Lead performers are clashing in rehearsals. How can you harmonize their conflicting acting styles?

"Two swords cannot be kept in one sheath" Everyone must've heard this quote, hence, it's very critical to determine the style and approach of the lead actors towards their craft. Clashes are bound to arise between the lead cast as each one of them has a unique approach towards the story. It becomes critical for the director to spot the differences in style and work on how the different styles can be amalgamated together and work in harmony. The director must spend extra time with the lead cast to know their backstory and the kind of craft they follow. Another thing what the lead cast can do is to communicate among themselves and try to understand each others concerns. Open dialogue is critical for smooth functioning.

The director must first spend time with each lead to understand their approach to building a character and creating their story. At this time the director can also share their expectations on who this character is and how they impact the through line. Once the director has an understanding of each actor, they must bring them together. When working together, they can discuss style and technique of each actor and how best to use their strengths and learn from each other. Once there is an understanding of style, the actors can embrace these differences and integrate them into their performance. Differences in technique and emotion will help to build more vulnerable and realistic characters and more genuine scene work.

I was engaged as an adjudicator between two warring factions of Clowns at a large Chinese event with over 80 international clowns. European clowns consider themselves proud puncturers of pomposity whereas the large Ringling American contingent used the opportunity to celebrate informally various respected members of their tribe with evening ceremonies. The Europeans delighted in usurping these events by hiding under furniture and disrupting proceedings by making screeching noises with inflated balloons. As a NZ Clown with ties in both the US and Europe and a trained adjudicator I took one of the American boss clowns aside [Pat Cashen RIP] and had him reluctantly admit that a group of clowns trying to mine dignity was inherently comic.

Personalmente considero que ser artistas principales o personajes principales de una obra teatral o de cualquier expresión escénica exige de estos mayor responsabilidad y compromiso para justamente no llegar al conflicto. ?Puede existir el conflicto? Claramente sí, pero creo que lo que los une es el juego para el que han sido convocados sin despreciar sus estilos para trabajar y que es individual. El director marca la forma en que estos se relacionarán en el escenario pero optar por una técnica o método es personal.

A defini??o e o respeito pelos diferentes estilos de atua??o s?o essenciais na produ??o teatral. Fomentar um diálogo aberto sobre as diversas abordagens e incentivar a complementaridade entre elas pode levar a produ??es mais ricas, colaborativas e bem-sucedidas. Abra?ar a diversidade de estilos n?o só valoriza o trabalho individual de cada ator, mas também eleva o padr?o artístico da produ??o como um todo.

Estabele?a expectativas claras desde o início dos ensaios. Reforce que o objetivo principal é servir à história e à vis?o da produ??o. Incentive a adapta??o e a colabora??o, criando um ambiente de respeito mútuo e propósito comum.

When people clash in rehearsals it’s usually because they don’t feel like they have a voice or aren’t heard. Communication is key and the first step to have smooth productions.

Pensaría en una comunicación contributiva, donde si bien hay una cierta jerarquía porque existe un director un dramaturgo, etc sea siempre una comunicación que tenga flexibilidad, disponibilidad al cambio de ideas, donde se tomen decisiones conjuntas, donde intervengan todos los miembros del espectáculo y se vinculen al 100% en el quehacer del espectáculo y que sobre esa base se construya.

Of course , actors learn different methods. However very good actors learn to understand what the Director wants. You must give him /her what they want- to get the role. Spectators do not ask for your method, but your believability !

A comunica??o aberta entre os atores e o diretor é crucial. O diretor deve entender as abordagens dos atores e compartilhar suas expectativas, facilitando um entendimento mútuo.

Encoraje os atores a usarem suas diferen?as para criar personagens mais ricos e cenas mais autênticas. A combina??o de técnicas pode resultar em performances mais dinamicas e envolventes.

I favour to work from a perspective of 'shared ownership'. All parties have to be proud of the result, and willing to stand for it. If you begin your creating proces, and your rehearsal proces within such framework, all parties have common goals. And creating together towards a final product will still remain an adventure. But the framework will give space and possibilities to try out different things without actors claiming to have the solution. Yes, as a director you have the final responsibility, but all voices were equal during the proces. In my opinion, that makes a lot of difference.

One way to resolve clashes among the lead cast is to make them rehearse in one another's role. What happens after this is that they get to know the intricacies of the other person's character and are better able to understand the difficulties faced by them. By doing this they also open doors for constructive criticism and improvement in their performances.

Utilize ensaios para explorar como diferentes estilos podem interagir de forma harmoniosa. Experimente exercícios que destacam tanto a profundidade emocional quanto a precis?o técnica, promovendo uma integra??o dos estilos.

Valorize a diversidade de estilos como uma for?a da produ??o. Ao reconhecer e celebrar as contribui??es únicas de cada ator, você cria um ambiente mais colaborativo e enriquecedor.

Considero que es muy importante determinar conceptos sobre qué es lo que se debe de hacer dentro de un proceso teatral, sin embargo; también hay que considerar que el teatro es lo que es porque también es intuitivo y emocional y es totalmente válido permitirse el hacer y deshacer con perspectiva de un espectáculo. Hay un momento en que jugamos y hay un momento en que paramos el juego para que a partir de ello, y en base a los resultados del mismo, tomemos decisiones de que es lo que queremos llevar al escenario. Es importante tener una perspectiva estructural de lo que es llevar a cabo un espectáculo escénico, sin embargo; la piedra angular de ello es la de tener el espacio de juego para luego de ello crear y construir.

Harmonizar estilos de atua??o conflitantes requer diálogo, entendimento e adapta??o. Ao definir expectativas claras, promover a comunica??o e valorizar a diversidade de abordagens, diretores e atores podem transformar potenciais conflitos em oportunidades para enriquecer a produ??o teatral.