Tma 101, Lesson 10, Directing

Front 1

1. What is the art of directing?
H: Qualities a director must exercise, lead, etc. There are 3.

Back 1

The art of directing is an exercise in leadership, imagination, and control.

Front 2

2. What is the technical level role of the director?
H: One who organizes the production. There are 5.

Back 2

Director is someone who organizes the production:
1. scheduling the work process

Hint 2

Oversee

2. the acting
3. designing
4. staging
5. technical operation of the play.

Front 3

3. What is the fundamental artistic role of the director?
H: Intellectual engineer.

Back 3

One who intellectually constructs the play. He conceptualizes the play, giving it the vision and destination.

Front 4

4. What are the 3 phases that mark the evolution of the director's role?

Back 4

1) 1st phase: Teacher-Directors.
2) 2nd phase: Realistic Directors.
3) The Stylizing Directors

Front 5

5. What are the characteristics of phase 2 directors?
H: Real.

Back 5

They were realistic directors. They strove to make theater more lifelike. They were the first modern directors.

Front 6

6. What are features of teacher-directors?

Back 6

Directors were like teachers. They were expected to pass along accumulated knowledge and techniques to others.

Front 7

7. Why didn’t the teacher-director phase last long?

Back 7

The audience demanded the revival of classic plays, whose authors were no longer present to direct them.
This fashion change demanded an independent director.

Front 8

8. What new responsibilities were needed out of a director due to changes in consumer's taste during phase 1 of directing?
H: 3 changes.

Back 8

Theses changes are
1. research
2. organization
3. comprehensive coordination

Hint 8

As a result, they became an independent director.

Front 9

9. What types of drama did Realistic directors nurture?

Back 9

They fostered the development of realistic and naturalist drama.

Front 10

10. Realistic directors opened theater to a new field, what was that field?

Back 10

Psychology.

Front 11

11. How was the importation of psychology crucial for theater? How did this change the role of directors?

Back 11

The psychology of individual became crucial to the analysis and acting of plays.

Hint 11

Now, directors became more than teachers: part analyst, part therapist, & part mystic

Front 12

12. What characterized the 3rd wave of directors? Define and describe their features.
H: In comparison to Realist directors. Sheer.

Back 12

The stylizing directors are unrestrained by rigid structures & formulas.
Their goal is to produce sheer theatrical brilliance, beauty & excitement.

Front 13

13. The stylizing directors introduced what new mechanisms in theater with their view?

Back 13

Introduced lyricism and symbolism.
Expressive & abstract use of design to achieve explosive theatricality.
Contrived methods to garner profound effect.

Front 14

14. What is the function of the contemporary director?
H: Art of synthesizing.

Back 14

Today, the directorial function is the art of synthesizing script, design, & performance into a unique and splendid theatrical experience.

Front 15

15. How has directorial teaching role changed from phase 1 to current stage?

Back 15

It has shifted from teaching what is "proper" to producing what it stimulating and wondrous.

Front 16

16. What is the principal function of a director?

Back 16

The directorial function is one of envisioning the main lines of production, and providing the artistic leadership needed to realize that vision.

Front 17

17. What does "directing" mean "literally?"

Back 17

It means to "give direction," which implies choosing a point of focus, & guiding everyone to face the same way.

Front 18

18. Directing is simply not a craft, it means to be directing by the dictionary sense too. So, what does it mean to be directing?
H: Function to get things done!

Back 18

It means to lead, to supervise, to instruct, & to give shape.

Hint 18

The director holds final responsibility over everything that happens in production. So their function is do what make things "work."

Front 19

19. Part of what a director can do within a production depends on the producer. Why is this the case?

Back 19

The producer is responsible for the financial support of the production.

Front 20

20. What kinds of power do producers have?

Back 20

Producers are responsible:
for hiring the director
establishing production budget
determine theater facility
selecting the play
casting actors
engaging designers & technicians

Front 21

21. The directorial process divides into 2 phases, what are they? Describe the operations of those process.
H: Prep-Imp. There are five each.

Back 21

Preparatory phase: involves
1.play selection
2. conceptualizing
3. designer selection
4. designing
5. casting.

Hint 21

Implementation phase:
1. staging
2. actor coaching
3. pacing
4. coordination
5. presenting.

Front 22

22. Why is play selection important?

Back 22

It is the more critical because it is the basic element to which the audience responds.

Front 23

23. What are the three basic considerations that go into play selection? Describe each one.

Back 23

1) The directors interest, he has to be passionate about the play he produces. Boredom will not spark creativity.

2) The interest of intended audience, they are the consumer. They keep theater alive.

Hint 23

3) The director's capability to acquire, conceptualize & produce the play.

Front 24

24. Within the conceptualizing period, what does "directorial image" mean?
H: Magnify. Briefings. Navigation. Who?

Back 24

It is the creation of the central concept that focuses, informs & guides an entire production.

Front 25

25. Can directorial concepts be expressed in multiple ways?

Back 25

Yes, they can range from social statements to philosophical ones.

