I find that actors and directors must collaborate with each other in order to be successful...at the very least, I feel this way. I don't want to be a puppet for a director to mold how he wants. I don't want actions, character qualities PRESCRIBED to me.
Charlie is a great director with a keen eye for detail. He's very gifted when it come to stage pictures. However, I haven't gotten to do much table work with him. This is frustrating because I feel like Paris is two dimensional right now...flat.
Backstory is something that's important to me. It might not directly translate to the final product, but knowing specifics like "what day is it," "how long have I known Capulet," "how many times have I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage?" These are all questions that I can (and should) answer on my own, but when we haven't discussed it I don't feel terribly connected to Capulet.
Actors (me) also like to find the answers to questions. This is the prescriptive directing I don't care for. Asking questions then answering them right away doesn't help the actor and it makes them feel stupid. They aren't allowed to make that transition to knowing more about their own character than the director.
These might be problems specific to this production of R & J because Charlie has directed this before. But just some observations/future warnings for when I direct.
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