Directing the Wolves in Castro Valley

I was directing young people, age 17-23 in a show about HS soccer players. Rather than being their teacher first, and their director second, in this environment, I was the director first and taught as necessary. I learned a lot about how direct I could be with young/green actors while still allowing them to make their own discoveries. I also learned a lot about what good young actors bring to the table. And how the demonstrate that in auditions. As I had cuts, I only selected folks I wanted to work with. I was able to hone in on what makes a young/green actor, nevertheless good. A lot came down to their specific understanding of action driven technique, their ability to take direction, and the boldness of their choices. They also all had read, closely the text. These details about what makes a good audition is something now built into my adv drama curriculum. I am also thinking of new ways to teach, and deepen, my students work with objectives and actions. Thinking about what we do professionally, and what we do as teachers, and where are trades offs are may be interesting to my colleagues. This year I am going to give feedback in several different models and help the students learn how they work best (given circumstances, actions, outside-in, constructivist, direct instruction)