Discusses each director's key productions, ideas and rehearsal methods, combining theory and practice.

Elia Kazan was the twentieth century’s most celebrated director of both stage and screen, and this monumental, revelatory book shows us the master at work. Kazan’s list of Broadway and Hollywood successes—A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, On the Waterfront, to name a few—is a testament to his profound impact on the art of directing. This remarkable book, drawn from his notebooks, letters, interviews, and autobiography, reveals Kazan’s method: how he uncovered the “spine,” or core, of each script; how he analyzed each piece in terms of his own experience; and how he determined the specifics of his production. And in the final section, “The Pleasures of Directing”—written during Kazan’s final years—he becomes a wise old pro offering advice and insight for budding artists, writers, actors, and directors.

Originally published: New York: Collier Books, 1972.

The pursuit of excellence in theatre is well served by the latest edition of this eminently readable text by two directors with wide-ranging experience. In an engaging, conversational manner, the authors deftly combine a focus on artistic vision with a practical, organized methodology that allows beginning and established directors to bring a creative script interpretation to life for an audience.

This volume explores the professional English theatre from 1530 to 1660. The documents collected here, many published for the first time, chronicle the exciting and flourishing world of the theatre through the reigns of Henry VIII to Charles I. These exciting primary sources offer first-hand accounts, including the daily life and work of the actor, and the most complete coverage yet of all the playhouses, both public and private, including the Rose, the Globe, Red Lion and the Swan. The volume documents the various theatre companies of children, costumes and stage property matters, audience reception and behaviour, and ecclesiastical and governmental legislation. A full linking narrative and extensive bibliography detailing the location of the primary sources, provide an important reference work and valuable research tool.

Performing Magic on the Western Stage examines magic as a performing art and as a meaningful social practice, linking magic to cultural arenas such as religion, finance, gender, and nationality and profiling magicians from Robert-Houdin to Pen& Teller.

A Director Prepares is a thought-provoking examination of the challenges of making theatre. In it, Anne Bogart speaks candidly and with wisdom of the courage required to create 'art with great presence'. Each chapter tackles one of the seven major areas Bogart has identified as both potential partner and potential obstacle to art-making. They are Violence; Memory; Terror; Eroticism; Stereotype; Embarrassment; and Resistance. Each one can be used to generate extraordinary creative energy, if we know how to use it. A Director Prepares offers every practitioner an extraordinary insight into the creative process. It is a handbook, Bible and manifesto, all in one. No other book on the art of theatre comes even close to offering this much understanding, experience and inspiration.

Madd Harold strips Shakespeare of his mystique and gives the professional actor, drama student, and theatre director access to unambiguous and easy-to-master techniques used by great actors throughout the ages.

A hands-on, step-by-step guide to directing plays--by one of Britain's leading theatre directors.