Directing I

Catalog description

This course examines the director’s creative process in translating a dramatic text onto the stage and ends with students directing a fully staged scene from a play of their choice. We will explore how directors locate the deep “why” behind their work, and how that “why” translates into every element of production: design, casting, direction of the actors, and producing choices. We will explore how directors develop the big vision behind a project and also how directors communicate vision in the moment-to-moment work of a rehearsal process. We will study master directors and the way they translate intention into aesthetic choices and process. We will explore a process of excavating the deepest intentions of the author (be that the playwright, an auteur director, or a collective) and integrating those intentions thoughtfully into all other production choices. And we will practice articulating the vision behind a dream project. Outside of class rehearsals, readings and project work are required for this course.