Outside reading...
Harold Clurman. On Directing. New York: Macmillan. 1992,
Reissued 1997 by Touchstone.
Francis Hodge & Michael McLain. Play Directing: Analysis, Communication, and Style.
6th edition, Allyn & Bacon, 2004.
Stephen Langley. Theatre Management in America. New York: Drama Book Specialists. (paperback edition) 1995.
Stephen Langley. Producers on Producing. New York: Drama Book Specialists. 1976.
Internet...
Playbill On-Line A searchable listing of shows playing in New York.
nytheatre.com Another searchable listing of New York shows.
1. When and where did directing, as a creative theatrical art, emerge?
In Germany during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Georg II (1826-1914), the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, a small city-state in southern German, is generally considered Europe's first director. His company began touring the capitols of Europe in 1874.
2. Before the evolution of the modern director, who handled the interpretative/managerial responsibilities?
The playwright, the leading actor ("star"), or the company manager.
3. What is the difference between the creative director and the interpretative director?
A creative director places his primary emphasis on his personal vision. He will often...The director has become the author (auteur) of a new work based on the playwright's text. This text, often one of the classic Greek or Shakespearean tragedies, is almost always in the public domain.
- Change the period and location of the play's action;
- Add songs, dances (pantomimes), and projections;
- Include scenes from other scripts from the same playwright (or period),
- Add a "Stage Manager" to help the audience understand the meaning of the work.
The interpretative director places his primary emphasis on the playwright's text. There is often a fine line between a creative ( Sophocles Antigone set in Nazi Germany) and an interpretative (Antigone set in 400 BCE Corinth) production.
4. What is the director's major responsibility?
To develop a dramatic interpretation of the playwright's script.
5. What is the relationship between a play's interpretation and the major character's spine?
A play's interpretation is often directly related to the progatonist's "major objective." For example William Shakespeare's Hamlet can be presented as...
- a personal tragedy (Hamlet's motivation: to avenge the death of his father),
- a religious tragedy (Hamlet's spine: to cleanse the court of Denmark),
- a political tragedy (Hamlet's spine: to depose Claudius as the King of Denmark),
- a freudian tragedy (Hamlet's spine: to punish Claudus, his uncle, for marrying Gertrude, his mother)...
6. In the noncommercial educational and community theatre, who usually selects the play?
The production director, often with assistance of a play reading or script selection committee.
7. What must be considered when selecting the productions for a season?
8. What is the difference between an open and a closed audition?
In an open audition, all are welcome. In a closed audition, only those who have been invited by the producer or director may read for a part.
9. Which do we use at Northern State?
Open auditions.
10. Which is used to cast the major roles in a commercial Broadway production?
Closed auditions.
The minor, or chorus, parts?
Open auditions. Because of the number of people trying out, and the amount of time each can spend on stage, these auditions are traditionally called "cattle calls."
11. What is the function of rehearsal?
To turn the actor into the character.
12. How many weeks does a Broadway production of a play rehearse?
A Broadway play rehearses for four weeks. According to Equity rules, a week is "six days out of seven", and a day is 8 1/2 hours, producing a total of 204 rehearsal hours.
A musical?
Five weeks. Total rehearsal time-- 255 hours.
13. How many weeks does an average educational or community theatre production rehearse?
Five or six weeks. A week is usually five days, and a day's rehearsal is three hours. Total number of rehearsal hours with a 5 week schedule-- 75.
14. What are the five types of rehearsals?
15. What is blocking?
Blocking is an actor's major movements. When he enters, crosses to the sofa, sits, etc.
16. What is the difference between blocking and stage business?
Blocking is major actor movements-- entrances, exits, a cross from the sofa to the fire place.Stage business is small character defining movements. A character looking at his pocket watch, opening a book.
17. What techniques can a director use to make one actor dominate the stage?
18. Where is up-stage?
Towards the back wall.
Down-stage?
Towards the audience.
Stage left? Stage right?
Stage left (and stage right) is always from the actor's perspective, with the actor standing on the stage facing the audience.
19. Which is the strongest stage area?
Down center.
The weakest?
Up left.
20. Why should an actor not walk on someone else's line?
If an actor walks on someone else's line, he will steal that actor's focus. On the other hand, if the director wants to make sure the audience catches a line, a phrase, or a word, a simple move, gesture, or turn, can be used to catch the audience's attention. This is one of those quick "rules" a director (or actor) can use to give precision and clarity to a performance.
21. How long before opening night should the actor go off book?
Normally two to three weeks.
Off prompt?
One to two week.
22. What is the difference between running a scene and working a scene?
When a scene is run the director will not interrupt the rehearsal, but will wait to the end of the scene to make his comments, a process known as "giving notes." When a scene is worked, the director will stop the rehearsal to work on a problem.
