Directors in Rehearsal: A Hidden World

By: Susan Letzler Cole

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Synopsis: Susan Cole's firsthand, moment-by-moment account of the rehearsal sessions of acclaimed directors and actors offers a view of what is often hidden from the public eye: what actors and directors do when they prepare a dramatic text for performance. Directors in Rehearsal is based on hundreds of hours observing and recording the directorial work process of such prominent directors as Robert Wilson, Peter Sellars, and JoAnne Akalaitis working with well-known actors and actresses, including Kevin Kline, Amanda Plummer, and David Warrilow, on texts ranging from Shakespeare and Chekhov to the Wooster Group's recent experiments. The result of her extensive research is a rare behind-the-scenes look at ten theatre directors, five women and five men, rehearsing actual productions--Broadway and off-Broadway, political and experimental, text-centered and company-created. An epilogue compares the rehearsal process in professional and college theatre. Directors in Rehearsal will be of interest to directors and actors, drama teachers and students, critics and theatre historians, practitioners and audiences.