During a voice projection exercise in Daniel Mackin’s theatre class, juniors Maggie Cogburn and Kaitlyn Mikalauski stepped in alongside their classmates, demonstrating how to make their voices carry across the stage.
The two are learning that directing requires more than giving instructions. Along with fellow junior Kai Jackson, they are directing “Need a Lift,” a class production that has put them in charge of students they usually work alongside.
The assignment has brought new responsibilities for the three, who have spent years developing their acting skills. Now, instead of focusing on their own performances, they must help an entire cast prepare for a show.
Each director has taken on a different part of the production. Jackson oversees technical work, including building props and backdrops, while Cogburn and Mikalauski focus on working with the actors and keeping rehearsals organized.
The three meet weekly to develop rehearsal schedules and set goals for the coming week. But even with a plan, getting classmates to follow directions has proved difficult.
Unlike a traditional director, the juniors are working with friends and fellow students who may not always see them as authority figures. Side conversations, interruptions and students ignoring instructions have forced them to find ways to regain the group’s attention without disrupting rehearsal.
During one rehearsal, several students struggled to stay focused and follow directions. Rather than allowing the interruptions to continue, the directors separated the students and assigned them other tasks, including making props.
The experience has pushed the juniors to reconsider how they approach their classmates. When verbal instructions are not enough, they try demonstrating a task or explaining it differently.
Cogburn and Mikalauski have used that approach during voice projection exercises, joining actors who need additional help and showing them how to deliver their lines more clearly.
The adjustment from acting to directing has also changed how the juniors think about responsibility.
Cogburn said directing “sounds fun on paper,” but the reality comes with expectations that go beyond telling people what to do. As a director, she said, they “have to set an example.”
That means being prepared, staying focused and showing the same willingness to improve that they expect from the cast.
The directors have also begun to recognize the results of their work. Cogburn and Mikalauski said one of the most rewarding parts of the experience is watching students who initially struggled begin to follow directions and improve their performances.
The two hope their work on “Need a Lift” will encourage other students to consider theatre, whether as actors or directors.
“We want everyone to see that anyone can participate in theatre where they can learn to direct and act. It’s actually a lot of fun,” Cogburn and Mikalauski said.
With rehearsals continuing, the three juniors are still balancing their roles as classmates and directors. Their challenge is no longer just learning how to perform onstage, but figuring out how to help everyone else do the same.
