More and more I use film terminology in BM class; simple as CU and MS frame -- or more complex, like line of action, axis of tention.
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Summary
1. Description: Advanced Directing ("Memebers Only" -- not for everybody?)
2. An excerpt: Directing Time (Stagematrix)
3. Table of contents: Four Parts. Directing: Laws, Rules, Principles
4. Review: Topics : Stage Event = Subjective Time + Dramatic Space
Questions
New directory? No, this is very old directory, which I began too early. I had to go back to FILM and STAGE directing pages -- and only now I can return to Theory of Directing (see Theatre Theory)!
* Take my advice -- first read StageMatrix and Film Directing webpages!
Notes
A theatre director is a principal in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a play by unifying various endeavors and aspects of production. The director's function is to ensure the quality and completeness of a theatrical product. The director works with the key individuals and other staff, coordinating research, stagecraft, costume design, props, lighting design, acting, set design and sound design for the production. The director may also work with the playwright on works in progress. In contemporary theatre, the director is generally the primary visionary, making decisions on the artistic concept and interpretation of the text. Different directors occupy different places of authority and responsibility, depending on the structure and philosophy of individual theatre companies. Directors utilize a wide variety of techniques, philosophies, and levels of collaboration.
The director, as a position in and of itself, is a relatively new innovation in the history of theatre, with the first examples appearing in the late 1800s and widespread popularity only being achieved in the early part of the 20th century. Prior to that, it seems that actors or the playwright were responsible for presenting the show and coordinating efforts. Though some individual productions and groups still operate without a specified director, the director is now considered a vital figure in the creation of a theatrical performance.
Once a show has opened (premiered before a regular audience), theatre directors are generally considered to have fulfilled their function. From that point forward the stage manager is left in charge of all essential concerns.
Theatre Director wikipedia
* Let me start where stage and film directing pages end -- theatre mise-en-sce = directing in front of the camera (primary motion), directing public = directing camera.
"... a director is not a person that moves actors on stage. In the
real world, the director is the first person hired by the producer. The producer hires the director because the director has a vision or message for the show. After discussing the vision, the rest of the creative team is hired, including the musical director and choreographer. If it were corporate America, (or Livent) a flow chart would look like this:
Producer -- Writers
||
Director --> Creative Team (MD, Choreo, Lighting, Costume, etc...)
||
Actors
etc...
This in effect, gives structure to the production where the producer is responsible for business and director for artistic vision." [eGroup]
I am writing about the artistic aspect of directing ONLY!
Since we (UAF) do not have Advanced Directing anymore, I need another stage directing directory; to move the files, which do not feed into direct.vtheatre.net (Fundamentals). I need to bridge the basics and directing pages in Theatre Theory.
I still do not know who is this god of directing? Apollo? Bacchus? Which muse does inspire directors?...
Director is this invisible creator... God?
... It's not my business to write textbooks. I simply tought fo so long, which wasn't "business" either. I wrote the textbooks (or notebooks), because I was teaching...
I do not believe in textbooks, but I love books (I even do not understand this term "textbook" -- all books are made out of texts!)
Let me rephraze it -- the books about the science of art: acting or directing. Oh, but where is the border between craft and art, Anatoly?
Many years ago, when I was a teenager in the special math school in Moscow, I tought that writers and all artists are stupid. Next to a physicist, for instance. I was young and stupid -- and I was right. Yes, any artist must be like a child; aren't they silly, the kids? I didn't understand then that Artist leaves the grounds of science simply because his subjects are too complex for mind only. So, I began to write...
But the traditional language (even such a very complicated one as Russian), the words, is limited -- and very simplistic next to acting, for example. And how many of them we use on stage -- sounds, lights, movements... That's how I became a director.
How can I write a "textbook" about it? God only knows?
"In the theatre, most of a director's time is devoted to rehearsal. The French word for rehearsal is répéticion, which describes much of what goes on. What happens specifically during a rehearsal will depend on the nature of the play and the personal style of the director. Sometimes the actors are allowed plenty of time and freedom to explore and experiment with their characters. Indeed, one of the most important duties of a director is to maintain a "safe" environment during rehearsals in which actors feel free to take risks in the creation of their characters. On other occasions the director might give the actors very specific blocking and other instructions at the first rehearsal. Actors are usually given a deadline by which time they are expected to be off book--having learned their lines and blocking. Plays are usually rehearsed in small fragments at first. There is much stopping and starting, discussion, and repetition. Then, as these individual sections begin to take shape, they are combined and rehearsed as full scenes. Near the end of the rehearsal period, the scenes are combined for uninterrupted run-throughs of complete acts. At this point the director is more likely to give notes to the actors at the completion of scenes or acts rather than by interrupting them in progress. In the case of musicals, separate rehearsals are conducted by choreographers and music directors. Finally, the director begins to shape the entire piece by focusing on such overall elements as pace, tempo, and rhythm.
The last step in preparing a play is the introduction of the design elements during technical rehearsals. While there are variations in practice depending upon the play, theatre, and level of production, the following pattern is fairly typical. The first tech usually involves adding the actual scenery and props that will be used. In the case of a multi-set show, this will include coordinating the changing of scenery with the movements of the actors. The second tech adds the lighting and sound cues. The third and fourth techs involve adding costumes and make up and are called dress rehearsals. Finally, a test or preview audience is admitted in order to make final adjustments based on their reactions. At this point, the director's contractual obligations normally end. Although in the case of long-run shows the director may be required to check back periodically to ensure the integrity of the piece--that actors are not making gratuitous changes."
