How to Direct Shakespeare
Published on 8. September 2022
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-1-350-23124-5 (ISBN)
Description
You may be a student, or just starting out in the theatre profession, or an actor contemplating a switch to directing, or anyone dreaming of a life in the theatre. Know this: by developing and sharpening your skills on a Shakespeare text, you will be preparing yourself for your next production whatever or wherever that might be.
Practical, inspirational and steeped in the wisdom and expertise of one of the great Shakespearean directors of our age, How to Direct Shakespeare guides you through each step of a production, from conception to final presentation to an audience. It includes close analysis of the text and provides strategies for focusing on the main action and structure; it considers dramatic energy and the world of the play, and illuminates these with examples drawn from a variety of Shakespeare's plays. It will assist you with creating your vision for the production as you collaborate with the design team, cast the play and work with actors in rehearsal. And it walks you through the encounter with the audience as you open your production.
Drawing on examples from his work as artistic director of The Royal Shakespeare Company and subsequent directing work that has taken him all over the world, Noble shows how every production is shaped by a vision of the world - the interplay of the writer's vision and the director's interpretation of it. How to Direct Shakespeare will inspire and equip you as you develop your vision for your next production.
Practical, inspirational and steeped in the wisdom and expertise of one of the great Shakespearean directors of our age, How to Direct Shakespeare guides you through each step of a production, from conception to final presentation to an audience. It includes close analysis of the text and provides strategies for focusing on the main action and structure; it considers dramatic energy and the world of the play, and illuminates these with examples drawn from a variety of Shakespeare's plays. It will assist you with creating your vision for the production as you collaborate with the design team, cast the play and work with actors in rehearsal. And it walks you through the encounter with the audience as you open your production.
Drawing on examples from his work as artistic director of The Royal Shakespeare Company and subsequent directing work that has taken him all over the world, Noble shows how every production is shaped by a vision of the world - the interplay of the writer's vision and the director's interpretation of it. How to Direct Shakespeare will inspire and equip you as you develop your vision for your next production.
Reviews / Votes
How to Direct Shakespeare is a 'must have' book for ALL directors- experienced and aspiring! Adrian Noble shares his vast experience and leads the reader through the whole journey of directing Shakespeare's plays from the preparation through all stages of rehearsal leading up to the opening night. It's a wonderful companion to his How to Do Shakespeare for actors. However his guidance can be used for directing any plays as it gives a wonderful insight into a director's process. Invaluable. * Sir David Suchet CBE FRSA * To be in rehearsal of a Shakespeare play with Adrian Noble is a gift to any actor. He is, quite simply, a brilliant director, and now in How to Direct Shakespeare, he guides us through every step of his directorial process with perfect precision and infinite generosity. Hugely informative and insightful, this book is an invaluable asset to any actor or director. * Sinead Cusack * Adrian Noble and I were contemporaries at the Drama Centre in the early seventies. In 1978, he asked me to play Titus Andronicus at the Bristol Old Vic; it was my first Shakespeare - and his. For me it was like climbing a particularly craggy mountain, but from the first day it was clear that Adrian had a direct line through to the play, its world and, especially, its author, and if I managed it at all, it was largely due to him. In this indispensable book, he shares that extraordinary understanding and connection with anyone who wants to direct Shakespeare, with crystal clarity and a fund of insights both practical and penetrating. Above all, he makes it clear that to stage Shakespeare, directors have to bring their entire being to the work; nothing less will do. * simon callow * Should be on the bookshelf and in the repertoire of every directing student and professional director in America, England and beyond. * Quarto *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
4 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-350-23124-5 (9781350231245)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Adrian Noble is a freelance director of theatre, opera and film, whose work can be seen in the UK, USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong and across Europe. He was the Artistic Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company, 1991-2003, and of the Shakespeare Festival, San Diego, USA, 2010-2013. In 2014 Nobel was Mellon Visiting Artist and Thinker at Columbia University, USA. He is the recipient of multiple awards and honours in the UK, USA and Europe.
Content
Acknowledgements and thanks
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Chapter 1: You
Chapter 2: Him
Chapter 3: The Director and the text
Part 1: The World (Who's Who)
Part 2: Reading the Play
Part 3: Analysing the Play
Part 4: Entering Shakespeare's World
Chapter 4: Awayday One; Dramatic Energy (How does he do it?)
