Interpretation

The A level Drama specification talks a lot about a director’s interpretation. At a macro level, I suppose that means “Let’s do Romeo and Juliet and make the Capulets white and the Montagues Asian” – or whatever. (By the way, surely the whole point of the feud in Romeo and Juliet is that no one can remember why it started? If you make it animosity between the families about race, you’ve got West Side Story. Which is one of the great pieces of 20^th century theatre but the poignancy of the tragedy in Romeo & Juliet is that no one remembers why the feud was going on in the first place.

So, yes, the director’s concept (which I’ll write about soon) is important. It may throw light on the play or it may be gratuitous and imposed on the text, but it’s important.

But, at a micro level, it’s worth remembering that, as an actor, you interpret every time you open your mouth. You interpret every time you chose to move. You make a choice. That’s interpretation, pure and simple.