23. At which rehearsal are the lighting cues integrated into the action of the show?
Technical rehearsal. There are usually two types of technical rehearsals-- A dry tech without actors and a wet tech with actors. At Northern, the first tech (with actors) is usually four or five days before the show opens.
24. When are the costumes first worn?
First dress rehearsal, three days before opening night.
Typical NSU Rehearsal Schedule -- Final Week
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Tech 1st Dress 2nd Dress Final Dress Performance Performance Performance
25. Outline the artistic organization of a typical theatre company.
See "Duties of a Director in a Theater Production" on page 141 of Wilson and Goldfarb.
26. Who are the four production designers?
The scene designer, costume designer, lighting designer and sound designer.
27. What are the five departments of technical production?
Sets (or carpentry), props, lights (or electric), costumes (or wardrobe) and hair. The sound crew is generally considered part of the electric department.
28. Which designer is responsible for the selection of the props?
The scene designer.
29. What union represents the director?
SSDC: Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers represents directors and choreographers working in the professional Broadway, off-Broadway, regional, summer stock and dinner theatre.
The designers?
USAA: United Scenic Artists, Local # 829 , affilated with IATSE, (the stage hands union) represents the three visual (sets - lights - costumes) designers as well as the scenic artist. The single local is divided into four geographic regions: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami.
The crews (carpenters, electricians, pop men, wardrobe ladies)?
IATSE: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is a large organization which not only represents stage hands but also projectionists, film editors and other craft people employed in the film and television industry. Of the fourteen IA locals in New York City, only seven represent the theatrical trades. There are three locals in South Dakota: one each in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Mitchell / Huron.
30. How do you become a member of these unions?
To qualify for SSDC membership, a director and/or choreographer must provide proof (resume and reviews) of professional credits, which the Society defines as jobs on productions with union (Equity, USAA, IATSE) affiliation.Before you can join the United Scenic Artists (USAA), you must take an "exam" in the design area (sets, lights, costumes, scene painting) in which you wish to work.
Officially, you become a member of IATSE through an apprenticeship program, but often you become a member become your father, and his father before him, were members.
31. Who is the producer and what is his job?
32. What is a theatre angel?
33. What is the difference between a hit and a flop?
34. What are the chances of producing a hit?
Which has a better chance of becoming a hit, a musical or a
comedy?
35. How does a producer determine how many performances to present?
Long run: the run is open ended and can be closed by management if the production does not meet operating expenses for two consecutive weeks.
Limited run: the show is presented for a set number of performances.
Repertory: a number of different works are alternated through the production season.
36. Which system is used on Broadway?
At Northern State?
37. What is Broadway's longest running show?
38. Of the top ten longest running Broadway shows, how many are
musicals? Ten
39. What is the longest running show off-Broadway?
The Producer
He is the head of the production company, the "boss." He chooses the play, or property, hires the director, and is responsible for raising the funds necessary to mount the show. In a not-for-profit regional or educational theatre, the producer is usually the theatre's artistic director or the department chairman.
The investors who provide the necessary funds to cover
the pre-performance costs of a commercial production.
A hit is a show which repays the "theatre angels" their
initial investment. A flop is a show which does not.
Not very good. An investor has about a 1 in 10 chance
of getting their money back.
A musical has a slightly better chance of breaking
even.
A producer has three options when planning the number of performances. He can use the long run, limited run, or repertory system.
The number of performances in a limited run is determined by the size of the potential audience and the seating capacity of the theatre. Approximately 2% of the potential audience supports live theatre with their attendance. If the market area has a population of 50,000, a production company should be able to sell 1,000 tickets. Because a theatre manager must typically sell half the house to meet operating expenses he would schedule two performances in a 1,000 seat theatre (like JFAC MainStage), 4 performances in a 500 seat house (like the Capitol Theatre), 8 performances in a 250 seat venue...
Typically Long run. A number of producers have used the Limited Run approach when reviving a major dramatic work from an earlier period, plays such as Long Days Journey into Night, Death of Salesman or Streetcar Named Desire. These productions often star actors who can only commit for a six to eight week period of time.
Limited run. Northern presents three, or four, performances of a work. The run can not be extended if the houses are excellent, or cut if we are unable to draw an audience.
Phantom of the Opera, which offically opened at the Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988, became Broadway's longest running show on January 9, 2006.
(Shows marked with an * were still running on February 26, 2008.)
A commercial Broadway production will present approximately 416 performances (8 a week) a year.
The Fantasticks
(1960-2002). This small "Try to Remember" musical closed its 17,162 performance run in the 153 seat Sullivan Street Playhouse on January 13, 2002.
On London's West End?
