Tips for Coaching Introverted and Extroverted Actors in Youth Theatre
Hannah Crawford, OnStage Blog Columnist
I started my debut as a youth theatre director for a performing arts center in the summer many moons ago. The theatre had only ever offered one acting class during the summer and was excited to have me on board to help me start new programs, particularly a summer theatre show.
It was called “A Magical Summer Production,” with short scenes from Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, and more. I walked into the first rehearsal with a room full of kids that I’d never met before.
Two young ladies in the group stood out to me in particular. One was loud, confident, and ready to be the star of the show (let’s call her Jessica). The other student was a quiet, low-self-esteem, wanted-to-hang-in-the-background kid (let’s call her Samantha).
We were all in the same room, performing the same show. However, these two students had very different needs that I needed to focus on as their coach. And being a good youth theatre coach is not about treating everyone equally. It’s about us understanding who is in front of us, and what it is that they need as the actor\actress they are in this moment.
You Have to Know Your Kids
Have you ever heard the phrase that good bosses should know their employees' strengths and weaknesses and know where to put them? Well, the same can be said for putting together a show. Just as a boss would train their employees, we, as youth directors, coach our actors.
The theatre professionals who don’t really know their students boggle my mind. How do you expect to help them if you don’t know them?
I think it is easy for us as directors to make assumptions about the kids we direct. Things such as…
Quiet kid = shy
Loud kid = confident
Well, based on my experience, that is not always the case, and we have to be careful making that judgment right off the bat. I worked with a young boy in an improv group many years ago. He was this scrawny little kid who was the quietest of the bunch. However, on stage, this kid had confidence I sometimes wished I could borrow.
Through time, introverted actors can become very powerful, deep performers. They just need the time and patience that we, as theatre coaches, need to give them. And the same can be said of our extroverted actors. Many times, their extrovertedness is nothing but a mask for the insecurities that they carry with them.
Coaching Introverted Kids
In the case of Jessica and Samantha, I quickly understood that Samantha would do better in ensemble roles. She was not ready to be pushed. She needed the familiarity of the stage without the fear of the spotlight.
However, I knew in the back of my mind that, while working with Samantha over the summer, I wanted to help her get into a lead role in a future show. Her voice was shy, but it was incredible. So, for the sake of The Magical Summer Production, we worked on building confidence in smaller roles.
Sometimes coaches make the wrong choice when trying to help shy kids, just giving them the push from the birds' nest they need. And I’m not saying that will never come in handy one day. However, the first time is absolutely not the time.
To start, when coaching introverted kids, please understand that you are not “fixing” them. There is nothing wrong with them. Being an introvert isn’t a weakness; it just shows up differently than the confident kid center stage.
When I work with introverted students, I like to do things such as the following:
Give them time to warm up
They won’t be ready to jump in there like confident students will. It’s okay to give them the time they need.
Don’t put them on the spot too fast
This is a mistake I definitely made early on, right after college, when teaching improv. I meant well, but pushing an introverted student can backfire.
Let them process instead of forcing an immediate response
They won’t be as quick to provide feedback or know what they should do. (9 times out of 10, they knew what to do; they just didn’t have the confidence to voice it.)
Coaching Extroverted Kids
When coaching Jessica, it was very evident that she was beaming with confidence as she tackled any lead role thrown her way. She didn’t just do well in those roles; she was a shining star in the spotlight.
I helped cultivate her confidence by providing her with opportunities not only to star in shows but also to coach other students in the shows she was in. Being propped up as a leader really helped her to grow. She was able to put herself aside and offer great advice on helping actors who struggled with confidence on stage.
Now, Jessica wasn’t my only extroverted kid with confidence. I had some who were extroverted but didn’t know how to channel that energy. So, here are some things I would do when coaching extroverted students:
Channeling their energy and not just letting them run the room
There is nothing I love more than a confident student. However, if you let it, they can end up running the show if you don’t have the confidence to assert who the teacher is.
Teach listening, not just performing
The struggle for most confident actors is that they always assume they are right. Make sure they understand that learning to listen to except advice is just as important as having the confidence to make your own.
Push them to take a step back
Have you ever challenged a confident actor to “take a back seat” in a scene? I can guarantee you this will pay off and will be one of the most difficult things you will teach them.
One of the things I’m most proud of with my work on Jessica and Samantha was that several months later, we did “The Grinch”. And my ever-so-quiet Samantha starred as Cindy Lou Who. And my energetic energizer bunny, Jessica, was a quiet ensemble player in the background.
I saw my two students in completely opposite roles from what they were accustomed to, grow more in that one show than in any other I did with both of them.
Now, had I tried to force that the first show I ever met them in, I probably would have driven them both away. The point wasn’t for me to try to get them to be opposite. The point was for me to understand how to coach both introverted and extroverted actors and to get them to where they needed to be to be well-rounded performers.
And I attribute this to my seeing my students for who they were when I first met them. Because after all, when kids feel seen, that’s when they actually start to grow.
You can see Hannah Crawford give more tips for coaching youth theatre on the OnStage Blog Theatre Podcast here.