Entrances: An American Director's Journey [Paperback]

Alan Schneider (Author), Edward Albee (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Schneider became famous in the late 1950s and early '60s as the director who introduced the plays of Samuel Beckett and Edward Albee to the U.S. In this autobiography (completed shortly before he was fatally struck by a motorcycle in 1984), he tells of his early struggles, conventional Broadway successes and eventual discovery of the kinds of plays he responded to most deeplyplays that were unknown territory at the time and that sometimes baffled even the actors who performed in them. Schneider delineates the specifics (often agonizing) of production: casting problems, producers' betrayals, stars who refuse direction or resent the laughs gotten by other cast members. Students of Beckett will appreciate the author's portrayal of the shy, compassionate and surprisingly accommodating playwright. The book follows Schneider's career only to 1966; a second volume is to be published later. Photos. First serial to the New York Times Magazine, Baltimore Sun, Washingtonian, American Theatre and Performance Arts magazines. January
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The tragic death of Schneider in a 1984 London traffic accident deprived the American theater of a man celebrated not only for his innovative directing but also for his tireless efforts to develop regional theater. Schneider completed this first volume of his autobiography, covering the years 1917-66, just before his death. In contrast to the leaden prose of many theatrical memoirs, this is consistently readable and insightful, whether in a harrowing account of Schneider's childhood during the Russian Revolution or in lively descriptions of his work with playwrights Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett, and Edward Albee. An essential purchase for all theater collections and highly recommended for general collections as well. Susan Thach Dean, Fine Arts Div., Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions; 1st Limelight ed edition (April 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879100672
• ISBN-13: 978-0879100674
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,708,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tant Pis, January 29, 2001

By 

George N. Gordon Ph.D. (Newtown, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Entrances: An American Director's Journey (Paperback)

This is a poorly written, entirely inaccurate book. But that is fate. Schneider did not have a chance to edit and rewrite it, and the result is chaotic. Had he lived, it might have done greater justice to his tenacity, if not his talent.I read this with chagrin.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for young directors, February 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Entrances: An American Director's Journey (Paperback)

If there are directors out there who are at all interested in directing straight plays and especially the works of Beckett, Pinter and the other absurdist, you really ought to listen to what the highly esteemed Alan S. has to say about his experiences. Perhaps more valuable than any text book on directing. I refer back to this book whenever I am preparing an avant garde or post modern play.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff about that hated & outdated medium, June 29, 2004

By 

Gooch McCracken (c/o your haunted slab of Velveeta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Entrances (Hardcover)

From ENTRANCES: "Dad continued to see my shows for as long as possible, but whether he understood them much, I doubt. He always found the proceedings 'interesting', and was amazed that all the actors were able to remember all their lines."

Which is exactly *my* reaction also. The miraculous thing about theater isn't theater itself, but the simple fact that stage-actors have the ability to memorize all that dialog. So even if you hate the very concept of stage-shows the way I do, it's still interesting to read about.

From ENTRANCES: "But Bert, who seemed most anxious to rehearse and make changes, proved as unstable and unreliable as ever. He always found some reason for not rehearsing. One day he got a letter from someone, which he insisted on reading to me. 'How can you, Bert Lahr', it said, 'who has charmed the youth of America as The Cowardly Lion in THE WIZARD OF OZ, appear in this Communistic, Atheistic, and Existentialist play?'. There were tears in Bert's eyes as he begged me to explain to him what 'Existentialist' meant."

I'm convinced that John Lahr became a theater critic as a way to somehow apologize for the fact that his father insisted on schlocking up that particular production of WAITING FOR GODOT.