Directing the Bee!

In TCNJ’s long history of musical theatre, they have put on a multitude of musicals for decades. This year, organization TCNJ Musical Theatre is putting on their rendition of the comedic musical, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, centering around six introvert youngsters who find joy and purpose competing in a regional spelling bee. Students have been hard at work for over two months, with their show premiering in a little over a week! However, we cannot let the efforts of the directors go unnoticed for without them such a wonderful show would not be able to be put on at all!

I had the pleasure to meet with TCNJ Musical Theatre’s show director Kathleen Augustin and music director Angelina Francese as they share their previous involvement in musical theatre and views towards directing. These two directors in their senior year of college are best of friends, as they were randomly paired to be roommates when entering freshman year and have been close ever since. They have both been involved in theatre ever since they were very young, varying from the ages of four to six, and joined TCNJ Musical Theatre along with TCNJ’s All College Theatre their freshman year of college. Both directors felt they would be very good at taking on the role of directing, for they seek to be future educators with Francese who is soon to earn her K-12 certification in music and Augustin who yearns to become a teacher as well. Not only did they feel their education training would translate well to directing, but they feel they both have creative and strong ideas which are pivotal when working in musical theatre and especially directing. Although there is a written script and music to work with, it is their insight and vision that leads the show to be as amazing as it is and include elements that even original director, James Lapine, may not have thought of.

When asked where her inspiration for directing came from, Augustin expresses that she has always had a passion for it from a young age and has had prior experience in this field leading up to this point. She has previously been the assistant director for plays here at TCNJ, and worked at a day camp too where she was able to direct a play for young aspiring actors/actresses. She handles comedic and witty material better, which is why she felt The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee would be a perfect fit for her strengths and talents. When directing, most agree that the hardest part about putting on a show is picking a cast as there are people with varying talents and strong suits which may be overwhelming to assess on the spot. Augustin and Francese had the pleasure to speak with the professional director last semester, who stated that everyone was chosen for their role for a reason. “Casting and callbacks makes you question why you come back to directing again and again and those two days are awful and stressful” the professional director stated, and although they know entering this stage of this process it is not going to be fun this is why they do what they do. They are thankful to assistant directors, Zack and Mackenzie, as well as the assistant stage managers and choreographer, who are there for support and validation when they can all agree with one another.

Especially being directors who are close to or are the same age as the actors and actresses they are working with, it can be difficult to find the fine line between friend and authority figure. At certain points they do just want to have fun but they realize there is a job at hand which needs to be accomplished. Augustin mentions that “someone will say something funny and they’ll joke around, but it is their job to rein them back in and finding that line can be very difficult.” Both directors feel they do a nice job of balancing when it is the time to relax and joke around with one another versus when it is time to be serious, and that the cast members understand this too. As far as techniques they use when directing, both the directors’ main initiatives is that they do not want the cast to second guess themselves. Augustin believes that no matter how comfortable they are with the music, she wants students to be able to express what they need and be comfortable enough doing so. This induces a high level of trust between the cast members and director, which will allow the show to be even stronger. In Francese’s case, she doesn’t want to be a director that “tells the cast members where to go when and why” and even though she always has an idea she never wants to give an actor/actress that answer because it is more fruitful if they have their own interpretation whether it is reciting a line or staging a scene. She really emphasizes open communication and collaboration when directing a show.

As the stress of tech week is arising, both directors share their views on how they cope with their stress and how this translates to the students they are working with. Based on prior experience with directing, Francese said that the kids all expressed nervousness for stress week but told them to have the mindset that just because something is harder it should not get to them. The mindset is something that could make or break a show. Augustin believes it is important to find comfort in one another, especially since this a completely student run show, and since everyone handles stress differently, it is important for everyone to lean on one another. The best moment in directing is the one rehearsal when everything clicks, and when you try a number full out and feel it is perfect and can truly envision it on the stage. It is also a settling feeling to see that everyone is truly passionate about what they are doing no matter what role they play in a production, and that everything is truly genuine and not forced. Augustin reflects that at a certain point directing doesn’t even feel like a job and just finds pleasure in working with her friends everyday. Putting on a show is only stressful if you make it stressful, if you approach it the right way it is one of the most satisfying and best feelings in the world.

If anyone is interested in becoming a director in the future, Augustin and Francese suggest to shadow someone directing a show before making the commitment to become one. They learned a tremendous amount from doing so, which relieved much stress when it came time for them to do it themselves. It is also important to not be afraid to ask questions, interact with the lead, get information, and learn as much as possible before becoming a director yourself because the more you learn the more prepared you will be. Augustin produced TCNJ’s production of Little Shop of Horrors last year and gained so much direction, and now reflects is is best to work under as many departments as you can beforehand. Both directors are extremely grateful for having this opportunity and hope to see you at their rendition of The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee!