Directing Shakespeare in America : current practices / Charles Ney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ney, Charles (Drama professor)

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Dramatic production.

Shakespeare, William.

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.

Theater--Production and direction--United States.

Theater.

Theater--Production and direction.

United States.

Physical Description:

xiv, 362 pages ; 20 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc , 2016.

Summary:

In this first substantive study of directing Shakespeare in the USA, Charles Ney compares and contrasts directors working at major companies across the country. Drawing on interviews with over sixty directors (including Michael Kahn, Oskar Eustis, Barbara Gaines, Daniel Sullivan, Des McAnuff, Mark Lamos, Mary Zimmerman, Darko Tresnjak, Kent Thompson, Tina Packer, David Esbjornson, Bill Rausch, André Bishop, Fred Adams, Brian Kulick, David Frank and Lisa Wolpe) the volume provides insights into the creative practice of the USA's leading Shakespeare theatres. Tracing the process of translating Shakespeare from the page to the stage, the directors disclose their interpretation of the text, their management of the various stages of production, how they go about supervising rehearsals, and their thoughts on current trends in the field. Interpolating interviews with commentary and analysis, this book will be useful to practitioners who want to learn from the methodology of other directors, and scholars and students studying production practice and performance. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Core Beliefs about Directing Shakespeare

1 Text and Context 7

British influences on US practice 7

Other studies 10

Recent developments 16

2 The Directors and their Aesthetic Values 25

Shakespeare as contemporary 33

Endless possibilities 37

Complexity in Shakespeare 41

The invisible director 45

The interpretive director 48

The language and text director 55

The original practice director 64

The physical and visceral director 68

Mixing approaches 74

The inclusive director 79

Part II Preparations for Rehearsal and Production

3 Developing an Approach 89

Given circumstances 94

Images 95

Critical scenes/central issues 95

Questions of interpretation 97

Point of view 100

Following an Elizabethan model 101

Concepts 103

Challenges and limitations of concepts 105

Examples of context approaches 106

4 Research and Analysis 115

Research 118

Analysis 123

5 Preparing the Production Text 129

Consulting different editions 133

Punctuation 133

Cutting 134

Transposing scenes 140

Replacing, emending and adapting 142

6 Working with Designers 145

Preparing for design meetings 149

Talking with designers 154

Attitudes about working with designers 157

Two contrasting views on design approach 162

Ground plans 162

7 Casting 165

Desirable qualities for Shakespeare 168

Racial diversity in casting 173

Cross gender casting 176

Part III Rehearsing the Production

8 Beginning Rehearsals 181

First day 184

Working with actors 186

Goals, atmosphere, energy 192

9 Table Work 197

Everyone at the table versus scene-by-scene 201

Meaning and comprehension 204

Punctuation, scansion, language analysis 206

Story 208

Getting the company on the same page 209

Event, structure, energy shifts 210

Developing layers 212

Going back to table work 214

Image chains 214

10 Staging the Play 217

Moving from table work to staging 221

Blocking 223

Sketching a structure or frame 225

Organic blocking; improvising the staging 230

Designs and blocking 234

Transitions 235

Additional advice on staging 238

11 Speaking Shakespeare's Language 241

Qualities and objectives 244

Phrasing and word choice 249

Rhetoric and language structure 253

Stresses and operatives 254

Rhythm and pacing 255

Physical language 258

Later rehearsals 259

12 Middle Stage Rehearsals 261

After the first week 266

Character issues 274

Subtext and motivation 278

Shaping 281

Run-throughs 282

Giving notes 286

Rehearsal schedules and time management 289

Part IV Finishing the Production

13 Tech and Dress Rehearsals 297

Possibilities 300

Problems/challenges 301

Original practice tech/dresses 302

An opportunity for improvement and change 305

A description of tech for The Merchant of Venice 307

Moving on 308

14 Adding the Audience 309

Number of previews 312

Using and assessing previews 313

Opening 320

After opening 323.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 335-342) and index.

ISBN:

9781474239844

1474239846

9781474239837

1474239838

OCLC:

910412803