The Mousetrap* (1952- ). This Agatha Christie murder mystery opened at the Ambassadors in November 1952 and transfered to St Martin's in 1974. This drama, which never played Broadway, is probably the world's longest running show.
40. What is the length of the shortest theatrical run?
One performance. The shows which opens and closes on opening night.
41. Who uses the repertory system of production?
Opera, (such as New York's Metropolitan Opera), major dance companies (such as the New York City Ballet) and summer festivals (such as the Stratford Festival of Canada)
How does it work?
There are a set number of shows in the companies repertory, and they rotate through the rep changing titles nightly. Monday: Carmen; Tuesday: Otello; Wednesday matinee: La Traviata; Wednesday night: The Barber of Seville...
42. What are the three producing formats in American theatre?
Commercial, educational, and community. Generally, both educational and community theatres are nonprofit. In a not-for-profit theatre, if the income is greater than the the expences, the "profit" must be invested into the facility or production program.
43 What is the major goal of a commercial theatre?
To make a profit.
44. List several examples of commercial theatres.
In New York City: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-off-Broadway.
Outside of New York City: The Road (National and Bus-and-Truck tours), Summer stock, and Regional (or resident) theatres.During the 2006-2007 theatrical season, it is estimated that 12.3 million people saw a "Broadway" show in a Broadway house and an additional 17.1 million saw a "Broadway" show on the road.
45. How much is a ticket to a Broadway musical?
Tickets for Chicago at the 1080 seat Ambassador Theatre range from $59 (rear balcony, Wednesday matinee) to $111.50 (Orchestra, Friday or Saturday night). A few rush seats, sold the day of the show, are available for $20.
A play?
Between $ 61 and $ 96 for the limited run revival (February 12, 2008 to April 13, 2008) of Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the 1200 seat Broadhurst Theatre.
Discount tkts for Broadway shows The TKTS booth, which opened in 1973, is located on Times Square. It sells unsold tickets the day of performance for most Broadway shows. There is typically a 25 to 50% discount (with a $3.00 service charge for the Theatre Development Fund) off of the offical box office price. For example, if seats are available for Chicago, I could probably buy a ticket at the booth, the afternoon of the show, for only $ 58.00.
46. What type of shows are usually presented on the Broadway stage?
In the mid '60s, about half of the works presented on Broadway were original scripts, either musicals or plays. Today only about 30% of the material is new while nearly half of the productions are revivals of recent Broadway successes or classics.
47. How many shows "normally" open on Broadway during a season?
During the five theatrical seasons between June 2000 and May 2005 there were, on average, 35 openings per year. The smallest number of new productions was 28 (2000-01); the largest was 39 (2004-05).During the 1965-66 Broadway season there were 76 new productions including 25 original plays (including Wait Until Dark and Cactus Flower) and 11 new musicals (including Mame and Sweet Charity).
Of the 39 Broadway shows which opened during the 2004-2005 season, 20 (or 52%) were still playing on June 1, 2005. Only one of those 20 shows, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musicals, was still being performed in the fall of 2007. The show closed January 20, 2008.
48. How many of these were plays? Musicals? Revivals? Specialities? Other?
Season Plays Musicals Revivals Specialities Other Total 2000-2001 6 6 10 4 2 28 2001-2002 8 6 15 6 0 35 2002-2003 6 6 16 9 0 37 2003-2004 10 7 15 6 0 38 2004-2005 6 11 14 8 0 39 Avg 7.2 7.2 14 6.6 0.4 35.4 Specialities include solo performances and the Christmas and Easter show at Radio City Music Hall. Other include revues, foreign plays (or musicals) in English, and foreign plays (or musicals) in a foreign language.
49. What book series includes the program copy for all productions mounted both on Broadway and off-Broadway during the season?
The Best Plays of ...... series, edited by Jeffrey Eric Jenkins. This series of books is also known as "Burns Mantle," the well known drama critic who edited the Yearbook from 1899 to 1947. The League of American Theatres and Producers also maintains the searchable Internet Broadway Database (www.ibdb.com), the official archive of Broadway theatre information.
50. Approximately how much does it cost to mount a Broadway musical?
In 1994 Walt Disney Theatrical Production's spent 12 million dollars (a record at the time) bringing a live performance of their successful 1991 film: The Beauty and the Beast to the 1,740 seat Palace Theatre. In 1999 B&B moved to the Lunt-Fontfanne Theatre. The show closed during the summer of 2007. Today (2007) this same production would cost approximately $ 16.84 million.
A play?
In 1993, the startup cost for Neil Simon's small cast (9 character), single set comedy -- Laughter on the 23rd Floor -- was $ 1.2 million. (Or $ 1.73 million in 2007 dollars.)
