All in all, there are many works of arts. There are many artists worldwide. Some are successful with their endeavor and some were a complete failure. Some were known and some were not. Some were professionals while others amateur. It takes complete effort to become an artist and it takes art appreciation and talent to become one.
Theatre has had a more or less interesting history considering that it has continued to be regarded as a mysterious art form which can entertain that even those who believe they are of the lowliest class will be able to understand and enjoy the presentations that are offered to them. Its evolution is likened to peeling of an onion’s layers which, in order to rightfully understand the importance of each part, must be taken away. Thus comes the analogy wherein each part of the layers, including the scenery, the background, the stage, the music, the costumes, the actors, the audience, and even the direction are stripped of each other to realize the importance of all these elements.
This paper aims to provide a discussion of director’s methodologies and the concept of a director’s signature. It delves to the approaches and methods utilized by two chosen directors – Lloyd Newson and Mike Leigh. Basing information from various literatures gathered from printed and electronic sources, the author will try to analyse the approaches, styles, and skills of the aforementioned dignitaries of arts.
Theatre as an Art Form
To draw the theatre as an art form, people must be able to act in this empathetic spirit (Bogart 2001). The fact that it is a kind of performing arts makes it obvious to be such. But in new global environment where people find their selves immersed in commerce, in the marketplace, and in a world of competitive and diversified commodities, art is contemporary and multifaceted (Wilson & Goldfarb 2001). Referring to the modern theatres worldwide, theatre is not just for ‘art sake’ but is now greatly used as a mirror of life’s reality and an agent for social change. To recognize the distinct relationship between art and the way societies are structured, it is the artists who articulate the necessary myths that embody our experience of life and provide parameters for ethics and values (Bogart 2001). Now, we are not solely artists, but producers as well. Each of us is a producer and an artist in one and we must take care that one does not overwhelm the other. Artists are individuals who are willing to articulate in the face of instability and transformation (Bogart 2001). Basically, the successful artist finds new shapes for our present ambiguities and uncertainties.
In these contemporary times, the new mythologies of arts always include ideas, cultures and people who are formerly excluded from the previous mythologies. National and international cultures as well as artistic communities are currently undergoing gigantic shifts in traditions of arts (Bogart 2001). In line, technological and corporate revolutions have already changed the way people communicate, interact, live; make art; and articulate ethics and values (Wilson & Goldfarb 2001). The myths of the last century are now insufficient to encompass these new experiences. People are living in the space between mythologies. It is a very creative moment, brimming with possibilities of new social structures, alternate paradigms and for the inclusion of disparate cultural influences. And so to succeed in this fast-changing world, it requires action, speed, decisiveness and hard work. So, the history of art in connection to theatre is the history of inclusion (Bogart 2001).
Theatre Direction and the Director’s Role
Directing is a form of art that has evolved with the development of theatre theory and theatre practice. In 1905, theorist-essayist-designer Gordon Craig specified in On the Art of the Theatre that "the directorial function is fully established as the art of synthesizing script, design, and performance into a unique and splendid theatrical event" (Cohen 1983, p. 141). Additionally, in 1913, Jacques Copeau added, "the director's primary task is the faithful translation of the dramatist's script into a 'poetry of the theatre’" (Brockett 1982, p. 578). By the 1970s, authors of theatre texts were proclaiming, "the director is the final authority in all matters related to production; he stages the play, coaches the actors, integrates the entire production" (Sievers, Stiver, & Kahan 1974, p. 11). In the 1980s up to the present, a popular theatre survey called the director's art "conceptualizing the play, giving it vision and purpose, inspiring and coordinating the company of artists on the theatre team" (Cohen 1983, p. 138).
According to Berger and Luere (1998), directors play many parts in production, depending upon the type of theatre group with which they affiliate, may it be a commercial theatre, a repertory group, an educational theatre facility. The roles that they play at such diverse venues will show distinct modes of interaction, authority, and responsibility. Further, the range and the depth of their involvement at a venue can center upon the philosophy of the setting and its standpoint on the relevance of drama to society.
Leadership
The director who uses using his authority sparingly and applying the best psychological principles of leadership, which include welcoming and encouraging creative contributions from others, consulting with his staff before making decisions, explaining his reasons rather than being arbitrary, respecting the special talents and training of his staff, and giving the entire team a sense of participation in the creative process is an essential directorial trait. Aside from staging the play, coaching the actors and integrating the entire production, the director must achieve a unified impression upon the audience. Hence, the director must be the final authority in all matters related to the production.
Styles of Directing
Current theatrical conventions emerge together with new methodologies in which directors can put into practice (Wikipedia 2006). Generally speaking, most directors take on a style of directing that falls into one or more of the following categories presented:
The dictator has a strongly assertive role and is very dominant in the process of creating a theatrical work. Rehearsals are more or less fully controlled and predictable, with the actors having little or no say.
The negotiator is a style of direction in which the director focuses on a more improvised and mediated form of rehearsal and creation, using the ideas of the production team and actors to shape a theatrical work in quite a democratic style.
The creative artist style of directing is where the director sees himself or herself as a creative artist working with the 'materials' of dramatic creativity, may it be the actors, designers and production team. The "creative artist" wants input from the actors but, as artist, has final say over what is included and how ideas are incorporated.
The confrontationalist style is where the director is in constant dialogue and debate with the cast and the production team about creative decisions and interpretations. He or she seeks out and actively engages in such exchanges. Out of these exchanges, which can sometimes be heated or risky, comes a final contested product. (Wikipedia 2006)
Meanwhile, a significant number of modern-day directors draw on an experimental, unconventional and creative combination of styles, depending on the genre of the theatrical work, the nature of the project and the type of cast (Wikipedia 2006).
Aspects of Directing
Approaches
Style of leadership
Use of text
Interpretation
Technique within rehearsal
Impact of audience
Casting
Methods
The blocking process, moves and motivation
Realism and stylisation,
Focus, rhythm, attack and tempo
Use of "stage picture"
Skills
Analytical
Organisation
Interpersonal
Artistic
Lloyd Newson
Mike Leigh
References
Berger, S & Luere, J (eds) 1998, The Theatre Team: Playwright, Producer, Director, Designers, and Actors, Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, pp. 41-45.
Bogart, A 2001, A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre, Routledge, London, pp.2-5.
Brockett, O 1982, History of the Theatre, 4th ed, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
Cohen, R 1983, Theatre, Mayfield Publishing Company, Palo Alto, Calif.
Schneider, A 1986, Entrances, Viking Penguin Inc., New York.
Sievers, W, David, Stiver Jr. HE, & Kahan, S 1974, Directing for the Theatre, 3rd ed, William C. Brown Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa.
Wikipedia contributors, 'Theatre director', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, viewed 12 January 2006,
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