Acknowledgements and thanks
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Chapter 1: You
Chapter 2: Him
Chapter 3: The Director and the text
Part 1: The World (Who’s Who)
Part 2: Reading the Play
Part 3: Analysing the Play
Part 4: Entering Shakespeare’s World
Chapter 4: Awayday One; Dramatic Energy (How does he do it?)
1: Apposition
2: Metaphor
3: Metre and Pulse
4: Line Endings
5: Word Play
6: Vocabulary
7: Shape and Structure
Chapter 5: Let’s Design it! The Eye
To Start:
1: Wall of Ideas
2: Read the Play
3: Analyse
4: Brainstorm
The Model
A Methodology
Space
The mechanics
Floors
Entrances
Axes
Walls
The Skeleton of the Play
The Journey and two Casebooks
Playtime
“In the Round”
Thrust
Technology (How to get from A to B)
Colour, Texture and Decoration
Storyboard
Show and Tell
Costume and the Actor
Working with Lighting Designers
Chapter 6: Design (The Ear)
Music and Sound
Chapter 7: Casting the Play
1. The Actor’s World
2. Do I Cast the Part or the Actor?
3. The Process
4. Putting it Together
Chapter 8: Awayday Two: Stanislavski and Actioning
Chapter 9: To Cut or Not to Cut
Length
Shape
Choice of Edition
Chapter 10: The Rehearsal Plan
The Traditional Way
Basic Aims of Rehearsal
Making a Plan
Chapter 11: Rehearsing the Play; the Beginning
The Rehearsal Room
Stage Management
An Approach to Day One of Rehearsals
Chapter 12: Awayday Three: Improvisation
1. Building a Company
2. Building a Character
3. Developing Relationships and Exploring the World of the Play
4. Exploring Scenes and Situations without using the text
Chapter 13: Rehearsing the Play: End of the Beginning
Work on Language
Work on Character
Chapter 14: Rehearsing the Play: Middle
Aims for Middle Section of Rehearsals
Examples from Romeo and Juliet
“The Tank”
Blocking
Blocking Large Scale Scenes
Second Pass at Scenes
What to do if your Actors get Inhibited or Stuck
Chapter 15: Rehearsing the Play: End
First Run Through: How does it Work?
How to give your Notes
Second and Third Run Throughs
Preparing for the Theatre
Chapter 16: The “Tech”, “Dress”, Previews and Opening
1. The Tech; How to set up a Tech and how to run a Tech
2. The Dress
3. Curtain Calls
4. Previews
5. Opening
Index