|
We accept PayPal, Visa & Mastercard
through our secure checkout.
|
On Directing
On Directing
|
Author: Harold Clurman Publisher: Touchstone Books Format: Softcover # of Pages: 308 Pub. Date: 1997 ISBN-10: 0684826224 ISBN-13: 9780684826226
|
About
the Book:
In this classic guide to
directing, you are taken logically from the initial choice of play
right through every aspect of its production to performances and
beyond.
Harold Clurman
has been called the most influential figure in the history of the
American theatre. He directed more than 40 plays in his career and,
during the 1950s, was nominated for a Tony Award as director for
several productions. In On
Directing, he presents
his own directing notes for ten of his best-known productions and
lays out his approach to directing for the stage – from script
selection to finding the bigger idea, or "spine", of a
production, all the way up to curtain call on opening night. Written
toward the end of a prolific career in American theatre, Harold
Clurman also
describes the pleasures and perils of working with such celebrated
playwrights and actors as Marlon
Brando, Arthur
Miller, Julie
Harris, and Lillian
Hellman.
This
book is also
valuable for actors. On
Directing emphasizes
that while a great deal of the actor's work is the actor's
relationship to the text, another major part is interpretation of a
director's needs and vision. There
is
also a
very lucid explanation of the importance of super- and scene
objectives in relation to the "spine" of the play.
What
people say:
"One
of the most respected American directors (and Kazan's mentor)
expounds on the craft and his practice of it. Includes helpful and
articulate discussions of what is variously known as a play's
'spine,' 'through-action,' 'super problem,' or 'main action' –
an understanding of which is central to any director's authority
and responsibility." — Frank Hauser, legendary
theatre director
"...
the most influential book on directing ever written." —
Elia Kazan
"A
straightforward, tasteful and accurate account of what it is to bring
a play to palpitating life upon a stage." — The New
York Times Book Review
"A
treasure-house of insight … still more important, a far-reaching
discussion … shrewd, humane, and rich." — Irving Howe
"A
valuable stimulus to anyone involved in the arts." — Aaron
Copland
"[Clurman's]
advice is incomparably well worth taking …. Not only would-be
directors but everyone else who intends to establish professional
connections with the theatre will do well to read this book."
— The New Yorker
About the Author:
Harold Clurman
(1901-1980) was a visionary American theatre director and drama
critic, "one of the most influential in the United States".
He studied directing at the American Laboratory Theater in New York.
His life in the theatre extended from acting with the Theatre Guild
in the 1920s, through his creation and direction of New York City's
Group Theatre in the 1930s, to a distinguished post-war career as
free-lance director, highly respected theatre critic – first for
the New Republic (1948-52),
then for The Nation (1953-1980) – and also theatre historian
and university teacher. |
|
|
|