ARTING About...? Thou Shall Do Great Theatre! Brian's "10 Commandments" -- Must DO!!

by BRIAN BOZANICH, MFA

My Ten Commandments

I tried to distill some of the guiding educational principles of my program.  Below I try and dissect them by theme rather than mirroring the Biblical structure.

1. You shall watch all your firsts.

2. You shall have big, big fun.

10. You shall do something you can be proud to call, “good theatre.”

These three commandments come from my teacher and mentor, Larry Heimgartner. He would speak these words in circle before every performance, and now, I do the same. "The Method," "Commedia" and Kabuki training can all be found in those three statements. A performer adhering to these ideas will be in the moment and invite the audience into the world.

5. You shall contribute your all in every rehearsal.

As a rule, I have found students do not instinctually understand the role of rehearsal in the production process. A teacher must demand that they explore, test, commit, and share in a safe atmosphere of joy, only then does technique become craft and the craft in the presence of audience can transform into art.

4. Honor your father and mother.

I came from a family who did not understand/support my commitment to the arts. I repeatedly remind my students that the maintenance to this relationship will define much of their adolescent experience. When the stress of rehearsal calendars, homework, and family commitments takes hold, a strong support system at home can help.

6. You shall create drama on stage not off stage

3. You shall talk to people rather than about them.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s role. 

These students are still learning how to treat other people. The empathy they learn on stage needs to continue off.  These cover the basic principles of living with other people, in close proximity, during times of stress. When I first posted these, former students argued that three and six were redundant and nine follows naturally from six. While I see their point, there have been times where the separation has been significant.

8. You shall respect the tech.

One of my proudest achievements is that there is no line between actor and techie in my program. As soon as the cast list is posted, those who auditioned, but did not get a role, immediately volunteer for tech jobs. The students who work almost exclusively tech are valued and applauded by the cast and audience.

7. You shall not commit the stupid.

This one has less to do with theatre and more to do with life.

You might notice that half of them have nothing to do with the art form. My job is to make quality human beings, not just actors. You also know that people, who are good to work with, get more work, so these people skills become job skills. Did I miss anything? It is show week in my world. Next week, I will have a longer post about a special project from last spring, the post title Why We Tell the Story.

Brian Bozanich
Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator
Saint Joseph High School

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Please visit: Twitter: @FilmRobin for up-to-date info on where I am travelling for ART. LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/robinscottpeters for complete resume & work history. Smashwords.com and look for Dr. Robin Scott Peters Ebooks now available. YouTube: Youtube.com/user/robinscottpeters for all my video work.