Directing for the Stage

INTRODUCTION

MY OWN EXPERIENCE

I have had a career as a director that has now lasted for over forty years. Like everyone in theatre I've had a mixed bag of achievements and disappointments. I've directed over 200 productions and hope that my story and my observations can be of value to any younger persons embarking on this career. This book is intended to be a very practical guide into the profession but, more than many other jobs, directing is about personality and there are very many paths by which directors realize their productions. Some directors are highly practical in their approach, treating the process of rehearsal almost like a military operation; others are dictatorial in the Hollywood stereotype of the director. Some can be inspiring, although personally they are dreamy and vague characters; and others might treat the job as if it were a therapy session: sometimes for whom is unclear - whether the director him/herself or the cast. All I can do is tell it as experience has taught me.

Liverpool Playhouse. Originally built as The Star Music Hall. It was the first repertory theatre to own its own building. BART FIUT

From a very early age I was interested in performing, and when I left school I got a junior position at The Liverpool Playhouse as a student assistant stage manager at £1 per week, then under the directorship of David Scase, who had been a member of Joan Littlewood's company. Among the actors were Colin Welland (who later wrote the film Chariots of Fire), Lynda Marchal (later writing as Lynda La Plante) and Warren Clark. From David Scase I learnt about discipline and the wider social implications of theatre; from Colin Welland I learnt about story telling because he had a wonderful store of stories, mainly about working-class life; and Warren Clark just exuded joy at being in the theatre at all.

After graduating from Manchester University with an English and Drama degree, followed by a postgraduate course at Oxford, I carried on acting with great enthusiasm, until I was faced with the dilemma of whether to accept a lecturer post at Lund University, Sweden, or whether to pursue a new role that had become available at the newly established Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. I applied for the position of publicity manager and, to my surprise, was offered the job, which secured my future in theatre. At the time, I didn't realize that The Everyman was soon to become the most adventurous and admired theatre company in the country. This was because the board of the theatre had just appointed a new artistic director called Alan Dossor. Over the three years I was there, I was able to combine my publicity role with acting in small roles on the stage, which gradually grew with the success of the company.

THE EVERYMAN THEATRE

The Everyman at this time (the early to mid-1970s) became a landmark company. After a disastrous opening season where the company delivered thirteen plays, twelve of which were premieres, and which attracted 19 per cent audiences, the emphasis changed and the company got into its stride. Actually the formula for what would be the company's subsequent success was already embedded in the second play of the first season. The play was called The Braddocks' Time by Stephen Fagan, and told the story of the radical Liverpool MP Bessie Braddock and her husband Jack, who through the thirties to the sixties fought for social justice in the city. The play contained songs (generally rather plaintive in tone), was about a local topic and had an unashamed left-wing political perspective. These elements continued to be the strong ingredients that, in following productions, like John McGrath's two hits Soft, or a Girl and The Fish in the Sea, transformed the theatre's fortunes from a disaster to a national success story. This path led to the company's most commercially successful production, Willy Russell's play John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert, which transferred to the West End.

In terms of stage directing and play selection, the clear lesson to be taken from that period is that a director with a clear and consistent policy will identify and mature the audience. People generally like to know what they are going to get for their money, and what they most enjoy is variation in detail. So, for example, in buying a ticket for a football match many things are predictable - the number of players on the pitch, the rules of the game, the length of the match and so on. However, the situation is very different in theatre. A ticket for, let us say, A Midsummer Night's Dream leaves very many unknowns. It could be a joyous comedy romp with fifteen actors, or four actors giving the play a dark interpretation without joy. The Everyman Theatre found that establishing the likely parameters of a show - local, musical, comical, political - identified and drew in a loyal and lively audience.

Richard III at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. Jonathan Pryce, right, as King Richard; Anthony Sher, third from right, as Buckingham. CAROL BAUGH

The phrase 'house style' isn't used much any more but it still very much exists. At Richmond's Orange Tree and The Finborough in Earl's Court you're likely to see a forgotten classic, which has been dusted down and given a new lease of life. The Lyric Theatre and The Young Vic in London tend to present plays for young adult audiences, often with younger performers. The theatres outside London are having a more difficult time because financial constraints have resulted in fewer home-produced plays and, consequently, it has become more difficult to sustain a clear-cut policy.

Alan Dossor at The Everyman in the 1970s stood for the strong socialism of the time. This chimed well with the audiences in Liverpool, with its history of radicalism, which was at that time fuelled by the struggle against de-industrialization. Dosser's imagination in planning a season of plays, his rigour in rehearsals in demanding precision and high-definition performances, and his recognition that serious intentions can often be best served through humour made him a constantly inspiring - though often intimidating - leader. He made very great demands, but left plenty of space for actors to find their own solutions. There were guest directors, but not many, because Alan was keen to make his mark and use the opportunity to both establish his style of theatre and to establish himself as an influential director. Here is another lesson: a director should always be busy, that way you can improve your own skills and avoid dwelling on either the triumph or disaster of the last production.

I enjoyed being busy doing both stage work and publicity, but I realized that acting involved quite a lot of waiting around. I don't mean between jobs because I was only working at the one theatre, but even in that context there was still a lot of hanging about. It didn't sit well with me to be called for rehearsal, arrive on time and be told that it was running late so come back in an hour. Another lesson for a director: try not to keep the actors waiting in rehearsal or at auditions.

NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE

Poster for Trumpets and Drums at the Nottingham Playhouse. BART FIUT

One of the guest directors at The Everyman was Richard Eyre, who took over as artistic director at Nottingham Playhouse. He invited a group of the Everyman people to join him in Nottingham, myself included. I was doing the same combination of acting and selling the shows when I was invited to apply for a job at The Arts Council of Great Britain, as it then was. This involved visiting two, three or more productions a week, and talking to the directors and attending board meetings. After a year I realized what I wanted to do was to direct. I arrogantly thought I could do it as well as many of the people I had seen doing the job through my Arts Council visits. I met with Richard Eyre and asked him to consider my returning to Nottingham, but as his assistant director. Amazingly, and to my lifelong gratitude, he agreed. From him I learnt about directing.

I learnt very many things during the following three years. In no particular order:

Directing takes time. Be patient.

High-definition acting.

Dealing with awkward actors.

Pre-planning and organization.

A light touch in rehearsal and trusting actors.

A cinematic view of the stage picture.

From Nottingham I realized my ambition and subsequently got the job of artistic director, in succession, of Manchester's Contact Theatre, then to The Oxford Stage Company (now Headlong), The Unicorn Arts Theatre in London and then Liverpool Playhouse. I had a long spell working in the commercial theatre and the West End. Along the way I've worked in New York, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, the London fringe, opera in this country and abroad, commercial and subsidized companies and so on. The usual mix for most directors, I guess.

From this amalgamation of experiences I have written what I hope will be useful to others wanting to follow this interesting, sometimes frustrating, sometimes amusing, but highly creative path.

This book is intended for people at the start or in the early stages of directing. It is laid out very simply in chronological order - from a history of the director in drama, to gathering ideas for a play, through preparations with the creative team, auditioning, rehearsing, technical and dress rehearsals, giving notes to the cast, opening and closing nights. There are sections on other areas where a theatre director might work and, finally, a roundup of the options for...