Synopses & Reviews
With Stage Directing: A Director's Itinerary, the student of theatrical directing now has a step-by-step guide to directing a production, from choosing a play to opening night. Unlike other directing textbooks, this practical guidebook provides instruction on how to organize the work of the director through the practical challenges of the directorial process, such as organizing a budget spreadsheet, writing casting notices, and setting up an audition space. In Stage Directing, the process of directing a production takes the form of twenty-one chapters, which contain helpful examples and tried-and-true exercises, as well as information on how to organize the directorandrsquo;s documents into a directorandrsquo;s production notebook.
andquot;This is the most comprehensive, common sense, step-by-step textbook on directing I have seen. Reading it is like having your your master director dad sitting next to youandmdash;guiding you as you work.andquot;
andmdash;Bruce Miller, University of Miami
andquot;Finally! A directing guidebook that takes the student through the craft of directing in an easy-to-process fashion.andquot;
andmdash;Beate Pettigrew, Johnson County Community College
andquot;Mr. Wainsteinandrsquo;s book is ideal for the beginning director because it offers practical and workable advice for both understanding the play and getting the play on its feet. Chapters on running rehearsals and those about staging both a straight play and a musical are especially valuable for directors with minimal experience or training. Think of it as a training manual in the best sense of the term and keep it as handy as your prompt book as you go from choosing the play to the opening night cast party.andquot;
andmdash; David Rush, Playwright
Michael Wainstein is the Chair of the Department of Performing Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design. He has directed almost two hundred productions at theatres in the United States and Europe.
Review
andquot;Finally! A directing guidebook that takes the student through the craft of directing in an easy-to-process fashion.andquot;
andmdash;Beate Pettigrew, Johnson County Community College
Review
andquot;This is the most comprehensive, common sense, step-by-step textbook on directing I have seen. Reading it is like having your master director dad sitting next to youandmdash;guiding you as you work.andquot;
andmdash;Bruce Miller, University of Miami
Review
andquot;Mr. Wainsteinandrsquo;s book is ideal for the beginning director because it offers practical and workable advice for both understanding the play and getting the play on its feet. Chapters on running rehearsals and those about staging both a straight play and a musical are especially valuable for directors with minimal experience or training. Think of it as a training manual in the best sense of the term and keep it as handy as your prompt book as you go from choosing the play to the opening night cast party.andquot;
andmdash; David Rush, Playwright
Synopsis
Stage Directing: A Director's Itinerary is a practical guidebook that provides instruction on how to organize the work of the director throughout the entire production process. Designed for the undergraduate student director, this book covers everything from choosing the play to opening night.
Synopsis
With Stage Directing: A Director's Itinerary, the student of theatrical directing now has a step-by-step guide to directing a production, from choosing a play to opening night. Unlike other directing textbooks, this practical guidebook provides instruction on how to organize the work of the director through the practical challenges of the directorial process (e.g., organizing a budget spreadsheet, writing casting notices, setting up an audition space, etc.). In Stage Directing, the process of directing a production takes the form of twenty-one chapters, which contain helpful examples and tried-and-true exercises, as well as information on how to organize the directorandrsquo;s documents into a directorandrsquo;s production notebook.
About the Author
Michael Wainstein is the Chair of the Department of Performing Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design. He has directed almost two hundred productions at theatres in the United States and Europe. Wainstein was the Artistic Director of companies such as the Firehouse Center for the Arts, The Naples Dinner Theatre, The Lincoln Playhouse, and others. He has worked at The Buxton Festival, The Academy Theatre, The Blowing Rock Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Chicago Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, and The Chautauqua Conservatory Theatre.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments and Photo Credits
Preface
PART I: First Things First
Chapter 1: A brief history of directing
Chapter 2: Choosing a play and securing a performance license
Chapter 3: Budgeting
Chapter 4: Reading the play
Chapter 5: Interpreting the Script
Chapter 6: Research
Chapter 7: Concept
PART II: Written word to three-dimensional world
Chapter 8: The Visual Collaboration
Chapter 9: Casting
PART III: Rehearsals
Chapter 10: Preparing for Rehearsals
Chapter 11: The First Rehearsal and Table Work
Chapter 12: Staging Rehearsals
Chapter 13: Blocking in different stage configurations
PART IV: Rehearsing a Musical
Chapter 14: Initial Rehearsals of a Musical
Chapter 15: Staging Musical Scenes
PART V: Rehearsals Continue
Chapter 16: Listen to your Inner Voice and Directing the Moments
Chapter 17: Working with actors
Chapter 18: Solving Problems
Chapter 19: Stumble-throughs, Work-throughs, and Run-throughs
Chapter 20: Technical Rehearsals and Adding Elements
PART VI: Opening the Show
Chapter 21: Final Dress to Opening NightAppendix 1: Genre and Playing Style
Appendix 2: Script Analysis Case Studyandmdash;The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Appendix 3: Sample Rehearsal Schedules
Appendix 4: Master Schedule of Production Deadlines
Appendix 5: Contracts
Glossary