On Directing: Interviews with Directors [Paperback]

Gabriella Giannachi (Editor), Mary Luckhurst (Editor), Peter Brook (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312224834 | ISBN-13: 978-0312224837 | Publication Date: September 11, 1999

The profession of directing is barely a century old. On Directing considers the position of the director in theater and performance today. What is a director? How do they begin work on a play or performance? What methods are used in rehearsal? Is the director an enabler, a collaborator or dictator? As we enter the new millennium, is the very concept of directing under increasing threat from changes in thinking and practice? The full diversity of today's approaches to directing are explored through a series of interviews with leading contemporary practitioners. On Directing is a landmark book about the director's craft.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Peter Brook, one of the most respected experimental theater directors of the 20th century, provides the connective link between these two books. On Directing (edited by British theater scholars Giannachi and Luckhurst) is a collection of interviews with 21 mid-career British directors, most of whom are unknown to American audiences. The book tries to pin down the state of stage directing in British theater in the 1990s. Although the directors draw from a variety of doctrines and methods, an overwhelming percentage of them credit Brook (who also wrote the preface) with providing inspiration for their work. Carefully edited by actor and acting teacher Moffitt, Between Two Silences is a transcription of Brook's several days' residency with a group of actors, directors, designers, and students from Southern Methodist University and neighboring theaters. These sessions show Brook at his most familiarAelegant and thoughtful. But occasionally, his wealth of experience illuminates his ideas in new ways. Recommended for public and academic libraries, especially those with special collections in theater.AThomas E. Luddy, Salem State Coll., MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Gabriella Giannachi is Lecturer in Theatre Studies at Lancaster University, U.K.

Mary Luckhurst is a playwright, translator and Lecturer in Modern Drama at York University, U.K.

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (September 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312224834
• ISBN-13: 978-0312224837
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,690,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gabriella Giannachi is Professor in Performance and New Media, and Director of the Centre for Intermedia at the University of Exeter, UK. She has a degree in Modern Languages from Turin University and a PhD in English from Cambridge University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A spotty yet suitable addition to a director's library, April 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: On Directing: Interviews with Directors (Paperback)

As a young director, I found this to be a fairly dissapointing book, but nonetheless worthwhile due to its inclusion of many powerful British directors. The interviews are spotty at best -- it is clear that a questionnaire was circulated and then followed up. There also is very little insight given to the working processes of each director interviewed. One to have if you must know about Phyllida Lloyd and Annie Castledine, but I would recommend Arthur Bartow's book "Director's Voice" any day over this one.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and an easy read., April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: On Directing: Interviews with Directors (Paperback)

There is probably no better way to learn how to be a good director than to study good directors. This book is filled with anecdotes and advice from several of the best directors of stage and screen working in the world today. Peter Brook is featured as an author. His previous books, including "The Open Door" and "The Empty Space" are treasures in theatrical theory, and his experience as a founding director of the Royal Shakespaere Company in England puts him as one of the most accomplished directors to learn from. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to pick the brain of great directors in theatre and film.