Did you know that in professional theatre, the director is not allowed backstage after “half-hour,” the time the actors are called to be there for the show?
Do you know why?
Because that is the actors’ time to prepare for the show. Well-meaning but ill-timed directors are likely to want to tell them one more thing, give them one more note.
It’s too late.
I remember watching some 5th and 6th grade girls playing a semi-final tournament basketball game. One girl, playing really hard, was getting some intense sideline coaching from both her parents. Finally in the third quarter, after being fouled hard and with her team down six points, she snapped. “Shut UP!” she yelled at her parents. “Shut up!”
It’s hard to be the director, the fan, the parent on the sideline. You want to help, you think maybe this one thing will make a change, will elevate, will penetrate. More likely, though, it’s going to distract and annoy.
The rehearsal, the practice, the thinking—it’s out of your hands now. In an effort to feel like we have some control over what’s happening, we shout out that last thought, hint, reminder. Instead of helping, it undermines the confidence of the person you’re trying to uplift.
Share these thoughts earlier, when there’s actually time to implement them. When it’s showtime, your job is to watch and clap.
