A stage director in Austin told me my lighting cues were making the actors look like ghosts, now I actually watch the rehearsal before writing anything

I spent three years thinking I was nailing it with my pre-planned sequences until she pointed out that the follow spot was hitting the lead's shadow instead of his face during the big monologue, and now I always run through at least one full run before I touch a dimmer - has anyone else gotten brutally honest feedback that flipped their whole process?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.parker11d ago

Got a similar reality check when my audio cues drowned out a quiet scene because I was too focused on the mix alone. @kimfisher nailed it about assumptions, I'd run soundchecks for hours but never sat through a full rehearsal until the stage manager stopped me. Now I mute half my tracks during table reads and see how the actors actually breathe. Small stuff like that saves you from looking like the guy who forgot the lead needs to be heard.

kimfisher11d ago

oh man, that's such a good lesson and it honestly applies to so much more than just theater. like how people think they know what a party needs until guests actually show up, or how you plan a whole road trip route but then realize you missed the best diner because you were too focused on highway miles. it's wild how much we rely on assumptions instead of just watching the thing happen for real. your director basically gave you a cheat code for being less wrong about everything, not just lights.

evahenderson10d ago

Reminds me how people swear by planning out conversations in their head before meetings, but then the actual chat goes totally different cause someone brings up a thing you couldn't have guessed. @kimfisher hits on something real about overthinking what we can't control, which is basically most of life if you really stop to think. The trick is catching yourself doing it and just paying attention to what's actually happening instead of what you assumed would happen.