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Santa Susana High School

Senior Project Essay 2015

Jocelyn Lopez
AP English 12
Pamela Bradley
November 20, 2015

As a young child, we are often told that the skys the limit. As a young child, I
always dreamed of what it would be like to perform on a big stage, where I could
escape into another world. I wanted to experience something other than my life. I was

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finally given this opportunity when I turned thirteen. Being on stage was one of the best
feelings I have ever experienced and my infatuation with theatre has grown ever since.
Ive been in many productions where I have taken upon a huge variety of different roles.
Playing different characters has allowed me to enhance my acting skills. Ive been
involved in community theatre and theatre at Santa Susana High School, my main goal
through the years has been to certify in theatre. Throughout my involvement in theatre, I
have taken many challenges as an actress and as part of tech; but I have reached a
point where I would like to pass on what Ive learned. I want to put everything I have
learned from all the productions Ive been in to the test and learn the directors aspect of
theatre.
Kevin Bacon once said A good director creates an environment, which gives the
actor the encouragement to fly, this relates to what Ive learned from many directors
that Ive worked with, and I would like to apply this to my directing experience. As my
senior project, I want to broaden my theatrical background by directing the Hound of
Baskervilles. I hold this play close to my heart because I admire the works of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle and I know that I will face many challenges throughout the process but I
would like to broaden my horizons. In order to successfully direct the Hound of
Baskervilles, it is important to know that the process will reveal many obstacles like:
staying true to the authors intent, helping the actor develop a British accent, the lack of
creativity, motivating the actors, and having poor leadership skills.
Before diving into the script, one must keep in mind that theres a purpose as to
why the content was placed there. The Hound of Baskerville was first published in 1902
and later adapted into a play. Since this is a period piece, Sir Arthur Conan Doyles

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purpose was to bring alive characters who embodied the fascination with foreign
entities masses of Victorian experienced (Fear of the Fascination), who were highly
intellectual, and used British Humor to solve crimes. The British Humor is very obvious
when reading the script, therefore in order to stay true to Doyles intent, it cant be
Americanized. Some of the humor is easily grasped, which is the beauty of his work.
Reading a script is much different than reading a book. When reading a script,
the formatting is different in the sense that it has the character listed, along with their
line. Stage directions are often provided but sometimes they arent listed, which gives
the director some freedom. Reading a script can be a bit challenging because one must
visualize everything, whereas in a book there are loads of detail provided to allow you to
easily visualize the story. Keeping all of this mind, when applying this information to the
Hound of Baskerville, it is suggested to remember that Doyle wrote the novel and it was
later adapted into a play. Doyle wrote about originality and and cohesiveness of plot, as
well as the quality of tales throughout the canon (The Creation, Reception, and
Perpetuation of the Sherlock Holmes Phenomenon).
Staying true to Doyles intent also means that accents play a huge role with the
directing the Hound of Baskerville. In order to bring this show to life, the actors must
learn how to fake a British accent. When Sir Conan Arthur Doyle first wrote this, he
intended all the characters to have an accent, since they all lived in Britain. When trying
to fake a British accent, it is strongly emphasized that one should ...practice British
consonants and vowels with repetitive ditties, like Ten tiny typists tripped through the
tunnel (How to Fake a British Accent). Since most people learn by mocking what they
hear, it is also advised to watch British shows on BBC like Sherlock or Doctor Who. It

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takes a while to develop this kind of accent because there are times where a word
doesnt necessarily follow the rules that come along with faking a British Accent. It is
rare when this occurs but it is something to be informed about. Many people have an
arduous time with pronunciation of r and a. Since this is often common, during the
process of directing the Hound of Baskervilles, there should be time set forth for the
actors to work together and practice their accents.
What is said to be very helpful is improvisational games to develop better
characters. In the Hound of Baskerville, majority of the characters are very big, meaning
that are very expressive. Accents add more to the british humor, and what has been
advised by a director that Ive worked with for many years, is that improvisational games
will allow actors to find their character; along with playing with different things. A very
popular game in the theatre world, is called Match That Emotion. Match that Emotion is
a game where the actor takes a line and the director throws at them different adjectives,
and they have to bring that to their line. This is a great a way to teach actors to be
expressive, and to maintain their accents while having different emotions.
When the time approaches to get down to business, a director must vision and
hear parts of the play in her head (Director Part 2). Creativity plays a huge role when
directing a play. In order to channel your creative side ..create the right environment.
Everyone works under different circumstances. (Dreaming of Becoming A Creative
Director) Blocking is one of the most challenging things that most directors experience.
When it comes to blocking, sometimes you have to channel your creativity right on the
spot. You want to seem like you understand the script, the direction, the plot, and show
that you know what youre talking about. When it comes down to blocking, make sure

