Theatre Thoughts and Theories -- an IB Theatre Blog for CA: October 2018

1. Read. However literate you think you are, keep reading. Read plays and novels and adaptations and screenplays. Read social histories and biographies and diaries. Read all around the plays that most interest you. Prepare yourself as best you can for the searching questions your actors will fire at you on the rehearsal floor.

2. Go to the theatre. All sorts of theatre. Whatever you can afford. And don't be too discriminating. See everything—the National, the RSC, the Royal Court, your local rep, the school play. The latest blockbuster musical may be beyond your purse, but if you can get a ticket, go and see what the fuss is about. And don't ignore the fringe. You might learn more by watching a rough theatre production in the upper room of a pub than anywhere else.

3. Travel. The world is your oyster—and there is theatre all over the world. Broaden your view about what constitutes good theatre by seeing it in its myriad traditions and cultures. If you speak another language, don't let it slide. Practise it, study its theatre literature, translate from it. Make it a special corner of your expertise.

4. Meet playwrights. Directors don't have anything like the authority you might imagine. Playwrights are the primary creative force in theatre. Get to know them. Read their plays. Help them develop their work. Set up readings with actors. The more playwrights you know and who trust you, the more likely it is you will be asked to direct one of their plays.

5. Meet actors. Directors should love actors. If they don't look forward to the time they spend with their actors and genuinely appreciate the actor's process, they will never be good directors. Actors are remarkable creatures: what they do, night by night, performance by performance, is extraordinary. Get close to it. Strive to understand the creative chemistry of the actor becoming the character. It's at the very heart of the business.

6. Form a company. However small, however poor. The idea of a company is at the heart of all theatre practice; little groups of like-minded artists ganging together to create plays. Raise some cash
and put the plays on. Learn from your successes or failures and move on to the next project.

7. Work as an assistant. Write to all the directors you know or whose work you admire. Explain why you think the two of you would be a good match. Have something to show on your CV to prove your point. If you get taken on, be attentive and loyal and company-minded. Learn everything you can about your principle's method but don't get addicted to assisting. There's a limit to the usefulness of watching from the sidelines.

8. Work in the theatre. Any job will do. Directors should understand how every other department in the theatre works. Get a job in the wardrobe department or with the stage crew, or in the lighting or sound departments; or as a dramaturg, a box-office clerk, usher or dresser. The more you know, the better you will be at the directing game.

9. Observe the world. Whether you work inside the theatre or out, don't get trapped by its artifice. Wherever you live, wherever you work, you will meet the original versions of the characters you see in plays. Learn to observe people closely and analyse them accurately—their psychologies, predicaments and family lives; their fears, failings and aspirations. If you want your productions to be true reflections of real life, you must know your subject matter in the greatest possible detail.

Caird, J. 2010. “Want to be a theatre director? Here are my 10
top survival tips”.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2010/mar/23/theatr
e-director-10-top-tips. Accessed 20 January

Monday, October 8, 2018

Director's Vision

https://www.goodspeed.org/My%20Files/Guides/Director's%20Vision/DROWSY_Directors%20Vision.pdf?utm_source=Goodspeed+Musicals&utm_campaign=d65fceb590-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_28_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_16b00892f8-d65fceb590-561400065

Friday, October 5, 2018

Director's Notebook (lowest marked example)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_6_e&sample-count=26

Sample 6: Director's Notebook

Red by John Logan

Assessment

Criterion	Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	1–2
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	5–6
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	3–4
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	1–2

Examiner comments

The student does not provide any research into the cultural and/or theoretical context from which the play originates, though there is a brief mention of the playwright and his work. The student researches Rothko, who is the subject of the play, but the student does not link this research directly to the play. The student presents some of the ideas of the play, but these are outlined and underdeveloped. The student is awarded 0 for the first strand and 3–4 band for the second strand. According to best fit the student is awarded a 1–2 (0 and 2 for band 3–4).
The student describes their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions, presenting a range of possibilities and ideas. The student makes links to live theatre experiences. The student outlines how one director, in the live theatre they have experienced as a spectator, created moments of meaning and how another director used performance elements to transition between scenes.  
The student outlines their directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is partially supported by some appropriate production and performance ideas. The student outlines the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience paying attention to some performance and production elements but these are generally listed. The student’s ideas are underdeveloped without explanation regarding how their ideas are related either to intention or intended impact.
The student lists how they would stage two selected moments of the play. This work is limited in scope. The student lists performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play but does not offer any sort of explanation regarding the thinking behind these choices. There is some attempt to explain how production elements fuse together but this is not coherent or clear.

