Yesterday was the performance of the Christmas Play I directed for church. It went well. The kids stayed focused, the musical numbers were lovely, and the lighting and sound went off without a catch. Most importantly, there was a sweet spirit in the Nativity portion. We had a HUGE turnout- the gym was packed with people, and gratefully the audience was quiet and respectful during the play. I was anxious all day, I kept feeling like I ought to be doing something: warming up, rehearsing lines, putting on stage makeup. And yet, there was nothing for me to do. Sure I whipped together a little intro, and thought about what sort of pep talk I should give. But everything else was out of my control. I watched from the back of the gym, trying my best to turn off the critical, note taking side of my brain, and just enjoy. I smirked at the thought that most people in the audience would have no idea how much progress each performer had made. For example, we went over the lines:
-“I get to be Mary!”
-“I’ll be an Angel”
-“Me too!” 
so many times, and as a result the girls said them clearly, loudly, facing out, and with good energy. My favorite moments were when the angels came dancing in and then jumped off the table and spun around, when Mary handed baby Jesus to Joseph to hold and then bent her head in next to his to adore the Christchild. 
Standing in the back, I thought of Joseph Smith’s quote: “I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.” That’s the role of director. The day of, you have to relinquish control and hope everyone will do as instructed. It’s the same role that falls to leaders of any kind, be they teachers or parents. The challenge comes in stripping yourself of the pride connecting their performance with your own. My students’ performances next Friday may or may not reflect all that I’ve taught them over the past few months. Last night, there were “me” moments, where people did things just as I wanted them to, and moments that I would have done differently, but it wasn’t my performance- it was theirs. 
Fortunately, I’ve felt keenly of the desire to do things my own way, rather than the way directed. It’s my goal as a director and teacher to always respect my students vision when it comes to their performance. 
That being said, I was intrigued by the effectiveness of modeling for younger actors. Obviously more experienced actors/singers will have their own opinions on how they want to do things, but young or inexperienced actors often don’t have a preference. There were several times during the rehearsal period when I would model a line or action and ask the performer to mimic me, as opposed to just describing what I wanted. Children don’t necessarily know how their cadence and tone should change in order to indicate sadness or surprise, but they can hear the inflection in your voice and copy it. 
To those in the play: Thanks for a wonderful performance, amd for allowing me to learn so much.