Cover of On Directing

On Directing

"A straightforward, tasteful, and articulate account of what it is to bring a play to palpitating life upon a stage" (The New York Times Book Review).

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In this classic guide to directing, we are taken logically from the choice of the play right through ever aspect of its production to performances and beyond. Harold Clurman, director of such memorable productions as A Member of the Weddingand Uncle Vanya, describes the pleasures and perils of working with such celebrated playwrights and actors as Marlon Brando, Arthur Miller, Julie Harris, and Lillian Hellman. He also presents his own directing notes for ten of his best-known productions.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 336 pages

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Liked On Directing? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked On Directing. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Notes on Directing Shares theatre, directing, film
  2. Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays Shares theatre, theater, acting
  3. Thinking Like a Director: A Practical Handbook Shares theatre, directing, theater
  4. Towards a Poor Theatre Shares theatre, acting, theater

“People who read On Directing tend to reach for these next.”

  1. To the Actor
  2. The Dramatic Imagination: Reflections and Speculations on the Art of the Theatre
  3. Improvisation for the Theater
  4. The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition

“If you want more of the same, start with these.”

  1. The Art of Acting
  2. True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor
  3. Acting: The First Six Lessons
  4. A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre

“If it was the theatre that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The Open Door
  2. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic
  3. The Stage Management Handbook
  4. The Shifting Point: Theatre, Film, Opera 1946-1987

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. The Director's Craft: A Handbook for the Theatre
  2. Mainly on Directing: Gypsy, West Side Story, and Other Musicals
  3. Kazan on Directing
  4. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics