el waddingham on directing ‘Terms and Conditions Apply’
As a creative, undoubtedly the most fun-filled, productive, loving, and creative rehearsal rooms I have had the pleasure of being in are those led by female-identifying, gender-diverse and non-binary artists. We bring a level of empathy, compassion and rigour that balances with the random tangents and rambling interludes about our lives, and makes my heart sing.
When I got the offer to direct Terms and Conditions Apply and knew Gracie, Virag, and Bec would be my collaborators, I had to say yes. Never mind that I was performing in a show that week, creative developments the week before and about ten other projects boiling away in the chaotic soup kitchen that is my brain. The script made me laugh, think about the wonderful and not-so-wonderful housemates I’ve had, and I could hear it so clearly in each of their voices. The authenticity and Brisbane-ness of the humour and characters spoke to the kinds of characters people like us want to see on stage more. Women who are real, flawed, insecure and honest.
Photography by Georgia Haupt
My creative process as a director, when I am first approaching the script, is usually to do very little until I get in the room with the actors. I plan a vision and mission for the production, which entails how I would like the production to look, how it should feel to experience and what message I want to leave the audience with. But I leave the rest up to what arrives in the rehearsal room. I rely on collaboration. I think a director should be the least important person in the room, and every creative team and cast member should be on a horizontal playing field and the final product should be an outcome of deep listening, artistic exchange and open communication.
I haven’t always been this way in my directorial practice. The first few shows I directed were harsh, taxing and consuming processes because I tried to take on the responsibility of the entire production myself. My style bordered on authoritative, and I thought I knew better than everyone else in the room. This style was absolutely a product of insecurity - I had no idea what I was doing, and I was scared of being found out as a fraud. It wasn’t that deep. It never is, but when you’re in the thick of it, it can feel like the end of the world.
These sorts of mistakes are so critical to make as a young artist because they are exponentially valuable to your growth, if you can learn to reflect and alchemise your mistakes into learnings to take with you in the future. I am so grateful to my mentors, to artists like Vee and Gracie and Bec, for taking chances on emerging artists like me to fail until we win. And for anyone who saw Ts & Cs (if you didn’t, there’s still time to catch it at PIP Theatre in November!) and laughed or felt seen, you got to see one of our wins.
So, to any young artist reading this who might want to dip their toes into directing: make all the mistakes.
Put on shows that are bad, that make no sense, that are a combination of a thousand different mistakes. Don’t be so hard on yourself, listen to others, seek out mentors and keep putting yourself in places where you are the least experienced artist, and become a sponge to soak it all up.
From a slightly less-young artist, your future self will thank you.
Grab your tickets here for our PIP Theatre season of ‘Terms and Conditions Apply’ in Milton.