b'Short Essays Ellis Haddrell In our advancing society equality seemed, initially, simple.Adler, S. (2000) Stella Adler: The Art of Acting, 1st edition, New York: When beginning duologue rehearsals, I began with aApplause.discussion about how I wanted to progress in rehearsals,Bogart, A. (2001) A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre, the script and the way forward. Explaining the process1st edition, Oxon: Routledge.would be a collaborative onewith both actor andHeritage, P. (1988) The Courage to Be Happy: Augusto Boal, director suggesting direction. This collaboration is keyLegislative Theatre, and the 7th International Festival of the Theatre to a successful and productive theatrical workingof the Oppressed, TDR, vol. 38 (3), pp. 25-34.environment. Many directors agree that collaborationLamoreaux, C. (2019) Backstage [Online] Available at: is key to an efficacious performance: Paul M. Zeller,https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/the-smart-way-to-a New Jersey-based award-winning director, suggestswork-withyour-theater-director-66034/ [Accessed: 2 January 2020].actors should come into rehearsal with ideas about theirMalague, R. (2012) An Actress Prepares: Women and the Method, characters to help build moments in the show and develop2nd edition, Oxon: Routledge.ideas together (Lamoreaux, 2019). On reflection, a con- Rea, P. & Irving, D. (2010) Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video, versation is not substantial for setting out a concept as4th edition, Oxford: Elsevier.large and complex as equality and expecting others toRossiter, K. (2012) Bearing Response-Ability: Theatre, Ethics and believe and agree a verbal agreement is nave. Medical Education, Journal of Medical Humanities, vol. 33 (1), pp. 1-14.I learned from the duologue performance process that for a true sense of equality between actors and directors, the idea of equality needs to be more clearly set out. Equality guarantees a space to openly share ideas, work and performance, and having actors and directors feeling confident and comfortable working together as equals is therefore, fundamental. To more clearly set out the essential equality within the company, rehearsals began with myself and the actors sharing a space, completing exercises and acting absurdly. Through acting together, the suggestion of equality within the rehearsal and theatre space was enforcedthe director has no more power over an actor than they choose to allow. There is great importance in fluidity between roles; there should be no enforced hierarchy between a director and an actor. Stella Adler described her time working with Stanislavski as actor and actress (Adler, 2000: 110), rather than as actor and director. As Malague states, there is a need for an important shift in the power dynamics between teacher and student (or director and actor). Instead of feeling manipulated [they should] leave sessions feeling that he [the director] treated them with respect, as an artistic partner (2012: 82). The idea of an actor and director being equal is one that should be proclaimed more frequently, as many actors have come to (wrongly) assume that a director is there to give every answer. But as Zeller, pleads in an interview, please dont expect me to fill in all those moments for you (Lamoreaux, 2019). The directors true role is to help an actor understand how to find the answer through questioning. A successful director should never have to command action; they should be able to ask the right questions and provide the right prompts for the actor to come to the solution of their own accord.21'