). Finally,
there is Method Acting, in which the actors take the situations their character is in, and substitute
it with a situation that has happened to them in their own life, therefore making it more real and
easier to connect to the character (Acting Techniques).
Vocal health is very important in the world of musical theatre and performers constantly
struggle to maintain it. In order to maintain a healthy singing voice, performers should limit their
intake of coffee, soda, and alcohol, never smoke, avoid eating spicy foods, and eat many whole
grains, fruits, and vegetables (Taking Care). They should get plenty of rest, drink a lot of
water, and warm up daily (Free Guide). The symptoms of an unhealthy voice include the
throat feeling strained, inability to hit high notes, the voice sounding deeper, and/or pain while
talking (Taking Care). If a performer has lost their voice, they should use throat lozenges and
sprays, moisturize their voice by boiling water with some eucalyptus oil in it and inhaling the
steam, and they should not attempt to sing until they feel completely better, in order to allow the
inflammation of the vocal cords to go down (Free Guide). Once the performer believes that

Measures 4
they have fully recovered, they should try not to overuse their voice, for their vocal illness may
come back suddenly and without warning (Taking Care).

In theatre there is bound to be a little drama, so it is important to be able to resolve

conflicts between actors. The different types of conflicts that may arise are relational conflicts,
which come from betrayal or lack of respect among peers, instrumental conflicts, which are
usually sparked from people disagreeing about how to meet goals, and conflicts of interest,
which are conflicts about the way to get something done the most efficiently (Conflict
Resolution). There are several ways that you can resolve conflicts among peers: focus on the
issue at hand, dont compete, dont jump to conclusions, respect different opinions, learn to
listen, and put the past in the past (Ten Strategies). Some methods to resolve conflict include
collaboration in which both sides work together to find a solution, compromise in which each
side gives up something to meet at a solution, and simply smoothing the problem over by
avoiding the conflict and keeping harmony from the start (Conflict Resolution). Finally, when
you are finished working out the problem, each side should thank each other for listening (Ten
Strategies).
Conclusion
Student directing Santa Susanas Production of Addams Family the Musical will be an
extreme challenge. I will be taking on many responsibilities as director of this show. Im going to
have to block the show, help my actors with character choices, and make decisions on sets and
costuming. Ill need to make sure my actors wont have stage fright when they perform and that

Measures 5
they maintain good vocal health. Ill need to be able to resolve any conflicts that arise between
the cast members of my show. Ill also need to have methods with which I will direct my actors,
and most importantly I need to make sure that the rehearsals, as well as the shows, go as
smoothly as possible. I want my actors to feel comfortable with me as their director and to know
that their show is in good hands.
Knowing now what I do about stage fright, I will be able to help any actor who might
suffer from it, overcome their performance anxieties. I have many methods that I can use in order
to help my actors overcome their stage fright, or at the very least decrease it. If I do come across
this problem in my show, I will give whoever is suffering from stage fright a list of ways to
overcome their fears and relax themselves. As an exercise for the class, to make sure that
everybody can deal with their own performance anxiety, I will play improvisation games with
them where they have to perform in front of everyone and come up with things on the spot. As a
performer, I know firsthand that everybody has at least a little performance anxiety, and it will be
very helpful to everybody to do this exercise.
Vocal health issues are always a problem within our production. One could say it is a
recurring theme throughout our rehearsal process. Im not going to sing today because my voice
is gone, is the one that I hear the most. I can know tell everyone what they need to do in order to
maintain good vocal health and not strain their voice. I can also tell whoever does lose their
voice during our rehearsal process how to recover and how to not strain their voice again. Vocal
health is something I will be speaking to my actors about as soon as the show has been cast. It is
always a major problem, and as a personal goal, I would like to be known as The Director Who
Prevented Vocal Health Issues (for the most part).

Measures 6
As for how I am going to direct my actors, the research was greatly helpful. I am going to
use a mix of four out of the six acting methods that I researched. I didnt much care for the
Meisner and Chekhov techniques, but I am going to use the Stanislavski Method, the Johnstone
Method, the Hagen Method, and the Method Acting technique. I believe that the Stanislavski
method is valuable because it is important to incorporate yourself into the character, and that is
what his method is all about. I will constantly be asking my actor What would you do in this
situation? The Johnstone method is useful because doing improvisational acting as your
character is very helpful to get more comfortable in your characters skin. I will be making my
actors make up scenes on the spot, give them a situation in the scene, and have them act as their
character would in the situation. The Hagen method is useful because it is always good to
research your character and know it very well, which I want my actors to do. I will give them
assignments to research their character and get to know everything about them. Method Acting is
a great technique, because it is important to be able to understand what your character is going
through. If the actor doesnt understand it, then their acting may seem sub-par. I will have my
actors substitute what has happened in their own life into whatever situations their characters go
through. It is highly important that the actor be able to connect to the scene they are doing.
Now, with regard to conflicts which may arise between my cast members, I will have
strategies that I can implement so that they can resolve their conflicts. I will have a list of steps
ready to go if this does happen, so that I can resolve the conflict right away. Even a minuscule
conflict could have a big bearing on whether the rehearsals go smoothly or not. I dont want
there to be any hostility between the actors, and now that I have done this research, I dont think
there ever will be, or at least not for a long period of time. It would be amazing if we could

Measures 7
maintain a conflict free rehearsal process, and then I would never have to whip out my list, but I
know that would never happen.
With everything that I have researched, I know that I am ready to tackle directing the
second semester musical theatre production as my senior project. I will make sure that my actors
are healthy and happy, and that the show will be the best that it can be. I have already started
getting my ideas in order for the show, and it hasnt even begun. It will not be an easy task, but I
know that I will be able to successfully direct Addams Family the Musical, in the spring.
Works Cited
Acting Techniques from Famous Teachers. Acting Classes Online Tips. I Love Acting. Web.
17 Sept. 2015.
Clevenger Jr, Theodore. "A synthesis of experimental research in stage fright." Quarterly
Journal of Speech 45.2 (1959): 134-145.
Conflict Resolution. Skills You Need: Helping You Develop Life Skills. Skills You Need. Web.
19 Nov. 2015.
Free Guide to Vocal Health. Successful Singing. Clarity, 29 May 2012. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Holistic Stress Control Institute, Inc. Ten Strategies for Conflict Resolution. Online
Submission. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Konda, O. "Reduction of examination anxiety and stage-fright by group desensitization and
relaxation." Behaviour Research and Therapy 5.4 (1967): 275-281.
Stein, M.B., Walker, J.R., and Forde, D.R. Setting diagnostic thresholds for social phobia:
Considerations from a community survey of social anxiety. American Journal of
Psychiatry (1994): 151, 408-412.

Measures 8
Steptoe, Andrew, and Helen Fidler. "Stage fright in orchestral musicians: A study of cognitive
and behavioral strategies in performance anxiety." British Journal of Psychology 78.2
(1987): 241-249.
Taking Care of Your Voice. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, April 2014. 17 Sept. 2015.
Teachers and Techniques. Acting: A Students Guide. University of Florida, 2012. Web. 17
Sept. 2015.

Tepe, Emily S., et al. "A pilot survey of vocal health in young singers." Journal of Voice 16.2
(2002): 244-250.

Measures 9