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you have an idea as to what you want the set to look like and where you have furniture
staged. Knowing those two things will allow actors to work around the furniture and
know where and where they shouldnt go. When blocking, one should always keep an
open mind and never get married to the blocking.
When finally getting into the directing process, the biggest challenge that appears
when directing a play is that the actors lose motivation through the process of pulling
the show together. Some of the actors, especially those not playing the leads, lose
motivation because they feel that their parts arent big enough. Neil Patrick Harris
once stated that Sometimes you can have the smallest role in the smallest production
and still have a big impact, but in order to make the actor believe that they must feel
motivated. As a director, it is important to be engaging peoples emotions, (Getting the
Attention you need) so that actors dont feel less important than another person.
People are naturally competitive (Getting the Attention you Need) which could be
seen as a positive thing because it can allow you to challenge the actor to be better, not
better than another person, but better than themselves. If they have something to work
with, they will feel excited to work on the production, rather than feeling unimportant.
This is why it is strongly emphasized to try to give everyone some positive feedback
while theyre rehearsing.
Along with motivation, there needs to be a strong leader. A strong leader is
someone that acknowledges their strengths and weaknesses, but tries to do their best
to effectively lead a group. A leader has the following qualities: self-awareness, selfregulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill (What makes a Leader?). A leader
isnt necessarily commanding, they know what will be most beneficial for their group but

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they remain humble. It is important to put your wants aside, and to think for the rest of
the group. Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, determined that a leader must have
emotional intelligence, meaning that you have the ability toregulate your own
emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person. (Emotional
Intelligence)
As a director guiding a cast toward a performance, remaining strong and positive
is what makes a quality performance. If you don't know how to be a leader and rally
your team to work together and be creative and be excited about the work they're doing
on-set, it'll show (15 Tips on Becoming a Better Director) in your production. When
trying to be a greater leader, one must not be afraid to attempt new things. A director
always has a vision as to how they see the production but sometimes that vision wont
work out. Trying new things and seeing whether they will work, will bring forth a better
production. Take Your Time and Be Efficient, dont poorly direct something, if you are
lacking a vision. Take your time and think it through. If necessary give your actors and
yourself a break, creativity doesnt come when youre overwhelmed, it comes when
youre relaxing.
When directing a play, it is difficult to maintain ones patience due to an actor
missing a cue or perhaps not learning their lines; but instead of being outraged, show
that you see situations from other peoples points of view before you expect them to see
it from yours. (Building Respect Through Leadership) Seeing things from the actors
perspective, will allow you to have a better understanding as to why they didnt learn
their lines or missed their cues. Give people the benefit of a doubt (Building Respect
through Leadership), many things could be happening in the actors personal life and

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they can be having an arduous time. A lot of the time, we let our anger get the best of us
but to be able to maintain the respect from your cast, dont lash out and see their point
of view.
A major key of directing is to respect and be respected. Respect isnt easily
given, its typically gained. Before starting with the production, keep in mind that
respect may mean different things to people of different cultures. (Building Respect
through Leadership) If there is a positive atmosphere throughout the rehearsal process,
respect will be maintained. Try to create an atmosphere where actor's will enjoy
themselves and can escape into another world. Theatre isn't only a form of expression,
but it's also a place to feel safe, loved, and wanted. Respect is necessary when
directing because if an actor respects you, they will follow your guidance. If you arent
being respected, they wont follow as you say. To build respect amongst your actor
remember that you share your passions and goals with them. Youre trying to make
them better and to make yourself better, respect is one of the keys to pulling a
production together.
A conflict that occurs through a rehearsal process is that actors stop getting
along with each other. If this does occur, dont take sides. Taking sides will result in a
loss of respect. Stand up for someone else (21 Ways Can Earn The Respect of
Others), if you feel that people are being mistreated. Make sure to make it emphasized
that everyone should be treated with respect and that everyone is important to the
production. It is possible that there are people who will believe that there is more than
one director, make sure everyone knows their place. If people are being mistreated, as
difficult as it may seem, sometimes a punishment is necessary. Consequences may be

