The Director works with

Transcription

1 THE DIRECTOR

2 THE DIRECTOR Director = The person who rehearses the performers & coordinates their work with that of others, such as designers, to make certain that the event is performed appropriately, intelligently, & in an exciting manner.

3 The Director works with The Producer: Usually hires director Provides financial backing for production

4 The Director works with The Stage Manager: Acts as director s assistant Records rehearsal activities Runs technical aspects of production during performances

5 The Director works with The Playwright: Modern play may contact playwright (if accessible) to discuss ideas & motivations New play will work closely together to smooth out possible problems Tom Stoppard

6 The Director works with Designers: Set Costumes Lights Sound Special Effects

7 The Director works with The Actors: The people who perform the action of the play

8 The Director The director s work is one of the least obvious to the audience: Playwright hear words & see plot Designers see set/ costumes/lights/special effects & hear sounds of the show Actors see their movement & hear their voices

9 How do you become a director? Be a former actor or designer or stage manager i.e. lots o experience! Train in an academic institution with a specific degree in directing

10 The Director - A Historical Perspective Ancient Greece/Rome The playwright was the overseer of the production Aeschylus Seneca

11 The Director A Historical Perspective Shakespeare The Renaissance Playwright of a company Moliere

12 The Director A Historical Perspective The 17 th to 19 th century Actor-managers: Actor who served as managers of acting companies Performed many of the functions of a director David Garrick Henry Irving William Charles Macready

13 The Director A Historical Perspective The Modern Director Late 1800 s became a clearly defined role Thanks to George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, a German nobleman Began to supervise every element of the theatrical productions in his ruling realm.

14 The Director A Historical Perspective The Auteur Director auteur = French, author The point-of-view comes from the director, because the director controls/ shapes all elements of the production, including the script Vsevolod Meyerhold ( ) Popular method with avantgarde directors

15 The Director at Work What does a director do? 1.) Chooses a script -- Attracted to or drawn to script -- Must have clear understanding of script & playwright s point-of-view -- What about a new script? - Will meet with playwright to gain understanding & work through foreseeable problems in script

16 The Director & The Playwright After the playwright, the director is usually the first to become involved in the creative process of a production.

17 The Director & The Playwright The Director must understand the Playwright s Point-of-View: Create s The Director s Vision The director translates it into production terms, making it clear to designers, performers, & other artists/technicians The overall direction of the production is based on what the director believes is the playwright s point-of-view

18 The Director at Work 2.) Analyzes the script Finds the spine of the play Finds in the script the general action that motivates the play the fundamental action or conflict = the main action

19 The Director at Work Different directors will find different spines for the same play i.e. Romeo & Juliet Where a director has not determined on a spine for his production, it will tend to be formless. Each scene follows the next without necessarily adding up to a total dramatic statement Harold Clurman, Director

20 The Director at Work How to find the spine Script Analysis Modern Formalistic Script Analysis usually based on the 6 elements of drama set forth by Aristotle in The Poetics. Plot Character Thought Diction Music Spectacle

21 SCRIPT ANALYSIS First, basic information Who is the playwright? If dead Read biographies about playwright & contemporaries Find critiques/critical essays of their work Read their other works (plays, short stories, novels) Study other productions & how they were received Henrik Ibsen Jim Grimsley If living Try to contact Find interviews & articles about Read their other works (plays, short stories, novels) Study other productions & how they were received

22 SCRIPT ANALYSIS THE PLOT How is the play constructed? The Foundations of the Plot: Given Circumstances Time =» 1. when play was written» 2. when the play is set» 3. the time that passes during the course of the play Place = physical environment» 1. geographic locale» 2. specific locale Society = Families, Friendships, Occupation Groups, Status Groups, & Social Standards Economics = Large-scale & Small-scale Politics & Law Intellect & Culture Spirituality The World of the Play Background Story Technique= when is background info brought into the plot Identification= events, character descriptions, & feelings

23 SCRIPT ANALYSIS THE PLOT Physical & Psychological Action Physical Action (External Plot) The physical action needed to carry out the story» Entrances/Exits» Use of Props» Special Physical Activities Psychological Action (Internal Plot) Concerns the mental, spiritual, or emotional lives of characters Expressed through:» Assertions» Plans» Commands

24 SCRIPT ANALYSIS THE PLOT - Progressions & Structure Progressions Beats = smallest dramatic progression Units = tightly connected beats French Scenes = entrance or exit defines scene Scenes = progression of related units Acts = largest dramatic progression Structure = how the action rises & falls Point of Attack = moment when play begins in relation to the background story at one end & the climax at the other Inciting Action = single event that sparks the main action Complications or Obstacles Crises Climax Resolution = all events following climax

25 SCRIPT ANALYSIS CHARACTER Who are the people in the play? Objectives = specific goals that characters aim to achieve Dramatic Action = behavioral tactics characters employ to achieve their goals Conflict = tension that arises from characters opposing views Willpower = degree with which characters pursue their goals Values = characters choices of the good & bad in life Personality Traits = characters physical & vocal i.d. that reveal their individuality Complexity = draws focus more complex = major character Relationships = antagonist v. protagonist/affiliations with other characters

26 SCRIPT ANALYSIS THOUGHT/IDEA What does the play mean? Words Title subliminal message Discussions between characters opinions/ideas Epigrams proverbs, quotes Allusions implied reference literature/person or event outside play Set Speeches long uninterrupted speeches Imagery any words used to represent people, places, or things, feelings or ideas, or sensory experiences Intentional Symbolism direct equation scales = justice Prologue or Epilogue Characters Narrator or chorus tells story to the audience Raisonneur narrator who always remains within the action often skeptic Confidant character with the technical function of listening sympathetically to lead Normative Character character who has successfully adjusted to the dominant standards in the world of the play Plot Parallelism when characters are intentionally linked with other characters Conflict stems from opposition of the customs or beliefs of a society against a different order Climax where all points of the play converge Main Idea = the result of the entire presented experience of the play