1: Apposition
2: Metaphor
3: Metre and Pulse
4: Line Endings
5: Word Play
6: Vocabulary
7: Shape and Structure
Chapter 5: Let's Design it! The Eye
To Start:
1: Wall of Ideas
2: Read the Play
3: Analyse
4: Brainstorm
The Model
A Methodology
Space
The mechanics
Floors
Entrances
Axes
Walls
The Skeleton of the Play
The Journey and two Casebooks
Playtime
"In the Round"
Thrust
Technology (How to get from A to B)
Colour, Texture and Decoration
Storyboard
Show and Tell
Costume and the Actor
Working with Lighting Designers
Chapter 6: Design (The Ear)
Music and Sound
Chapter 7: Casting the Play
1. The Actor's World
2. Do I Cast the Part or the Actor?
3. The Process
4. Putting it Together
Chapter 8: Awayday Two: Stanislavski and Actioning
Chapter 9: To Cut or Not to Cut
Length
Shape
Choice of Edition
Chapter 10: The Rehearsal Plan
The Traditional Way
Basic Aims of Rehearsal
Making a Plan
Chapter 11: Rehearsing the Play; the Beginning
The Rehearsal Room
Stage Management
An Approach to Day One of Rehearsals
Chapter 12: Awayday Three: Improvisation
1. Building a Company
2. Building a Character
3. Developing Relationships and Exploring the World of the Play
4. Exploring Scenes and Situations without using the text
Chapter 13: Rehearsing the Play: End of the Beginning
Work on Language
Work on Character
Chapter 14: Rehearsing the Play: Middle
Aims for Middle Section of Rehearsals
Examples from Romeo and Juliet
"The Tank"
Blocking
Blocking Large Scale Scenes
Second Pass at Scenes
What to do if your Actors get Inhibited or Stuck
Chapter 15: Rehearsing the Play: End
First Run Through: How does it Work?
How to give your Notes
Second and Third Run Throughs
Preparing for the Theatre
Chapter 16: The "Tech", "Dress", Previews and Opening
1. The Tech; How to set up a Tech and how to run a Tech
2. The Dress
3. Curtain Calls
4. Previews
5. Opening
Index
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Chapter 1: You
Chapter 2: Him
Chapter 3: The Director and the text
Part 1: The World (Who's Who)
Part 2: Reading the Play
Part 3: Analysing the Play
Part 4: Entering Shakespeare's World
Chapter 4: Awayday One; Dramatic Energy (How does he do it?)
1: Apposition
2: Metaphor
3: Metre and Pulse
4: Line Endings
5: Word Play
6: Vocabulary
7: Shape and Structure
Chapter 5: Let's Design it! The Eye
To Start:
1: Wall of Ideas
2: Read the Play
3: Analyse
4: Brainstorm
The Model
A Methodology
Space
The mechanics
Floors
Entrances
Axes
Walls
The Skeleton of the Play
The Journey and two Casebooks
Playtime
"In the Round"
Thrust
Technology (How to get from A to B)
Colour, Texture and Decoration
Storyboard
Show and Tell
Costume and the Actor
Working with Lighting Designers
Chapter 6: Design (The Ear)
Music and Sound
Chapter 7: Casting the Play
1. The Actor's World
2. Do I Cast the Part or the Actor?
3. The Process
4. Putting it Together
Chapter 8: Awayday Two: Stanislavski and Actioning
Chapter 9: To Cut or Not to Cut
Length
Shape
Choice of Edition
Chapter 10: The Rehearsal Plan
The Traditional Way
Basic Aims of Rehearsal
Making a Plan
Chapter 11: Rehearsing the Play; the Beginning
The Rehearsal Room
Stage Management
An Approach to Day One of Rehearsals
Chapter 12: Awayday Three: Improvisation
1. Building a Company
2. Building a Character
3. Developing Relationships and Exploring the World of the Play
4. Exploring Scenes and Situations without using the text
Chapter 13: Rehearsing the Play: End of the Beginning
Work on Language
Work on Character
Chapter 14: Rehearsing the Play: Middle
Aims for Middle Section of Rehearsals
Examples from Romeo and Juliet
"The Tank"
Blocking
Blocking Large Scale Scenes
Second Pass at Scenes
What to do if your Actors get Inhibited or Stuck
Chapter 15: Rehearsing the Play: End
First Run Through: How does it Work?
How to give your Notes
Second and Third Run Throughs
Preparing for the Theatre
Chapter 16: The "Tech", "Dress", Previews and Opening
1. The Tech; How to set up a Tech and how to run a Tech
2. The Dress
3. Curtain Calls
4. Previews
5. Opening
Index