So You Want to Be a Theatre Director?

by Stephen Unwin

As artistic director of English Touring Theatre (“the company of the moment”— Daily Mail ), Stephen Unwin has worked with hundreds of different actors in a multiplicity of venues. In this book, he takes readers step-by-step through choosing the play, casting, design, rehearsal, running the play, putting it on stage and on to opening night.

Genres: Theatre

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Noemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful and practical manual on working as a professional director in the theatre industry.

[Algernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it is less theoretically based as, say, Hodge's Play Directing: Analysis, Communication, and Style, it exhibits a solid methodology and practical information (noting that the author is a director in the UK) for an approach to the work and some of the non-theoretical challenges the director will be presented with in professional and semi-professional theatre.

[Joshua Allerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great introductory information, Unwin kindly provides a chronionical order of the theatre, taking you from the choice of play to the critics' reviews afterwards. Highly recommended to anyone with an understanding of theatre wanting to enter the directing industry. You are required to know the works and have seen examples of the classics (Shakespeare, Chekov, Isben) to fully understand what is being said in some parts, but can just about get by if you haven't.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely invaluable... I think this might end up underneath my pillow for the next year of my life...
Very informative and clear... clear to the point that finding the chapter on language difficult to fully understand, I realised that this is an area that I should take a lot more care with.

[Jola Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

From obvious details to fascinating stories and useful information, I really enjoyed that book :)