On Tuesdays, we watch talks and interviews with artists and discuss how to present our work clearly and with confidence. This week we’ll look at an interview with Michael Arden, the stage director of Once on This Island, voted best show of 2017 by Broadway.com.
As you watch this interview, consider these questions: Does he speak clearly and with confidence? Does he use gestures and intonation to emphasize his points? Does he smile and look at the interviewer? Let’s take a look.
What does he do well? He speaks clearly and his speed is good. He’s easy to understand, and he has good intonation. He smiles and looks at the interviewer while he speaks. He also uses theater-specific vocabulary to help him to sound professional, and he avoids using filler words. These are all great ways to connect with the audience.
What could he improve? He could speak a little more loudly. His speaking style is a little quiet and somewhat hesitant, which makes him sound less confident. He also has a somewhat hunched posture. Part of this might be the stool he’s sitting on, but if he sat up a little straighter or lifted his shoulders, he would seem more confident. And although he does use gestures well at some points during the interview, he also makes a lot of nervous motions with his hands, which are distracting.
However, he seems very sincere when he talks about his feelings about the production and his inspiration for it. You can really sense the passion he feels for his work. This is a very important part of keeping listeners engaged. If he could just take a more confident posture, speak a bit more loudly, and keep his hands still, he would be extremely effective.
What do you think of this interview? Do you agree with my comments? Do you have questions about the vocabulary? Do you want to suggest a piece for me to discuss next week? Leave a comment below!
I’ve chosen 5 words or phrases for you to focus on today. They are in bold. If you don’t know them, look up the meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and other forms of these words. You can find links to Merriam-Webster dictionary sites at the bottom of this page.
To see the original post, from December 26, 2017, click the link below:
https://www.broadway.com/videos/158311/the-broadwaycom-show-director-michael-arden-on-his-vision-for-once-on-this-island-our-number-one-show-of-2017/?page=1&sort=newest#play