Customer Reviews

Theatre Craft: A Director's Practical Companion from A-Z

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I really like this book - its no nonsense, non-anecdotal approach to the subject of directing is refreshing to me, since my library is mired in ego-heavy "Back when I directed my seminal production of ...." type literature. There is certainly a place for such books, but this guide is something different. It is aimed at directors, but I think would be helpful reading for anyone involved in the theatre, and can be read at almost any stage of development. Someone experienced in the field will find Caird's astute observations strangely reassuring and a beginner will gain lots of new information in small, approachable bites.

As with most single volume books in an A-Z type format, the entries just brush the surface of some subjects. But I love that you can find entries on subjects as diverse as Trap doors, Second-Nightishness, Nudity onstage and Child Actors. Definitely not in that order.

I bought this book at $20 and thought it was a tremendous bargain for the content -it's an even better purchase at the current amazon price.

What a pleasure it was to read this book. I learned more about being a director and performer from this, than from the thousands of dollars spent taking class in NY. As I am not a fan of the dry read, I opened this with a little trepidation, and was so pleasantly surprised. Mr. Caird writes with humor and intelligence and keeps you engaged from beginning to end. I immediately recommended it to other performer/directors that I know, and feel it should be required text in every college theater program. The wonderful thing is that this is a book I will go back to time and again with each different project I am attached to, whether it be as a performer or director. It is a MUST HAVE.

I was lucky to have been directed by this man once, and maybe even luckier to have purchased his book! It's informative, enlightening, affirming, ever-encouraging, often very funny and a necessary bit of reading for not only any director, but also for actors, producers, stage managers, musicians, technical directors, designers, etc., and anyone who is even remotely interested in how theatre works. This book will sit on my table next to my script in the rehearsal room! I will be giving this book to friends of mine who've been directing a lot longer than I.