Where I do disagree is with the notion that at a certain time before you open you give up on fixing somehting. If the director feels that a scene isnt working then the director , cast and crew should keep on working on it until it does work , right on up to places. And thats where being off book sooner rather then later helps as the better you know your lines the easer it is to make adjustments.

As to actors asking questions when something isnt working , the way I solve this when I direct is easy. I tell the actors dont ask me if you can do something just do it. If I dont like it I will tell you. They have free rein during rehearsal to find fixes as long as it doesnt involve the safety of the cast and crew.

Ty – in your last paragraph, you mention the “unprepared” asking questions of the director every five minutes. That annoys me almost as much as the actor who hasn’t got his lines down on time. After a few weeks of rehearsal, and the director has laid out the landscape of the play the way he/she views it, don’t start asking questions or suggesting changes out there. 24 hours before opening night is NOT the time to say, “Hey – do you think we could try this?”