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necessary if an actor is mistreating someone, mistreating the director, or not taking the
direction; despite whatever it is make sure to be fair with everyone. Picking favorites can
also result in the loss of respect. Respect is very important and its important to
maintain, especially when creating an environment where everyone feels safe to be
themselves.
From the researched information gathered through this essay, I feel prepared to
direct the Hound of Baskerville. What I have learned from thoroughly reading articles
about directing and what it takes to be a successful leader, is that humility is one of the
main aspects of directing. The play was written with a purpose, and that purpose must
remain alive while it is being performed. As a director, I want to guide the actors into
bringing the beautiful show on their hands to live. I want to make sure that everyone
enjoys this experience because like Ive stated before: Theatre isn't only a form of
expression, but it's also a place to feel safe, loved, and wanted. As an actress, Ive
worked with directors who didnt necessarily care about their cast and just wanted to
pull a show together, I myself want to build a bond with the actors. I feel that the
experience is very important because one day they can look back and say I enjoyed
being part of that show. Ive experienced this only a few times and I know how much it
means to directors, which is why I want to try to bring this is type of feeling into this
production of the Hound of Baskerville.
In order to successfully direct the Hound of Baskerville, it is important to know
that the process will reveal many obstacles like: staying true to the authors intent,
helping the actor develop a British accent, motivating the actors, and having poor
leadership skills. In order to keep Doyles vision alive, I will dedicated some time for the

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actors to practice their British accent by having some exercises. In order to motivate the
actors, I will make sure that everyone feels important to the show, that everyone
deserves to have some positive feedback, and they all deserve to have something to
work on. For myself, I know that I will be given many opportunities to prove what kind of
director that I am. I will put aside my own personal problems and focus on guiding the
actors; as well as making good decisions for the show. Although this is my first time
directing a full play, I know that it will be an exciting process, full of many lessons.

Work Cited

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Alliance, University. "What Makes an Effective Leader." University of Notre Dame. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Blood, Melanie. "Director2.html." Director2.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Cooke, Mae Leigh. "Fear of and Fascination with the Foreign in Arthur Conan Doyles
Sherlock Holmes Adventures." Scholarworks. N.p., July 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
Goleman, Daniel. "What Makes a Leader?" Harvard Business Review. N.p., 01 Jan. 2004.
Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
Mendoza, Patrick. "Dreaming Of Becoming A Creative Director?" Dreaming Of Becoming
A

Creative Director?

N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Renee, V. "15 Tips on Becoming a Better Director." No Film School. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
Nov. 2015
Wisser, Katherine Mary. The Creation, Reception and Perpetuation of the Sherlock
Holmes Phenomenon,

1887-1930. Diss. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,

2000.
"Psychology Today." Emotional Intelligence. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015
"Building Respect Through Leadership." (n.d.): n. pag. LACCD. Personnel Commission.
Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

Annotated Bibliography
Ahunanya, Uche. "The Production Challenges of a Student-Director." The Production
Challenges of a Student-Director. Academia, Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
The main idea of this online book is that theatre has many variety of aspects of theatre, the
author explains the role as well. The author provides the reader with knowledge of the history of

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theatre and how originated it from the Greeks. The author demonstrates the challenges that
come along with directing, and he shows why young directors are often intimidated by the duty.
This author is a credible source because he provides a work cited page of where he got all his
research .It was displayed on a Academia.edu, which is a website full of research done by
students, professors, and other professionals. The information could be considered outdated but
it isnt because theatre has been around for centuries.
Connor, Cheryl. "Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
The author has gathered information from a licensed clinical social worker. The information
provided in this article claims that a stronger leader is one that doesnt dwell on the things that go
wrong, doesnt do things to please others, or fears taking risks. For each of the doubts that come
along with being leader, the author gives the reader motivation and some tips to get rid of the
doubt. The author is credible source because she is an entrepreneur and communication expert.
The information is rather opinionated but very reasonable. It was released a few years ago but the
information isnt outdated because it doesnt just apply to the business world, it applies to
everything. Theres a broad amount of research but it is very helpful.
Cooke, Mae Leigh. "Fear of and Fascination with the Foreign in Arthur Conan Doyles
Sherlock Holmes Adventures." Scholarworks. N.p., July 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
The author goes in depth about how the idea of Sherlock Holmes came about. The author provides
the reader with counter arguments from different sources, many people believed that Sherlock
Holmes represented imperial hope. This character uses his observation skills to tell whether or not
someone is a threat. The author then continues on to explain how the works of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle have influenced society, as well different cultures.
Cooke is a credible source because shes was a student of Grand Valley State University where she
wrote this piece in order to get her Masters of Arts. She brings in many viewpoints from different
sources.This book was placed on the Scholarworks website, which is the Grand Valley State

