Play Directing, 7th Edition

29

Style in Production

Plays of Past Ages

 

 

As a young director you should not tackle historical drama for a public audience until you have a backlog of experience in modern play production; nor should you venture into this most difficult realm of staging until you have a lively concept of styles in both playwriting and production. Historical play production is not for the novice but for the experienced director simply because, as the previous chapters have pointed out, a mature understanding of play-analysis and a strong sense of what composes individual expression (style) are basic requirements.

Yet, the paradox is that venturing into production of the plays of past ages is one of the best ways to learn about the modern theatre, because historical ...