Directing
I believe in a matriarchal rehearsal room.
Small Mouth Sounds
To wield power as a matriarch is to lead in a “feminine” way. What does this mean? I find great interest in the hero/heroine’s journey. And let me make one thing clear: a woman is not bound to those things typically feminine and men are not bound to those things typically masculine.
To understand what I mean by matriarchal, I find it helpful to look at examples of how we view power and growth in women.
Rocky Horror
The Heroine’s Journey.
It is tied always to the hero’s journey – it is almost always a reckoning with the masculine and a relationship with a mother. It also usually involves a gathering of resources.
The heroine will unite people against a greater evil.
She will harness the power of others to uplift herself and them.
Superpowers
“Female” superpowers typically have an effect over something outside of their beholder.
Marvel’s Wanda controls literally everything outside herself. Wonder Woman lures information out of others. Stranger Things’s Eleven moves things with her mind.
“Male” superpowers (super strength, speed) affect only them.
She will harness exterior power to uplift herself and others.
The Importance of Being Earnest
I don’t believe patriarchal leadership is bad. I think it can be very good in many settings.
We have only been given examples of how to lead in a patriarchal way, so we practice this in places it does not apply.
Our systems are patriarchal and a feminine way of leading has not historically been an option.
The strength of the feminine has been discredited.
I believe the role of a theater director, female or not, is inherently feminine.
I have used the word “matriarchy” because I don’t care to pretend that the director is not usually the person who holds the most the power in the room. They are. However, I find the most interesting and subversive work is made when we share this power among those in our room. When we gather our resources and utilize each other and our respective superpowers.
Magician For Hire
The way this is done will be different with every new concoction of people. It will be different every rehearsal process - every day - after each meal break.
This is the first step of a rehearsal process:
How will we hold power together and find confidence in each other so we may be able to inspire ourselves and those around us with the lucrative work we do?