Production By Jennifer Lanipekun
Description
For those wishing to develop their professional voice in theatre, it
is common to draw on practical training and experiences as their main
foci. Observational undertakings, apprenticeships, and personal
endeavours are also customary ways to further this development of
their persona as director or performer. There has been little in the
way of academic research or study of general principles to open the
door to formal discussion of the theatrical processes involved in
creating a production. Common approaches are personal (mainly
autobiographical or context-specific) assessments that recount
individual episodes and milestones within the careers of well-known
and respected individuals. Although such methods are informative and
often interesting, formal analytical tools to undertake production
analyses and intellectual comparisons are still needed.
This is the first study that attempts to apply a systematic process to
the mysteries of directorial communication within a theatrical
setting. Categories created using this methodology make comprehensive
breakdown and analysis possible of those elusive interpersonal
interactions, the communication flow, during the period of rehearsal
leading to a production. As such, the case studies make available some
of the inner individual experiences from each company's endeavour, the
artistic journey, successes and pitfalls, viewpoints and reflections
of those involved, the changing styles of communication, and thus,
many important lessons that would be otherwise completely unavailable
to a wider audience. Whilst centring specifically on opera as a
medium, the examination unpicks general processes of theatrical
rehearsal, profiling individuals at work in a systematic way that
begins to uncover and identify patterns of behaviour. The study, thus,
draws important lessons from observation of that process which can
then be applied to future experience, assisting the novice especially,
whose previous recourse was mainly limited to trial-and-error
approaches within their own personal production experience.
Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance is an important
addition to the general study of theatrical performance communication
and its analysis. The case studies and interviews are especially
helpful because the reader will not only be able to read directly the
views and experiences of professionals at work but also to unpick and
analyse those processes taking place over a period of rehearsal.
Its ability to bring into relief the practices of theatrical
professionals makes this study an invaluable option for university
drama departments, colleges of drama training, as well as for
individuals at a more advanced point in their professional existence
who are looking to evolve their understanding and artistic style.
