Carmel
By Robert Winslow
& Ian McLachlan
Assistant Director | Company: 4th Line Theatre
In the summer of 2019, I was hired by 4th Line Theatre in Ontario to Assistant Direct their new work Carmel by Robert Winslow and Ian Mclachlan. Robert Winslow, playwright and founder of 4th Line Theatre, was the lead director on this project.
Assistant Directing this production was very similar to my work at The Canadian Badlands Passion Play. Carmel was performed on an outdoor stage using live animals, smoke effects, and both professional and volunteer actors of all ages. Working on this production, however, was the first time I had ever directed a production with motor vehicles on stage.
During this production, I directed a lot of the bigger crowd scenes and therefore, I was able to incorporate some of the crowd directing techniques I learned from Jessica Hickman at the Passion Play.
I also got much better at directing young children during this production as we had many youth volunteer actors, and our lead actor was a young girl who narrated the story.
I love directing shows outdoors and incorporating the Canadian landscape into theatrical stories. Through my many outdoor, large scale theatrical experiences, I have become extremely well versed in what it takes to direct an outdoor production, including the different safety protocols that are needed when working in diverse and harsh weather.