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University website. The article is very factual because it has a lot of historical content from the time
that Sir Arthur Doyle wrote his stories about Sherlock Holmes.
Davenport, Thomas H., and John C. Beck. "Getting the Attention You Need." (n.d.): n. pag.
York University. Harvard Business Review, Oct. 2000. Web. 17 Sept. 2015
The main idea of this book is that gaining attention is only accomplished if peoples emotions are
taking into consideration and that they must feel engaged with the content being given. The authors
argue that in order to be accomplished in getting peoples attention, you must figure out a way to
use your resources like technology. The authors concluded that you may have the audience's
attention, but the biggest factor is maintaining it.
Thomas H. Davenport is residents Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and
Management at Babson College and John C. Beck is a Senior Research Fellow at University of
Southern California's Annenberg Center for the Digital Future. Both are credible sources because
theyre experts on their field and work at Universities. They are also published on Harvard Business
Review. They provide examples of successful people to get their point across. Although the book is
a bit opinionated, the content brings in the business aspect of gaining attention.
Goleman, Daniel. "What Makes a Leader?" Harvard Business Review. N.p., 01 Jan. 2004.
Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
The authors argument is that emotional intelligence brings forth a great leader. He did research at
global companies where he found that his theory was correct. He decided to apply this idea to
business because he knew that most strong leader were located in the business industry. Daniel
Goleman is a credible source because he is a psychiatrist with a PhD from Harvard University. The
information was provided in 2004, so the information is outdated. At first the article seemed to be
more opinionated but once the author included the fact that he researched throughout many
companies, it seemed factual. The article isnt as thorough but it gives an idea of what qualities
make up a leader.

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Wisser, Katherine Mary. The Creation, Reception and Perpetuation of the Sherlock Holmes
Phenomenon, 1887-1930. Diss. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000.
The author goes in depth about Sir Arthur Conan Doyles struggle with getting his book published.
The author provides many interpretations of the stories from the authors standpoint, as well as the
readers. It is explained how SIr Arthur Conan Doyle came about creating characters like John
Watson and Sherlock Holmes. The information is all about the history of how the brilliant series
came about.
Mary Katherine Wisser cites all the sources that she used throughout her research. This was written
in order to fulfill the requirements in order to get a Masters of Science at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. The research was put together in 2000, although it was written 15 year ago,
it still applies because Doyle published a lot of his stuff at the turn of the century. The author
maintains a subtle tone throughout but she contains a lot of historical evidence to support her
argument.
ASC Time Management. By Carl Thum and Gail Zimmerman. Youtube. N.p., 5 Sept. 2014.
Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
In this video, it is emphasized that time and goal management only occurs when you have some
sort of calendar and somewhat to talk to about your plans. Students who attended Dartmouth
college were interviewed and were asked a series of questions on how using a calendar was
beneficial. Professors were interviewed as well to prove that those methods didnt just work for
student but for teachers as well.
They included this video on the Dartmouth college website but the video is actually published on
Youtube. The video is very helpful because not only a series of students were interviewed but also
professors. They all shared anecdotes, which makes this video factual in the sense that the
methods explained are actually beneficial to time management.
Tierney, Robert J. "Center for the Study of Reading." Dartmouth. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept.
2015.

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The author chooses to talk about the perspectives of what the author intends and how the readers
comprehend what the author has written. The author proposes the idea that it is possible that the
way that a reader comprehends a work of writing is based on their behavior. The author references
back to Aristotle's teachings of rhetoric. The author believes that much of what the reader gains
from a text is often inferred and sometimes the author's words may be taken out of context.
The authors are a credible source because their work is found on Dartmouth University Website.
The book was edited by a group of people with degrees from different colleges. The book is very
factual because included are different investigations done by the authors in order to prove that
behavior affects the reader's comprehension. This book was written in 1983, which is still pretty
recent and could apply to todays way of reading and trying to understand what the authors
intentions are.
"Building Respect Through Leadership." (n.d.): n. pag. LACCD. Personnel Commission.
Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
The authors primary purpose is to help teach managers ways to earn respect from employees. The
author gives many tips to help. The author explores the tips that he/she is providing. An example
would be when the author focused on the idea that giving compliments rather than criticism; this
emphasises that in order to see great results from employees, it is important to tell them what you
want to see but also explain to them that theyre doing a great job.
These tips are included on the Los Angeles Community College District website. The author gives
opinionated tips which he/she has found to work. Although it isnt very factual, it provides a lot of
help when it comes to leading a group and making sure everything is set positively. It isnt well
researched, its just brief overview of what it is to be a good manager.
"Making Decisions." SBA. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
In this article, the main idea is that when youre leading a company, you will often be making some
difficult decisions. In order to make the right one, the author suggests brain storming. He/she also
mentions to listen to your gut, doing so will allow you to feel confident in the decision youre about to

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make. The overall message is to take advice from others to see what they think but to also listen to
your instincts, that is how the author believes is how to make a good decision in a business.
This article was published on a government site called U.S Small Business Administration. Although
it isnt clear as to who it was written by, the reader can assume that its someone in the business.
Government sites are known to be used by all branches of the U.S. meaning that they are all
credible.