Student Blog: When Art is Perceived

As I’ve put on my director’s hat, I’ve found myself increasingly anxious about whether people will like my work. While acting, I never really worried if people thought I was a bad actor. The thought never really crossed my mind because that wasn’t what I was worried about. I was thinking about knowing my lines and blocking, my objectives, and hitting the beats in a way that felt comfortable and justified as that character. 

As a director, it’s different. 

We are always taught that when you direct, you give away some of yourself. Not only that, but so much of your work as a director is directly influenced by your life experiences and lifestyle. There comes a certain point where you can’t take any more classes and just have to live life, which arguably is more terrifying. 

I’m currently creating my pitch to direct my first full-length show at my school in the fall. And I’m terrified. A part of me hopes I don’t get chosen so I don’t have to worry about my classmates (or worse, my friends) seeing my work and their inevitable opinions (it’s inevitable haha). I’m all for feedback, but something about how my friends’ or classmates’ perceptions of me may change based on the work I put out. One of the hardest things about going to arts school is balancing your creativity and your social life, because often the two can become intertwined in ways no one wants them to. 

I was talking to my friend who was presenting her play in her playwriting class, where she expressed the same worries over her art being perceived. There’s a very famous musical that sings about how art means nothing if it’s not perceived, which got me thinking; if art is meant to be seen by others, why does the idea of other people seeing it sound so horrible? 

There’s something very vulnerable about sharing art, in whichever form that may be. Like I said earlier, your work says a lot about you, whether it be your perceptions on certain issues or even your humor.  I love directing pieces that have heavy satirical elements with a lot of crude language or conversation. I don’t know why, but something about saying the most vulgar things to make stunning commentary on social roles or other issues is very compelling to me. I also love works that quite literally break down the fourth wall and work on bridging the gap between the audience’s world and the show’s world. I think that illustrates my humor and my fascination with human connectedness and how it varies from person to person. 

The show I’m making a pitch for has a thin fourth wall that slowly dissolves as the story progresses. It has a lot of somewhat vulgar humor and some horror aspects, along with a… Show Stoppin' Number. 

I’m a perfectionist, but with theatre, because everyone perceives it differently, means there is no ‘perfect’ theatre. I found that in my directing class, worrying more about having fun and exploring rather than hyperfocusing on the grade and my classmates’ opinions leads to better work. Who would have thought? But art is meant to be shared and dissected. Despite this truth, it is still scary to give part of yourself away to people who might not understand it. 

Either way, I’m still sending in my pitch for a show that I’ve loved since it camee out. It’s extended universe that follows it offers the chance for me to add in so many easter eggs for the people who get it without hindering the experience fr those who don’t. Before the club that is putting on the shows announced it as an option for the homecoming show, I was looking at the costs for the rights for it, just in case I wanted to do a production myself at some point in the future. I have a lot of good ideas for it, I just hope I’m able to clearly describe them and translate them to the stage. 

Wish me luck! 

Signed, 

J.F