How to Direct Shakespeare

Adrian Noble, Jim Volz

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Hardback

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English

The Arden Shakespeare
03 November 2022

Theatre: individual actors & directors; Theatre direction & production; Shakespeare studies & criticism

You may be a student, or just starting out in the theatre profession, or an actor contemplating a switch to directing, or anyone dreaming of a life in the theatre. Know this: by developing and sharpening your skills on a Shakespeare text, you will be preparing yourself for your next production whatever or wherever that might be.

Practical, inspirational and steeped in the wisdom and expertise of one of the great Shakespearean directors of our age, How to Direct Shakespeare guides you through each step of a production, from conception to final presentation to an audience. It includes close analysis of the text and provides strategies for focusing on the main action and structure; it considers dramatic energy and the world of the play, and illuminates these with examples drawn from a variety of Shakespeare's plays. It will assist you with creating your vision for the production as you collaborate with the design team, cast the play and work with actors in rehearsal. And it walks you through the encounter with the audience as you open your production.

Drawing on examples from his work as artistic director of The Royal Shakespeare Company and subsequent directing work that has taken him all over the world, Noble shows how every production is shaped by a vision of the world — the interplay of the writer’s vision and the director’s interpretation of it. How to Direct Shakespeare will inspire and equip you as you develop your vision for your next production.

By: Adrian Noble
Series edited by: Jim Volz
Imprint: The Arden Shakespeare
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781350231245
ISBN 10: 135023124X
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 03 November 2022
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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

Adrian Noble is a freelance director of theatre, opera and film, whose work can be seen in the UK, USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong and across Europe. He was the Artistic Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company, 1991-2003, and of the Shakespeare Festival, San Diego, USA, 2010-2013. In 2014 Nobel was Mellon Visiting Artist and Thinker at Columbia University, USA. He is the recipient of multiple awards and honours in the UK, USA and Europe.

Reviews for How to Direct Shakespeare

How to Direct Shakespeare is a 'must have' book for ALL directors- experienced and aspiring! Adrian Noble shares his vast experience and leads the reader through the whole journey of directing Shakespeare's plays from the preparation through all stages of rehearsal leading up to the opening night. It's a wonderful companion to his How to Do Shakespeare for actors. However his guidance can be used for directing any plays as it gives a wonderful insight into a director's process. Invaluable. --Sir David Suchet CBE FRSA To be in rehearsal of a Shakespeare play with Adrian Noble is a gift to any actor. He is, quite simply, a brilliant director, and now in How to Direct Shakespeare, he guides us through every step of his directorial process with perfect precision and infinite generosity. Hugely informative and insightful, this book is an invaluable asset to any actor or director. --Sinead Cusack Adrian Noble and I were contemporaries at the Drama Centre in the early seventies. In 1978, he asked me to play Titus Andronicus at the Bristol Old Vic; it was my first Shakespeare - and his. For me it was like climbing a particularly craggy mountain, but from the first day it was clear that Adrian had a direct line through to the play, its world and, especially, its author, and if I managed it at all, it was largely due to him. In this indispensable book, he shares that extraordinary understanding and connection with anyone who wants to direct Shakespeare, with crystal clarity and a fund of insights both practical and penetrating. Above all, he makes it clear that to stage Shakespeare, directors have to bring their entire being to the work; nothing less will do. --simon callow