The first presidential debate is over. Each side thinks they won, the people who are in the middle are still in the middle and those who don’t care probably still don’t care.

But there's one big thing that is obvious: Both candidates need a better grasp on what how to handle the theater of these things. Make no mistake about it, those so-called debates are really theater. It may be improv, but it’s theater.

As a theater critic, I can’t begin to count the number of plays that I’ve seen in my life: great plays, good plays, fair plays and not so good plays. And I have always admired the work of directors, the person who heads each production. In addition, I’ve talked at length with many directors about their art and learned a lot about the process.

And now, I am going to use some of that knowledge and skill gathered from these directors, and give both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton some theatrical advice before the next two debates hit the stage. 

Costumes

Say what you will, but costuming is important. That’s why there are costume directors, why television personalities have clothing consultants and why they give an Academy Award for costumes. They have to think about it.

Trump is, to put it mildly, boring: dark suit, white shirt and plain tie. Every single time you see him, he’s wearing the exact same thing except for the color of the tie. He needs to jazz things up a little bit. First off, he should occasionally wear a button down shirt instead of the classic spread collar. And he should change up the color, occasionally wearing a classic blue button-down. Ties should sometimes have patterns – not outrageous but something to relieve the boredom. Plus, he could go really radical, and sometimes appear at rallies without a tie. Think Ronald Reagan who knew that people wanted their president to be a guy who cared about his clothes.

By the way, there is nothing that can be done about his hair.

Hillary, as hard as it is to say, needs to lose the constant pantsuit thing. First of all, nobody wears pantsuits anymore. Take a look around your office. We all know she has cankles, but being boring and out of date is much worse than showing your cankles. A dress would do wonders. Colors are important as well. She looks great in red and in navy blue. The light blue doesn’t do anything. She has a great complexion and great hair, and her clothes should complement those parts of her appearance.

Manner

The debate was presented with a split screen, which meant each candidate was on camera for the full 90 minutes or so. I think more people will make a decision on how the candidates looked when they weren’t talking than on anything they said.

Trump looked like a fourth grader who just got embarrassed about something in his class. He was petulant, looking here and there, looking angry, perplexed, anxious, scornful and short-tempered. Nobody wants a president who is those things. His best strategy would be to look like he’s really listening to Hillary. He doesn’t need to look enraptured, but people are worried about his attention span. He wants to leave the impression he’s concentrating on what she says, not thinking of his next assault. Plus a smile might do wonders for his image. Again, think Reagan.

Hillary is thoughtful, and she loosened up some during the first debate. But she should allow herself a real laugh when Trump goes off the reservation. Everybody watching, from both parties, can tell when he’s in the cuckoo's nest, and most of us are chuckling if we aren’t throwing up. It would be helpful for her to laugh so we could feel like she’s one of us even though she’s smarter than everyone in the room we are in. She needs to get rid of her constantly composed look. We want a president who feels something, and she has to show us that. Robots don't get votes. 

Movement

In the theater, it’s called "blocking": where and how the actors move. Often, that movement can say more than any words they are saying.

Trump is a wildman, holding onto the podium while his head moves all over the place. He looks like a bobblehead. He needs to learn how to use his hands to make a point or to show his disgust over something Hillary just said. It doesn’t do any good for him to point at the moderator. That just makes him look like a baby. A slightly clenched fist or a clasping of the hands adds a genuine air to what you are saying. Too many people think your are just faking this whole thing, so becoming genuine is important.

Hillary also was anchored to the podium. There are suggestions that she ignore Trump entirely, but I think, especially for a woman, that she would seem weak and afraid if she did that. Instead, I would have her fully turn 45 degrees so she is looking directly at Trump. She has a great profile, and that gaze could ensure that people understood that she wasn’t afraid of a bully.