About the Book:

Recommended by Education Theatre Association (EdTA) and American Association of Community Theaters (AACT)

Some years ago, the legendary British director Frank Hauser, and his American apprentice Russell Reich, co-wrote Notes on Directing. Plainly expressed, with explanatory commentary and five valuable appendices, this deceptively slim book has the impact of a privileged apprenticeship with a master director. It is a core text used at top stage directing programs worldwide.

There is true genius on these pages. It was immediately acclaimed as a timeless classic. Just as Strunk and White have done for composition and grammar, Frank Hauser and Russell Reich offer unparalleled insights into the crafts of directing and acting for the stage. They include, as well, life lessons – about how to deal with people, anticipate problems, and handle challenging situations – that make Notes on Directing as valuable offstage as on.

Few theatre directors have been so loved by actors as Frank Hauser – his Meadow Players companies included Judi Dench, Constance Cummings, Elisabeth Bergner, Prunella Scales, Barbara Jefford, Leo McKern, Ian McKellen, Ronnie Barker, Alan Badel, Alan Howard and Edward Woodward. Gathered over his glory years that covered nearly two decades (1956-73) at Oxford's beguiling Playhouse Theatre and polished to a sharp edge by Russell Reich, the 130 invaluable 'notes' address a wide range of topics, from understanding the script to casting, rules for rehearsal, how to talk to actors, how to get a laugh, and the key elements of staging. The notes documented the teachings Frank Hauser shared privately with those who called him their director, mentor or teacher. They reveal what got the young Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Richard Burton started on their careers, and offer rare quotes from artists as diverse as Anton Chekhov, Elia Kazan, and George Bernard Shaw.

For the student aspiring to a directing or acting career, the professional looking for new ideas, or the theatre lover wanting insight into the creative process, reading Notes on Directing will be an invaluable experience. Indeed, Notes on Directing offers life lessons to all who read it.

What people say:

"Like sitting down for sherry with a wicked and droll Oxford don... full of surprising interests and quirky delights." — American Theatre magazine

"… might just as well have been called '130 Secrets of Managing Extremely Difficult People' … deserves to earn at least a million dollars if not a Nobel Peace Prize." — Wall Street Journal

"This book is so sensible, so straightforward, so complete, and so right." — Edward Albee, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

"The next best thing to working with Frank Hauser is to read his book. His wise and pithy observations on acting and rehearsing don't age, reminding me how much I have learned from him." — Sir Ian McKellen

"The most sensible and practical work on directing on the bookshelf. One cannot help but ask, 'Why didn't I think of that?' or 'Where was this book when I started my career?' This book has such wonderful insights it will benefit anyone interested in directing or play going in general. Summing up: Essential." — Choice Magazine

About the Authors:

Frank Ivor Hauser, CBE (1922-2007) was a British Theatre director. He formed the Meadow Players at Oxford University in 1956 and was the innovative and much respected artistic director of the Oxford Playhouse from 1956-1973, during which many of his productions were seen in London and New York. In 1968 he received the award of Commander of the British Empire (CBE), one of the most prestigious honours granted by the Queen.

Russell Reich is a creative director and lives in New York. He served as visiting artist in residence at Harvard University and artistic associate at the Circle Repertory Company in New York, and was a member of the Circle Rep Directors Lab.