Directing for Empathy

When I write a piece, I hear the voices of my actors in my head. You can pre-cast your pieces when you work with a consistent ensemble of actors, such as a church drama ministry group. I know their capabilities, and tend to cast them in roles that are comfortable for them. But if you change those roles around, you can find new and really powerful areas of opportunity.

Consider this dialog. Veronica is waiting at a café. Archie rushes in with a plant, which he gives to her as a gift. He apologizes for being late and then pours out his heart, ending with this:

Archie: …If you told me to go away, Veronica, although it would be like tearing my very lungs out, I would do it if that were your wish. What I’m saying, Veronica, is… well, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

Pause. Long silence.

Archie: So, what do you think?

Veronica: The plant’s dead.

Archie: I’m sorry?

Veronica: The plant you gave me. It’s dead.

Archie: Well, I’m sorry. I picked it up off my porch as I was rushing over here to see you. I guess I was wondering what you thought about what I said. (Long silence). So, what do you think?

Veronica: I was thinking about the plant.

Archie: Look, I understand the plant is dead. I’m sorry about the plant. Next time I’ll double check and make sure I bring you a live plant. What did you think about what I said?

Veronica: I was actually thinking about the plant. What did you say?

Archie: You didn’t hear me?

Veronica: I heard you. Something about an ocean, a lava flow, lungs being torn out, blah, blah, blah. But you left out the plant.

Archie: Well, I just can’t believe you care more about a dried up piece of fauna than you do about me! I can’t believe you put more focus on that stupid weed than you do on me!

When I wrote it, I saw Archie getting indignant about Veronica’s attitude. I saw it escalating into an argument. This would end up being a funny confrontation between the two lovers.

One of my volunteers, however, a seasoned professional actor, suggested that Archie try to be as nice as possible. He suggested the actor play as if he was going to be gentle and forgiving no matter what. If you read it that way, the argument takes a whole different direction.

The actor tried it, and we laughed so hard we fell off our chairs.

Giving the character the added complication of trying to be nice shifted the piece from a commonplace (albeit funny) argument into a sweetly engaging romantic comedy. Where I had planned on a quick and funny bit, changing Archie’s attitude added a level of empathy that elevated the piece from a skit to a sketch.

The point is that you can elevate the pieces you direct by looking for that empathetic edge. In skits, characters are written to establish specific points. Finding different emotional planes for the actor lets you add additional meaning to the skit, moving it from a “little show” to a professional presentation.

Next time you work on a skit, try challenging your ideas of how characters should play their parts. You’ll be amazed at what they discover!

Excerpt from Love's Last Bloom, by John Reinhart, from www.reinharthouse.com/scripts