Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Director's Craft is a unique and completely indispensable step-by-step guide to directing for the stage.

Written by one of the most adventurous and respected directors working today, this book will be an essential item in every student and practitioner's kitbag. It provides detailed assistance with each aspect of the varied challenges facing all theatre directors, and does so with startling clarity. It will inspire everyone, from the beginner just starting out to the experienced practitioner looking to reinvigorate their practice.

Katie Mitchell shares and explains the key practical tools she uses to approach her work with both actors, production teams, and the text itself. She addresses topics such as:

Each chapter concludes with a summary of its critical points, making this an ideal reference work for both directors and actors at any stage of their development.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• Part One Preparing for Rehearsals
• 1 Organising your early responses to the text
• 2 Organising information about each scene
• 3 Investigating the big ideas of the play
• 4 Analysing the action of the play
• 5 Deepening work on character
• 6 Building relationships with your production team
• 7 Selecting actors and testing starting points for rehearsals
• 8 Preparing the rehearsal environment
• Part Two Rehearsals
• 9 The initial few days of rehearsals
• 10 Building the world of the play
• 11 Working on the scenes of the play
• Part Three Getting into the Theatre and the Public Performances
• 12 Technical and dress rehearsals
• 13 The public performances
• Part Four Context and Sources
• 14 How I learnt the skills the book describes