Tim Burton: Style and Aesthetic • https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/timburton-style-analysis/ The Director And The Producer: • In preparing a production, the person most closely associated with the performers is the director, who not only guides them but coordinates the entire artistic side of the production • More than any other person, the director is responsible for the overall style, pace, and visual appearance of the production Sam Mendes: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqhXbr wP3M • Sam Mendes: 25 Ways to Be a Better Director | Charlie Rose The Director And The Producer: • It is sometimes argued that the theatre director did not exist before 1874, when George II, duke of Saxe-Meiningen, determined to make the productions of his court theatre in Germany as effective as possible • It is true that beginning with Saxe- Meiningen, the director emerged as a full-fledged indispensable member of the theatrical team, taking a place alongside the playwright, the performers, and the designers The Director And The Producer: • The Greek playwright Aeschylus directed his own plays and the chorus in a Greek play rehearsed under the supervision of a leader for many weeks before a performance • At various times in theatre history, the leading performer or playwright of a company served as a director, though without the name The Director And The Producer: • Moliere, for instance, not only was the playwright and the chief actor of his company but functioned as its director also The Director And The Producer: • In England after the time of Shakespeare from the seventeenth century through the nineteenth, there was a long line of actormanagers who gave strong leadership to their theatre companies and performed many of the functions of the director, although they were still not called by name The Director And The Producer: • The actual term director came into common usage at the end of the nineteenth century • It is perhaps significant that the emergence of the director as a separate creative functionary coincides with important social changes that began to take place during the nineteenth century The Director And The Producer: Chapter 6 • First, with Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, and Sigmund Freud there came a shift in established social, religious, and political concepts • Second, there was a marked increase in communication • Industrialization also impacted the theatre, an increased focus on complex technical elements and the hiring of additional theatrical professionals required a strong coordinator • With the advent of the telegraph, the telephone, photography, motion pictures, and eventually television and the Internet, various cultures that had remained remote from or even unknown to one another suddenly became linked • The effect of these two changes was to alter the monolithic ordered view of the world that individual societies had maintained The Director And The Producer: • Before the changes of the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century consistency of style in theatre was easier to achieve • Within a given society, writers, performers, and audiences stood on common ground. • Questions of style in a production hardly arose because a common approach to style was already present in the very fabric of society The Director And The Producer: • In such a society, the task of the manager or leader of a theatrical company was not really to impose a style on a production but simply to prevent the performers from overacting, to see that they spoke their lines properly, and to ensure that the cast worked together as a unit • Today, however, because style, unity, and a cohesive view of society are so elusive, the director’s task is more important • The director must draw disparate elements together to create a unified whole The Director And The Producer: • A traditional director begins with a close examination of the text • The director must first of all understand dramatic purpose and dramatic structure • The director is the one person who must have an overall grasp of the text in order to guide the performers in making it come alive • If an actor or actress has a question about a character or about the meaning of a scene, the director must be able to provide an answer The Director And The Producer: • In preparing a production, one of the director’s first steps is to discover the spine of the play • American director and critic Harold Clurman says in his book On Directing that a director’s first task is to find in the text the general action that “motivates the play.” • The director must determine the “fundamental drama or conflict” of which “the script’s plot and people are the instruments” • Clurman calls this fundamental action or conflict the “spine”; it could also be called main action of the play Julie Taymor: Spider-Man, The Lion King and life on the creative edge The Director And The Producer: • As they seek an approach to a text – a way to translate it from page to stage – directors sometimes develop a directorial concept • The directorial concept is an overall image or metaphor of a play The Director And The Producer: • At the same time that the director becomes thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the text, he or she begins casting the play • The term casting comes from sculpture – from casting a mold. In theatre, it refers to finding an actor or actress for each role • In modern times, when very few theatres have a repertory company of regular performers, directors hold auditions at which actors and actresses try out for various roles • Sometimes performers will be interviewed, and sometimes they will be asked to read scenes from the play being produced or from another play. Sometimes, too, a director is already familiar with the work of a performer, having seen or worked with the person before – From a combination of auditions and previous knowledge, the director casts the play, deciding which actor or actress will play each of the parts – At times a casting director is employed to assist in this process The Director And The Producer: • The director and the designers must work closely together to be certain that the acting style will be reinforced by the visual elements, and vice versa • The director also makes certain that the physical appearance of the production is itself consistent and unified The Director And The Producer: • A few weeks before the play is to be performed for the public, the director begins rehearsals- This is the period when he or she works most intensively with the performers • The director explains the text – not only the meaning of the play but the style in which it will be presented – and then begins to work with the actors and actesses The Director And The Producer: • Initially, the performers work with the text still in their hands • Gradually, they memorize their lines and flesh out their characters • Each performer begins to discover emotional depths in his or her character and becomes aware of the dynamics of scenes where the characters confronts others The Director And The Producer: • In preparing the action onstage, the director keeps in mind what the production will look like to the audience • In a sense, the director is the eye of the audience- a person who sits out front and sees the performance before the public does • To ensure a smooth, clear flow of stage action, the director develops the blocking with the performers • Blocking means the arrangement and movements of performers relative to each other as well as to furniture and to the places where they enter and leave the stage The Director And The Producer: • If two performers are playing a scene together, they must both be seen clearly by the audience, and they must be in positions that allow them to play the scene to maximum effect • The director also coordinates stage business • In contrast to blocking, which has to do with movements and physical arrangements onstage, business is the term for activities of performers such as opening an umbrella, writing a letter at a desk, arranging pillows on a sofa, and the like The Director And The Producer: • The director is aware of the stage picture or visual composition – how the entire scene onstage will appear to the audience • One goal of the director is to make the visual images onstage striking and effective • Also, the director underscores the meaning of specific scenes through visual composition The Director And The Producer: • The director gives shape and structure to a play in two dimensions: in space and in time • Since a production occurs through time, it is important for the director to see that the movement, the pace and the rhythm of the play are appropriate • The director must attempt to control the pace and rhythm within a scene – the dynamics and the manner in which the actors and actresses move from moment to moment – and the rhythm between scenes The Director And The Producer: • While rehearsals with the performers are proceeding, other activities that will eventually be under the director’s control are also going forward: the people building the scenery and costumes and the technicians preparing the lights and sound are doing their work • Just before the play is to be shown to the public, these elements are brought together, under the supervision of the director, in a technical rehearsal • At this point production elements are integrated in a run-through: the performers war their costumes to get accustomed to them, and the lighting and sound “cues” are set with the performers onstage • Scene changes are rehearsed and coordinated. Following this comes the dress rehearsal, when the play is performed as it will be for the public – This is when last-minute problems are discovered and dealt with The Director And The Producer: • Then the play is performed for the first time before audiences • These first performances, often called previews are dress rehearsals for an invited audience • In previews, the audience’s reaction becomes part of the production process • The response from the audience lets the director and performers know whether a comedy is as funny as they thought, or whether scenes are successful and which are not so that adjustments can be made if there are problems The Director And The Producer: • In addition to working closely with performers, the director, the designers, and the playwright, the director has other collaborators who are essential to a production • In musical theatre, these others would include the composer, lyricist, choreographer, and music director • In a nonmusical play, various technicians and artists may be indispensible to the director • Ex: A fencing or fight consultant may be needed for a classic play, such as a play by Shakespeare – If a play calls for regional accents – as in a play by Tennessee Williams set in the south – a vocal coach would be helpful The Director And The Producer: • Another important member of the production team is the stage manager – the person who coordinates all the rehearsals and the actual running of a performance • The stage manager calls rehearsals; lets the performers know their rehearsals schedule; makes all important announcements concerning technical rehearsals and other events involving performers; coordinates all the elements of light, sound, and scene elements, as well as the entrances and exits of performers, during each performance • The stage manager is an essential member of any production team The Director And The Producer: • In Europe, there is a long-standing practice of having a dramaturg or literary manager collaborate with the director • In the