27 SCRIPT ANALYSIS DICTION/DIALOGUE What does the play say? Words Abstract & Concrete Formal & Informal Jargon & Slang Connotation Sentences Length/Kinds/Rhythm Speeches Punctuation/Linking/Arrangement Special Qualities - Poetry/Charm/Dialect/Accent Theatricality Action/Emotion/Subtext

28 SCRIPT ANALYSIS MUSIC How does the play feel & sound? Tempo = temporal relationship between one spoken word & another frequency of information Speed = measurable rate of speech in real time Pace = the spectator s subjective perception of speed emotionally Rhythm = pattern of changing tensions in the beats, units, scenes, & acts a pulsing feeling Mood = particular state of persistent emotion the play s atmosphere

29 SCRIPT ANALYSIS SPECTACLE How does the play look? Spectacle is more than visual adornment, it Establishes environment Enriches characterization Indicates mood or style Enhances the play s meaning Helps capture & hold audience s attention Contributes to the audience s aesthetic pleasure

30 The Director at Work 3.) Selects a Production Style Production Style = The way in which a play is presented The director has a large selections of styles to choose from. These styles may be divided into 2 categories: Realism & Nonrealism

31 TYPES OF REALISM Naturalism = kind of superrealism Shows humans as products of heredity & environment Puts on stage an exact replica of real life Slice of life Characters speak & act as if they have been caught unobserved

32 TYPES OF REALISM Heightened Realism or Selective Realism Characters & activities are intended to resemble real life, but a certain license is allowed

33 TYPES OF REALISM Realism = falls between naturalism & heightened/selective realism

34 TYPES OF NONREALISM Allegory Representation of an abstract theme or subject through symbolic characters, actions, or other elements of a production i.e. The Crucible Often serves as a parable or lesson

35 TYPES OF NONREALISM Expressionism Popular during the 1 st quarter of the 20 th century Gives outward expression to inner feelings

36 TYPES OF NONREALISM Symbolism/Impressionism Extreme simplification of realism Few objects, carefully selected give the impression of a place Selected objects may represent or symbolize a larger place

37 TYPES OF NONREALISM Formalism Less suggestion of location Simple architectural elements make-up a neutral background Often used with classic scripts

38 TYPES OF NONREALISM Theatricalism Shows the audience the artifices of the theater Visible light sources Multimedia Often associated with arena stages

39 DIRECTORIAL STYLE Directorial Style Gives signature & imprint to entire production Should be appropriate for the play Should be consistent throughout every aspect of the production

40 The Director at Work 4.) Creates Directorial Concept Directorial Vision or Concept = the way in which the spine is embodied in a production & implemented style Creates unified theatrical experience for spectators (mis en scene)

41 THE DIRECTORIAL CONCEPT Concept & Period Time period = use original or change? Often classics are changed Greek/Roman Shakespeare Moliere Tartuffe

42 THE DIRECTORIAL CONCEPT Concept & Central Image Central or controlling image/ metaphor Expounds itself in: The set The performers relation to one another The small details

43 THE DIRECTORIAL CONCEPT Concept & Purpose Concept should serve play and be supported by the text Gimmicky calls attention to direction, not script Two Gentlemen of Verona

44 THE DRAMATURG An Aide to the Director Dramatic adviser/literary manager Often aids director in research & analysis Duties include: Discovering & reading new scripts Identify significant plays from the past that may have been overlooked Conduct research on previous productions Prepare reports on history of plays Research criticism & interpretations of plays from the past Writes articles for the programs

45 The Director at Work 5.) Casts production Audition performers Assign appropriate performer to appropriate character or Cast Typecasting = when performers closely resembles in real life the character to be enacted Castlist = official notice listing what characters will be played by which performers Cast = performers selected to portray the characters of a script

46 The Director at Work 6.) Supervises rehearsals Serves as audience s eyes during rehearsal process Rehearsal Process Straight Play = 4 weeks Musical = 6 weeks Equity = Tuesday through Sunday, 9 to 5

47 REHEARSALS What happens during the rehearsal process? Read-through = when performers sit around a table and read the script together for the first time Blocking deciding when and where performers move & position themselves on stage Stop & Go Rehearsals when the director stops performers in action to give notes Visual Composition/Stage pictures shaping of space The overall physical arrangement of performers on stage

48 REHEARSALS Movement, Pace, & Rhythm - shaping of time Too quickly words are missed or misunderstood Too slow spectators become distracted or bored

49 REHEARSALS Technical Rehearsals Paper Tech Director, Stage Manger, & Designers meet to talk through design aspects of show & cues Set, special effects, & lighting elements are introduced to performers Run-through = performers run the entire show beginning to end without director stopping for notes

50 REHEARSALS Dress Rehearsals Make-up, wigs, & costumes are added to the rest of the technical elements Very close to the finished product

51 PREVIEWS Previews/Tryouts Open rehearsals Actual audience who knows they are seeing a possibly unfinished product often invited When directors, performers, & sometimes playwrights, find out what works & what doesn t through audience reaction Maybe one or two nights For Broadway, it s several weeks

52 OPENING NIGHT When production opens to the public Critics normally attend to review Celebration Usually the last night the director is involved in the production

53 The Director s Power & Responsibility The director has a voice in almost every aspect of a theatrical production Two-edged sword of power Too carried away with one idea, the audiences experience will be unsatisfactory Strong point-of-view, wellbalanced & consistent the experience will be meaningful & exciting, possibly unforgettable

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55 DON T FORGET!!! QUIZ 6 completed on Blackboard before moving on to Chapter 7