INTRODUCTION
Directing is an invaluable aspect of theatre practice. This is because it is the means of getting the play script on its feet. Without directing, the script remains cold, dead and latent. In this study, effort will be made to explain the concept of play direction and its origin, the director, his functions and qualities, approaches to directing, as well as directing process.
3.1 The Concept Of Directing
Hubert C. Heffner, Samuel Selden and Hunton D. Sellman define “directing as the art of interpreting a play for a specific audience through the means of theatre art” . They further state that the art of directing “cannot be learned from reading a book about it or from hearing lectures on it”. They feel that books and lectures are highly important to teach the learner principles and methods, which he must apply in practice, but his learning is incomplete if he does not go on to practice, preferably under the guidance of an experienced director – teacher” (273). The implications of Heffner and his colleagues’ views above include the following:
. That directing requires creativity and not just reproducing the script on stage;
. That even though the director is at the apex of directing, it is nonetheless a collective art since the actors are also involved in play interpretation;
. That there are basically two means of play interpretation, the actors and the technical elements such as costumes, lighting, sound and the set pieces;
. That training is important in directing;
. That the proper place to learning directing is on the stage
According to Dapo Adelugba, “the question of moving from a cold script and giving it life is probably the very heart of directorial art” (104). From Adelugba’s point of view, we gain the insight that script is never to be regarded as drama until it is energized and actualized by means of impersonation through the difficult and complex process of directing.
To Albright et al, play direction is “the direct translation of the form and purpose of a play into the expressional mode of the stage” (323). This is a very poor perception of the idea of directing. Directing cannot be said to be complex and tasking process if it is just to photocopy the script on stage. It is more than that. It involves creativity on the part of the Director. In fact, directors who merely put the script as it is on stage is often called the ‘playwright’s director’. In most cases, the term is not a compliment. A director is supposed to be creative. A creative director hardly works with the playwright because their concepts of the play are often at variance. This is exemplified by the conflict between Samuel Beckett and the American Repertory Theatre (ART) ably represented by its artistic director, Robert Brustein. The conflict was generated by ART’s interpretation of the play, Endgame, which ignored the directives of the playwright. In reaction to the ART’s production, the author wrote in complete rejection of the production thus:
Any production of Endgame which ignores my stage direction is completely unacceptable to me. My play requires an empty room and two small windows. The American Repertory Theatre Production which dismisses my direction is a complete parody of the play as conceived by me. Any one who cares for the work couldn’t fail to be disgusted by this (54). Samuel Beckett.
In response to Beckett’s view above, the artistic director of American Repertory Theatre, Robert Brustein has this to say:
STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE
Samuel Beckett’s plays are among the most powerful documents of the modern age-but except in published form they are not etched on stone. Like all works of theatre, productions of Endgame depend upon the collective contributions of directors, actors and designers to realise them effectively and normal rights of interpretations are essential in order to free the full energy and meaning of the play. Each age, furthermore, brings fresh eyes to the works of the past. It was Beckett’s Endgame, ironically, that inspires Peter Brook’s radical new reading of Shakespeare’s King Lear. We believe that this production despite hearsay representation to the contrary, observes the spirit of the text of Mr. Beckett’s great play- far more so, in fact, than a number of past productions, which to our knowledge evoked public protest from Mr. Beckett’s agent. One of these recently performed in Belgium in 1983, was set in a warehouse flooded with eight thousand square feet of water; another produced in New York in 1972, substituted American colloquialisms for Beckett’s language. Indeed, when directing his work, Mr. Beckett makes significant revisions of his own text and stage directions, suggesting that even he recognises the need for changes with the passage of time. But even were own production far more revisionist or radical, it is the public that must be the final arbiter of its value. This is not the first appearance of Endgame, nor is it likely to be the last. Like all works of theatrical art, the play is open to many approaches, and each new production uncorks new meanings. To threaten any deviations from a purist rendering of this or any other play- to insist on strict adherence to each parenthesis of the published text, not only robs collaborating artists of their interpretive freedom but threatens to turn the theatre into waxworks. Mr. Beckett’s agents do no service either to theatrical art or to the great artist they represent by pursuing such rigorous control (55-56).
Robert Burstein, Artistic Director
The message gained from the above is that once a play is published, it is subject to all manner of interpretation. There is no one correct way of interpreting the play. Again the success of any production depends largely on its acceptability by the audience.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1
Define Directing in your own language.
