On Directing [Paperback]

Harold Clurman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 1997

“A straightforward, tasteful, and articulate account of what it is to bring a play to palpitating life upon a stage” (The New York Times Book Review).In this classic guide to directing, we are taken logically from the choice of the play right through ever aspect of its production to performances and beyond. Harold Clurman, director of such memorable productions as A Member of the Wedding and Uncle Vanya, describes the pleasures and perils of working with such celebrated playwrights and actors as Marlon Brando, Arthur Miller, Julie Harris, and Lillian Hellman. He also presents his own directing notes for ten of his best-known productions.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In his writings as a teacher, director, and theater critic, Harold Clurman often comes across as the most approachable of the formidable talents associated with the Group Theater and the many versions of "the Method," the American version of Stanislavsky's teaching. Written towards the end of his long career as one of the American theater's most successful directors, On Directing is a highly readable yet deeply insightful look at the job of a theatrical director.

Clurman's writing is supremely informative and rarely didactic. He is refreshingly honest about his own stylistic shortcomings, questioning, for example, whether his analytic methods are of any use whatsoever directing the plays of Shakespeare or other non-naturalistic playwrights. His most useful contribution to a director's toolbox is his designation of a "spine" to a play and all its characters, a short phrase always stated as an action. The third part of the book is devoted to Clurman's own notes, from first impression to detailed character analysis, of 10 scripts that he brought to the stage, including plays by Clifford Odets, Lillian Hellman, Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, and Carson McCullers's own adaptation of The Member of the Wedding. On Directing reveals not only the author's breadth of knowledge and literary intelligence but also his common sense and warm sense of humor. --John Longenbaugh

Review

"This is the statement of a person who has occupied a central position in the making of theatre," Clurman says in his introduction and it's no idle boast. As a founder of the seminal Group Theatre, as prominent critic, director and teacher, he has as much responsibility for the state of American theater today as anyone. And there's the rub: in the first half of this book Clurman restates every happy cliche, compounds every mistake, and justifies every misconception that has reduced the U.S. theater to its present second-rate status. As an ideologue for Broadway and its farm system, he dissects the art and craft of directing in terms of its cash equivalent - its ultimate commercial success. But when he interrupts his common-sense advice to "intelligent theatre goers" and young directors with frequent references to the bold productions of the Theatre Guild of which he was a member - productions more than thirty years old - it can only be considered a form of aesthetic grave robbing. The second half of the book is almost redeeming; a fascinating selection of notes on directing individual plays by the playwrights themselves, Odets on Rocket To The Moon, O'Neill on A Touch Of The Poet, The Waltz Of The Toreadors by Anouilh. Finally Clurman edits the work scripts of directors for several important productions, e.g., Giraudoux's The Trojan War Will Not Take Place, but all these are presented without annotation, remaining cryptic ciphers to the layman. Except for its value as source material, this doesn't deserve the sound of even one hand clapping. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (April 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684826224
• ISBN-13: 978-0684826226
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Directors by a Director, May 18, 2000

By 

T. Newton (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Directing (Paperback)

Harold Clurman, who has directed many successful plays in his time, shares with the reader some of his wit and wisdom. Clurman breaks down his "technique" chapter by chapter to give the reader his thoughts on character analysis, rehearsals, etc. This helpful book is a great read for aspiring directors, like myself, or anyone already working in the field. Clurman's humor is woven through the book through his use of anecdotes and examples.

An enjoyable, insightful read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful guidance from a master, February 8, 2003

By 

J. Remington "John Remington" (Adams, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Directing (Paperback)

Along with Elia Kazan, who called Clurman a masterful director possessing the greatest mind he ever saw, Harold Clurman built a peerless career in American Theatre. Present here is his advice to all directors, that new (really only invented in the latter part of the 19th century)creature of the world's oldest art form. Clurman displays his analytical abilities certainly in discribing script breakdowns and picturalization, but he also reveals a real understanding of human nature. His advice on how to deal with problems and crises that always appear during a production prove most sagelike. Purchase this along with William Ball's superlative "A Sense Of Direction" along with William Converse's textbook "Directing For The Stage" to create a most helpful library for any director.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction and Handbook, March 4, 2004

By 

Shari Perkins (Astoria, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Directing (Paperback)

ON DIRECTING
By Harold Clurman

Clurman's On Directing has the simplicity of an introductory text, and the virtue of a career's worth of wisdom. Highly readable, conversational, and amiable, the handbook explores the issues faced daily by a theatre director. What is the spine, or main through-line, or the play? How do the characters' objectives relate? How does one deal with a truculent actor? What is the role of the audience, and how much should the director consider them anyway? Should one direct with the eye or the ear? And what exactly is Method?

Clurman's book, though old, still rings true. He considers art and real estate, popular theatre and theories of the origin of drama in society. He has worked with some of the greatest artists of our time, and they turn up throughout the work: Marlon Brando, Elia Kazan, Lillian Hellman, Clifford Odets . . . the list goes on and on.

Although I majored in theatre and took a year long course in directing, I found Clurman's book refreshing and useful. At the same time, I am considering mailing a copy of it to my mother, a total theatre neophyte, so that she can understand the world I have chosen for my career. On Directing is a great book all around.