U.S. in recent years, many regional professional groups and nonprofit theatres have engaged full-time dramaturgs • Among the duties frequently undertaken by the dramaturg are discovering and reading new plays, working with playwrights to develop new scripts, identifying overlooked plays from the past, preparing information on the history of classical works, researching past productions and criticism, and writing program articles • The dramaturg can also aid the director in making decisions regarding style, approach and concept The Director and Producer • The Directorial Concept – derives from a controlling idea, vision, or point of view that the director feels is appropriate to the play. The concept should also create a unified theatrical experience for those of us in the audience. The Director and Producer • Another way to implement a directorial concept is to find a central or controlling image or metaphor for a theatrical production • The directorial concept should always serve the play – best concept is one that remains true to the spirit and meaning of the script. The Director and the Producer • The director should also use the stage appropriately – creating clarity and balance and the proper emphasis in the visual picture of the stage The Director and the Producer • “Sweeney Todd, whose real name is Benjamin Barker, uses his new alias to resume work in his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett’s struggling pie shop after being wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment by the corrupt Judge Turpin. After swearing vengeance against the judge that tore his family apart, Todd and Lovett plot a unique plan that helps them both and leads them down a dangerous, thrilling path with deadly consequences.” The Director And The Producer: • The producer, or manager is the director’s counterpart in the business and management side of a theatre production • In commercial theatre, a producer has many responsibilities – In general the producer oversees the entire business side of a production, including publicity • If a production is to succeed, the producer must have the artistic sensibility to choose the right text and hire the right director • Aside from raising capital and having the final say in hiring and firing, the producer oversees all financial and business operations in a production The Director and The Producer • No production would ever be performed for the public without a business component ---the person chiefly responsible for this is known as the producer in the commercial theatre, or the managing director in the noncommercial theatre • Considered to be the behind –the-scenes counterpart of the director The Director and The Producer • - The duties of the Producer Raising money to finance the production Securing the rights to the script Dealing with the agents for the playwright, director, and performers Hiring the director, performers, designers, and stage crews -Renting the theatre space Supervising the work of those running the theatre: in the box office, auditorium, and business office Supervising the advertising Overseeing the budget and the week-to week- financial management of the production The Director and the Producer • In a nonprofit theatre the person with many of the same responsibilities as the producer is called the executive director or managing director - Most nonprofit theatres – including theatres in smaller urban centers as well as the large noncommercial theatres in major cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles – are organized with a board of directors, an artistic director, and an executive or managing director - The board is responsible for selecting both the artistic and the managing director. - The board is also responsible for overseeing the financial affairs of the theatre, for fundraising, long-term planning, etc. The Director and The Producer • The artistic director is responsible for all creative and artistic activities. • He or she selects the plays that will constitute the season and he or she then chooses the directors, designers and other creative personnel for these plays. The Director And The Producer: • Most nonprofit theatres are organized with a board of directors, an artistic director, and an executive or managing director • The board is responsible for selecting both the artistic and the managing directors • The board is also responsible for overseeing the financial affairs of the theatre- for fund-raising, for long-range planning, etc • The artistic director is responsible for all creative and artistic activities. He or she selects the plays that will constitute the season and chooses directors, designers, and other creative personnel. Frequently the artistic director also directs one or more plays during the season The Director And The Producer: • The managing director in a noncommercial theatre is, in many respects, the counterpart of a producer and manager in commercial theatre • The managing director is responsible for the maintenance of the theatre building, as well as for the budget, making certain that the production stays within established limits • The managing director is also responsible for publicity • The securing of ushers, the printing of programs, and the maintenance of the auditorium – usually called the front of the house – are also the responsibility of the managing director The Director And The Producer: • In many theatre organizations, an entire season – the plays that will be produced, the personnel who will be in charge, and the supplies that will be required – is planned a year ahead of time • Coordination and cooperation are as important in this area as they are for the production onstage Theatre in South Florida • https://www.newcityplayers.org/productionar chives • http://www.floridatheateronstage.com/calend ar-directory/