51. What is the difference between a Broadway, and an off-Broadway theatre?
Actor's Equity and the League of American Theatres and Producers define a Broadway house not by its location, but by the seating capacity. A Broadway theatre seats 500 or more, and an off-Broadway house seats between 100 and 499. Off-Broadway is a mixture of both commercial producers and nonprofit production companys.
52. How many shows are "normally" presented off-Broadway during a season?
On average, 85 productions opened each season, off-Broadway between June 2000 and May 2005. Below is a table comparing content between the Broadway and off-Broadway seasons.
Plays Musicals Revivals Specialities Other Total Broadway 7.2 7.2 14 6.6 0.4 35.4 Off Broadway 37 11 11.6 21.4 4.2 85.2
53. What is the difference between the production costs of a Broadway and an off-Broadway presentation?
The cost of mounting an off-Broadway production is about half that of mounting a Broadway show.
The ticket price?
Ticket prices are also about half their broadway counterpart. A ticket for off-Broadway's longest running play: Perfect Crime, a murder-mystery-thriller, at the 165 seat Duffy Theatre ("The only off-Broadway theatre on Broadway") in the Snapple Theater Center is costs between $ 41 and $ 51. A full house on a weekend should bring to the box office approximately $ 8,400 per performance.
54. What is a national tour? A bus-and-truck tour?
The national tour is usually a carbon copy of the Broadway production and plays open ended runs in major metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Los Angles, Toronto and San Francisco.A bus-and-truck company is a smaller version of the Broadway show which plays limited runs in small communities. The "bus-and-truck" of Phantom of the Opera travels in nineteen 50' semis, and plays 6 week runs in towns like Seattle, Minneapolis and Nashville.
55. What is a summer stock company?
A resident acting company which normally produces 10 shows during the three month summer season. There are usually eight -- six evening and two matinee performances -- of each production.
Where are most commercial summer stock companies located?
Along the east coast, in the small resort communities of New England and the mid-Atlantic states.
56. What type of plays do stock companies traditionally produce?
The light comedies and popular musicals which have had a recent successful Broadway production.
57. Give an example of a commercial regional theatre.
The 70-- LORT (League of Resident Theatres) professional resident theatres include the Guthrie in Minneapolis, the Arena Stage in Washington DC, the Goodman in Chicago and the Seattle Rep.
What type of productions do they usually mount?
Classics, including modern classics, and original scripts.
58. What is considered the first regional theatre?
Although nonprofessional resident theatre companies have existed since the founding of the Washington Square Players in 1914, many consider the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis to be the first professional regional resident theatre.
Why was it created?
When the Guthrie opened in May of 1963 with a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Tyrone Guthrie's plan was to create, outside the New York or Los Angeles metropolitan area, a permanent professional resident acting company, which would perform, in repertory, the great dramatic classics. It did not happen. Actors would not sign contracts which would keep them out of the New York / Los Angeles area for an entire season.
59. What is the major purpose of an educational theatre?
To provide students with experience in acting, stage management, scene painting... and to expose the community to "good" drama.
60. What type of plays does an educational theatre usually present?
Recent Broadway successes, and both modern and traditional classics.
61. What is the difference between a co-curricular and an extra- curricular educational theatre program?
In a co-curricular program, the production program is a part of the academic program, and often only theatre major's can participate.In an extra-curricular program the production program is an adjunct to the academic program, and any student can participate.
62. Which type of program do we have at Northern State?
Extra-curricular.
63. What type of schools have co-curricular programs?
The major, professionally oriented universities such as Yale and New York University.
64. How is the educational theatre financed?
Most, if not all, educational theatres are nonprofit. At Northern, about a third of our operating budget comes from student activity fees and the remainder from the sale of individual tickets (box office gross).
65. What is the major purpose of a community theatre?
To have fun. Community theatres are often organized by, and for, performers who no longer have access to a stage. Many were active in their high school and college theatre programs. When they graduated and joined the work force they discovered the only outlet for their creative energy was a community theatre. According to the 1000+ member American Association of Community Theatres, there are more than 7,000 amateur acting companies in the United States and Canada.
66. What type of shows do they produce?
Recent Broadway successes and modern classics.
67. How are community theatres financed?
Like educational theatres, most (if not all) community theatres are nonprofit. Their major source of income is membership fees (season ticket sales) and individual ticket sales. Tax deductable donations and grants from corporations and government agencies covers approxitamely twenty percent of the working budget.
68. Give an example of a local community theatre?
There are three AACT member companies in South Dakota-- the Aberdeen Community Theatre, the Area Community Theatre of Mitchell, the Black Hills Community Theatre (Rapid City), and the Olde Towne Dinner Theatre (Worthing).