3.2 The Origin of Directing
The idea of co-ordinating performances is very ancient, indeed, as old as the theatre itself. During the classical times, the job of co-ordinating productions was borne by the playwrights who were also known to have acted in their own plays. Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy opine that “the playwright- director’s key role is indicated by the term applied to him, didaskalos (teacher), for he was considered to be the instructor of both the performance and the audience” (24). During the Middle ages, the job was done by the paymasters appointed by the clergy, confraternities and trade guilds who sponsored productions at that material time. From the Renaissance to the later part of the nineteenth century, the actor-manager supervised productions. However, “the director, as we think of him today is a recent phenomenon in theatre history” (Clurman, 7). According to Albright et al,” “by the end of the nineteenth century , theatre workers began to recognise that a single individual with the function of patterning and co-ordinating all the elements of a production could give it unity and proportion, and could assist each artist to make his maximum contribution to the play”(323). The idea of popularising the concept of directing and the unique function of the director as the head of theatrical production is credited to George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. The highlighting Directing as a specialized and enviable aspect of the theatre practice fosters an unprecedented development in the theatre. This is not only because people now take up Directing a job, a worthy profession, it has resulted in quality, deep and electrifying performances all over the world.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2
Trace the evolution of Directing.
3.3 The Director and His Functions
Albright et al posit that the purpose of dramatic production is to “project complete and accurate theatrical effect to the audience and such an effect is a composite pattern of visual and auditory stimuli which produces an intellectual or emotional response on the part of the spectators” (323).In most cases, a play elicits both responses. In theatrical practice, the director is the leader of the collective efforts and processes of realising a performance. As an interpretive theatre worker, Brustein argues that “his job is to find free pathways in the heart of the text” (76).
The first duty of the director is to choose a play to direct. In selecting a play to direct, the director should “bear in mind the atmosphere, the environment and the social realities of the time” (Adelugba, 104). Also, the director selects a play that interests him. If the play is not attractive to him, “nothing but frustration and unhappiness is caused when a director is involved in the production of a play with which he cannot totally identify” (Bowskill, 266).
In the game of directing, the director functions as a coach. In this capacity, he can impact stimulating ideas, as well as harness the creative and imaginative talents of the cast, the actors and actresses.
Apart from dealing with the actors and actresses, the director co- ordinates the activities of the technical theatre workers such as the set designer, the costumier, the make-up artist, the producer of sound effects, as well as the lighting designer and the master electrician. This task requires administrative ability, as well as a sense of diplomacy. Heffner et al maintain that “the ability to deal with others harmoniously, with tact, with diplomacy, and with leadership, is an asset which comes partly by inheritance, but largely by training” (274-275).
The Director is a creative artist. Adelugba expresses the view that “what makes a great director is bringing some elements of innovativeness, bringing the charm of novelty to bear on what is being built”. He feels that “mundane and old script that have been read by hundred of thousands of people can suddenly be transformed by the genius of a director into something new and that would make the audience feel that, that gentleman or lady who directed this play has added some new thinking”. He further maintains that the “transformation from what is generally known to what is not known through the power of his inner eye, the text in the case of the published play or the improvisatory work in the case of the unscripted play, becomes the mode of transformation through the power of the director’s genius” (103). In a nutshell, Adelugba means that what makes the director creative and therefore relevant, is “his or her being able to read new meanings or seeing in the script may be what all other directors had not seen before; a valid creation – not just inventing for the sake of invention but validly” (103).
Furthermore, the Director functions as a super – audience or what Jerry Pickering calls “cheerleader”. During rehearsals, the Director tends to react to the activities of the actors in the way the audience would during normal production. He appraises “every phase of the preparation, and strive with his associates – actors, designers, technicians and perhaps the playwright – to heighten the effectiveness of the whole and of each part” (Albright et al, 323).
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 3
List and discuss any two functions of a theatre Director you know.
3.4 Qualities of a Good Theatre Director
In explaining certain attitudinal differences between, the actor and the director, Derek Bowskill rightly observes,” Actor needs those qualities which typifies an adolescent: an urge towards growth, exploration, explosion and discovery of important frontiers while “a director needs qualities that are paternalistic,” which will enable him as a kind father, “to guide, foster, encourage and strengthen the actors in their efforts to master their roles. No matter how good an actor may be, he needs a director who will inspire him to bring out his best. No matter how good an actor is, he may never feel fulfilled without a director appraising and urging him on.
Moreover, a director must avoid the idea of playing God on stage. A director may block movements and gestures etc, but his major task is “to help the cast to discover their needs and their ways of meeting them” (266). As Bowskill would say, it is not the director’s job to “train actors until they are automatons or zombies” (266). There are a good number of reasons why the director should not make this his objective and Bowskill outlines them thus:
. He may not be able to do (what he would want the actor to do) it well. The words in the parenthesis are mine.
. He may do it so well that it leaves the actor little chance to use his initiative and imagination.
. He may do excellently well that the actor feels inadequate.
. It unnecessarily illuminates his own acting ability without any guarantee that it releases the actor’s (266).
The process of getting a play alive is a compound of joy and frustration. Brustein observes that just as a playwright is often sad for not seeing his vision realized on stage, the director with a preconceived idea “experiences frustration at not seeing his idea realized on the first rehearsals. He, however, cautions that if such a director “has any sense, he steps back, recognizes that his idea is much less important ultimately than what emerges from the collaborative and collective effort of the entire company” (94).In essence, the director must not insist on his ideas. He should be open to suggestions and even draw inspiration from innovative activities of the actors. After all, in the final analysis, performance nights belong to the actors.
The director needs to be the reservoir of enthusiasm, sympathy and energy. He must always show concern to the problems of the actors. He must be tolerant but not indulgent; kind and compassionate but not soft or sloppy.(Bowskill, 268). It is important that while the director should not be excessively lenient, he should not be a terror because no actor can bring out his in an atmosphere of intimidation and fearfulness “An actor can feel hostile as a result of being bullied, misunderstood, satirized or just hurt,” and this becomes worse if the director is authoritarian in approach (270).
Acting and even directing thrive on change. A good “director must be prepared for change. He should be in a position to accept fruitful changes because as a creative process, acting feeds on experiment and innovation” (Bowskill, 270) Harold Clurman opines that a director who insists that he is always absolutely right is indulging in his ego” (166).
The director should be a very sincere and honest person. It is his duty to tell the cast the truth at all times and in all circumstances. Bowskill notes that the more the director “can build up a reputation for sincerity and frankness, the more will the cast respect him,” if he can do this without hurting feelings, so much the better” (270).
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 4
Discuss two qualities of a good director.
3.5 Approaches to Directing
There is no single approach to directing, no one correct way of interpreting a play on stage. According to Jerry V. Pickering, “There are as many directing techniques as there are directors, and many directors even vary their methods to suit the special problems that are presented from script to script” (178). In complete agreement with this view, Harold Clurman states that “every director makes his own laws, depending not only on his own temperament and artistic inclination but on the circumstances of production”(x). So, the idea is that directors should use whatever methods or techniques that work well for them. Clurman gives examples of how varied directing approaches can be. According to him:
. Many English and American directors require actors to commit their lines to memory before rehearsals have begun. To other directors such a practice is sinful.
. Many directors see little value in having the cast sit together for more than one or two sessions reading the play. They wish to have the cast on their feet, in movement from the very first day of rehearsal.
. Some directors like the late French director Jean Vilar writes that cast should spend one-third of the rehearsal time ‘script in hand with buttocks on the chair’ (ix-x). But this is absolutely unacceptable to many directors. Examples are endless.
However, for purposes of teaching and learning we will classify
directing approaches into two broad groups,, the overall or general
interpretive approach and moment-to-moment technique.
OVERALL APPROACH
In this type of approach, the director moves from the general to the particulars. Before the commencement of rehearsals, the director already has what he wants to achieve in his head. He has already known what the play’s spine is. He has formed a concept of the production and as well has chosen what style he will use to realize his objective. Having a fore knowledge of what he wants enables the director to be focused during rehearsals. During rehearsal he only strives to translate his concept of the production into stage languages. In other words, in overall interpretive approach, the director’s concept serves as a “springboard for interpretation”. If for example the director’s concept of the script is poverty he makes sure that not the setting of the play nor costumes nor actors’ speeches and movements radiate affluence.
MOMENT-TO-MOMENT APPROACH
Some directors navigate the complex world of directing through moment-to- moment technique. They believe that the personalities of the characters can only be adequately gradually discovered. Clurman cites an American director, Richard Foreman as saying that, “when you get a play on its feet, what surfaces surfaces. I don’t plan which aspect of it is going to surface” (95). Foreman “wants all “the possible interpretations playing with each other at the same time”. To directors who employ moment-to-moment techniques, changes come intuitively. They think only by doing things. According to Foreman “the problem is you always have to get the play staged before you can see all the things you are doing wrong” (96). Directors who make use of this method believe that it is not possible to do a wholesome interpretation of the play at once. Hence, they continue to juggle up ideas until they arrive at the acceptable ones. They indulge in trial and error because they know that creativity feeds on experiment and innovation. So dazzling array of aids are available to them. Moment-to-moment approach to interpretation will enable the director to know whether the lines that appear to “soar in the script can really soar when the actors begin to speak there on stage” .
It is not, however, our ambition here to demonstrate which of the two techniques is better than the other; our obligation is to examine the implications of each method. We maintain that a director uses whatever method that best helps him in realizing a good performance.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 5
What does overall approach to directing entail?
3.6 Process of Directing
. The first step the director takes towards the realization of a performance is to select the play. Factors that influence the director’s choice of play have been discussed else where in this study.
. The second step is to read the play as many times as possible. During these readings, the director notes down new insights or commit them to memory.