Front 26

26. The concept is the director's creation, to an extent, it is primarily his own concern. What is the purpose behind this individualistic ownership over the concept?

Back 26

The director harnesses the concept, his task to keep production aimed at a specific direction, impervious to deflection and distractions over the production period.

Front 27

27. Why is designer selection so important, once the directorial concept has been refined?

Back 27

The concept is the director’s own creation, but its refinement and realization finally rest in the hands of collaborators whose personal artistry and inclinations play an enormous role in the shape and impact of the final product.

Front 28

28. What is design phase of production?
H: Conversion of intangibles into tangibles.

Back 28

The design phase of production marks the first step toward transforming vision into actuality: at this stage, people turn ideas into concrete visual realizations.

Front 29

29. What is the director's role in the design phase of production?

Back 29

The director’s work in designing a production is generally suggestive and corrective. This is a sensitive stage.

Front 30

30. Depending on the specific demands of the play and the rehearsal situation, the director may pay special attention to any or all of the following characteristics of an actor. What are those two features?
H: What must the actor have?

Back 30

1. The actor’s training and experience
2. Physical characteristics.

Front 31

31. Why is casting so important?

Back 31

The cliché́ “casting is 90 percent of directing” undeniably contains more than a gem of truth. The actors not only attract more audience attention than any other aspect of the play, but they also represent what the audience cares about and will remember the next day.

Front 32

32. Why is choosing the right actor so important for a production?

Back 32

They garner about 90 percent of all the interest an audience expends on a play, so if they squander this interest, they can destroy the effectiveness of any theatrical presentation. A miscast or untalented or untrained actor can mar the effectiveness of any production.

Front 33

33. When does the "implementation phase take effect?" What needs to get done in order to advance to "implementation phase?"

Back 33

It takes place after the play was selected and conceptualized, the designers chosen and the designs under way, and with the actors auditioned and cast. This is when the production moves from its preparatory phase to its implementation.

Front 34

34. What is staging?
H; Position & mobilize. Actors.

Back 34

Essentially involves positioning actors on the set and mobilizing them in a theatrically effective manner.

Front 35

35. The mediums of staging are the actor's space and time. What is the space and time defined by in theater?

Back 35

Space is defined by the acting area & the settings.

Hint 35

Time is defined by the duration of the theatrical event and the dynamics of its dramatic structure.

Front 36

36. What is "blocking?"
H: Doesn't have to do with blocks.

Back 36

Blocking refers to the timing and placement of a character’s entrances, exits, rises, crosses, embraces, and other major movements of all sorts.

Front 37

37. What does "business" refer to when used on stage?
H: To character.

Back 37

“Business” is a theatre term that refers to the small-scale movements a character performs within the larger pattern of entrances and crosses and exits.

Front 38

38. What type of relationship should exist between the actor and director for successful performance?

Back 38

Coach to actor, like the sports team manager, the director is responsible for stimulating the best efforts of the cast and for instilling in them a high regard for teamwork

Front 39

39. The director is like a what to the actor and his ensemble?

Back 39

Like a coach.

Front 40

40. The manner through which a director coaches his staff is dependent on what?

Back 40

More on the director's personality than on planning.

Front 41

41. What actions demonstrate excellent acting? & What role does a director play in making this happen?
H: Face danger. Nurture balance.

Back 41

The greatest acting braves the unknown and flirts continuously with danger. The director must give the actor a careful balance of freedom and guidance to foster the confidence that leads to great acting.

Front 42

42. How should the pace of a play be determined? What should the director consider when deciding on the "phase" of the play?
H: Q & Q.

Back 42

The pace of a play should be determined largely by the quantity and quality of the information it conveys to the audience.

Hint 42

The director must decide how much time the audience requires to assimilate that information.

Front 43

43. What should the pace of a farce be compared to a psychological drama? & Why?

Back 43

In a farce, the audience needs almost no time to synthesize information, and so, farce generally is propelled rapidly, with information coming as fast as the actors can get it out.

Hint 43

A psychological drama require a slower pace to convey a deeper understanding of its characters and issues.

Front 44

44. During the final rehearsal stages, how does the director's responsibilities change?
H: Coordination.

Back 44

In the final rehearsals the director’s responsibility becomes more and more one of coordination: of bringing together the concept and the designs, the acting and the staging, the pace and the performance.

Front 45

45. In the final rehearsal stages of production, the director is less a source of information, but he is more of what?

Back 45

In these final rehearsals the director’s presence normally becomes more a force for organization. Clipboard in hand, he delivers hundreds of last- minute notes to actors, technicians, and stage managers in an effort to give the production that extra finesse that distinguishes the outstanding from the mediocre.

Front 46

46. What is the role of the director during the opening night, when the play is "presenting?"

Back 46

During the presenting stage, the director is evaluating of every production element in an effort to improve the audience impact.

Front 47

47. On top of having excellent theatrical craftsmanship, a well trained director must also posses the following qualities:
H: A sense of the arts & a strong mind. 2 qualities.

Back 47

He must have:
1. strong literary imagination
2. ability to conceptualize intellectually and visually