Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the fundamental tenets that define a director's work from the initial moment of inspiration to preparation to rehearsals to opening night, featuring a dual focus on critical concepts, on the one hand, and practical applications utilizing exercises, on the other. Directions for Directing is an acknowledgment of the need to describe the methodology of directing, how an original vision is born and developed to a full production. It is intended as a useful guide for prioritizing the mental and experiential steps this process involves and as a tool of teaching a discipline that is both complex and elusive. Examples from the work methodologies of established artists internationally serve to bring home the idea that directing is an extremely generous, virtually inexhaustible art. The book envisions the practicalities of economy and style.