. After the reading and analysis of the play the director does the casting.
. After the director has read the script sufficiently, he must have accumulated a lot of questions to be answered practically on stage. These questions often border on the nature of visual effects, characters moods and sentiments, the message to be communicated to the audience, and finally the means of embodying all this. In fact, the questions amount to finding out what Jacque Copeau calls the ‘play’s spine’ . Today, the spine of the play or its main action is generally referred to as the Director’s concept. Harold Clurman posits that the director’s concept is “the key or the springboard of his interpretation” (30). It is upon this that the director instructs the actors. It also influences the style of the production, the nature of the setting and the other technical elements of production. It is in this connection that Clurman observes that “a production is ideal only in relation to its director’s vision of it and to a particular spectator’s taste” (168). Defining the concept is a very important artistic step in directing because “where a director has not determined on a spine for his production” and commence rehearsals, “each scene follows the next without necessarily adding up to a total dramatic statement” (30).
. Having arrived at a concept, the next step is to find appropriate style that will enable him to articulate his concept. Style refers essentially to the “particular tone, mood, atmosphere, emphasis and ‘dimension in which the idea is conveyed” (30). Theatricalisms, Realism, symbolism, etc., are some of the examples of theatrical style. The chosen style should reflect on acting, setting, costumes, make-up, sound and lighting. However, it is important to note that what is now fashionable is eclecticism. Directors now borrow and mix styles freely, at least to capture the many sides of human existence.
. Ideally, after the choice of concept and style has been made, the director meets with the technical crew in order to deal with the technical elements of the production – costumes, setting, lighting, sound effects, and so on. If the technical requirements of the production are enormous, it is always better to start putting them together, even before the beginning of rehearsals. If it is possible, the model of the stage could be shown to the actors during their first rehearsal. This will enable them to visualize the environment of the performance. This is important because the actual putting up of the set often comes a few days before the production.
In the meeting with the members of the crew, especially the designers, the director should not be dictatorial. He should make suggestions regarding his vision of the performance, and then allow them to use their creative talents to realize them.
. Actual direction begins with the first rehearsal. It is necessary that the director should intimate the cast with changes he made in the script before they commence the rehearsal. Changes can occur in form of cutting. Portions of the scripts which the directors consider irrelevant or redundant are often removed from the scripts in order to sharpen them and to make them focused. In directing, script cutting now appears inevitable. Early rehearsals may be reading rehearsals for some directors, but for other, as we have earlier mentioned, the play is placed on its feet and blockings begin during the very first day of rehearsal. In building up the character on stage, the director relies on the script, there actors’ total beings, as well as his own imaginative talent. We will examine rehearsals in detail in the unit dealing with production process.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 6
What is the spine of a play?
4.0 CONCLUSION
We have explained that directing is a means of transforming the dramatic text into a theatrical expression on stage. We maintained that directing is a creative thing and not just a means of reproducing the playwright’s script on stage. We stated that the director is at the head of the creative effort to stage a play. We explained that for the director to execute his function as a harnesser of talents, he must himself be creative, diplomatic, compassionate and honest in dealing with his cast.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, we examined the concept of directing, its origin and
development. We discussed the personality of the theatre director,
pointing out his qualities and roles in theatrical production. We also
looked at directing approaches. Here, we noted that directing techniques are many and diverse, and that directors use whatever approaches they feel can help them to effectively realize their directorial concepts, and
objectives. We explained certain steps taken by directors in order to realize performances.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
What is directing?
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Albright, H.D, P. Helstead and Lee Mitchell (1968). Principle of Theatre Arts. Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Bowskill, Derek (1979). Acting and Stage Craft Made Simple. London: W.H. Allen.
Brocket, Oscar G and Franklin J. Hildy (1999). History of the Theatre. Eight Edition. Boston : Allyn and Bacon.
Brustein, Robert (1999) as a contributor in “Endgame: Statements of Samuel Beckett, Barney Rosset of Grove Press, and Robert
Brustein of the American Repertory Theatre”. In The Lively Art. Ed. Arthur Halmberg. Chicago: Ivan Dee.
Clurman, Harold (1974). On Directing. New York: Macmillan.
Dasylva, Ademola (2003). DapoAdelugba on Theatre Practice in
Nigeria. Ibadan: Atlantis Books.
Duruaku, A.B.C. (1997). A Handbook on Drama and Theatre. Owerri: Colon Concepts.
Heffner, Hubert C., Samuel Selden and Hunton D Sellman (1967).
Modern Theatre Practice: A Handbook of Play Production. New York: Appleton -Century – Crofts.
Pickering, Jerry V. (1981). Theatre: A Contemporary Introduction. 3rd Edition. Minnesota: West Publishing Company.
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