Director's Notebook (medium marked example)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_8_e&sample-count=21

Example 8: Director’s notebook

Whose life is it anyway? By Brian Clark

Assessment

Criterion		Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	5–6
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	5–6
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	7–8
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	5–6

Examiner comments

The student presents some research and outlines the cultural context from which the play text originates, focusing primarily on the reception of the subject matter around the world. The student describes the ideas addressed in the play text in terms of both themes central to the play and minor themes. The student explains how these ideas are presented by the playwright with some reference to the text.
The student explains their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions, presenting a range of ideas and interpretations (band 7–8). They only address one production, however, that they have experienced as a spectator. Though there is some detail regarding how the student links this experience to the play text, explaining how the director achieved particular effects, the student has not addressed a range of productions as required and can, therefore, be awarded marks higher than band 3–4. According to best fit the student cannot get higher than a total of 6 marks (one strand in band 3–4 counts as 2 points and one strand in band 7–8 as 4 points).
The student explains their appropriate, effective and feasible directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is consistently supported by an appropriate range of imaginative production performance ideas. The student describes the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience. The student needs to give more of an explanation regarding how performance and production elements would together create this intended impact on the audience.  
The student describes how they would stage two selected moments of the play. The student sometimes describes and sometimes outlines how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience. This requires more attention to detail.

Director's Notebook (high marked example)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_5_e&sample-count=25

Example 5: Director’s notebook

NONGOGO by Athol Fugard

Assessment

Criterion	Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	7–8
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	7–8
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	7–8
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	7–8

Examiner comments

The student has researched and explained the cultural context of the play as well as mentioning the theoretical context. Research into cultural context is closely related to the ideas of the play, fitting with the political subject matter of the play. The student explains the ideas presented by the playwright making particular reference to how these ideas are presented and evident in the play. The student integrates research into the context from which the play originated with the ideas of the play, demonstrating an understanding of context, the ideas of the playwright and the relationship between the two.
The student explains their artistic responses focusing primarily on character, explaining that they see the oppression of character as the main focus of the play. The student presents a combination of their personal responses, artistic ideas and explorations of the play. The student makes very good links to a range of live theatre productions, explaining how these productions will inform their own production. Their references to productions, however, are largely descriptive and they do not explain how directors created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning. As a result the student would not get the full marks in this band.
The student clearly describes their directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. Their ideas are effective and feasible and the student shows how they are appropriate by relating them directly to the play’s political context and the ideas presented by the playwright as identified in Criterion A. This is supported by an appropriate range of imaginative production and performance ideas. The student clearly explains the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and consistently explains how their performance (characterization, movement) and production elements (set, costume, props, lights, sound) would together create this intended impact on the audience.  
The student selects two distinct and focused moments from the play. The student is clear about their intention in the staging of these moments and explains how this will be achieved. The student identifies both moments as moments of meaning that convey key ideas, but also describes how tension, emotion and atmosphere will be created and the impact this will have on the audience. The student explains how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to effectively fulfill their intention of communicating the ideas of the play. They are consistently conscious of the audience experience.

Director's Notebook (example with high marks in all but artistic influences)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_7_e&sample-count=21

Example 7: Director’s notebook

The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall

Assessment

Criterion		Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	7–8
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	1–2
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	5–6
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	7–8

Examiner comments

The student presents their research and explains the context from which the play originated in detail. The student explains the play’s historical, cultural and contemporary significance and the importance of its geographic setting. The student also addresses the play’s theoretical context as a piece of community and political theatre. The student clearly explains the ideas presented by the playwright and demonstrates their relationship to the context.
Though the student has titled this section Artistic Responses and Live Theatre Experiences they begin by presenting their artistic intention which is assessed under criterion C. There is little here that can be assessed as artistic responses or creative responses prior to developing their directorial intention but there is some evidence of interpretation. The student cannot be assessed twice (under this criterion and under criterion C) for the ideas they present as part of their directorial intention and the examiner has therefore assessed most of this section under Criterion C. The student’s links to productions they have experienced as a spectator is limited. They have not addressed how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning.
The student explains their appropriate and feasible directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text but this is not consistently supported by production and performance ideas. The student explains the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience both in this and in the previous section. They describe some production elements and how these would create this intended impact on the audience but more detail is needed regarding these and performance elements. 
The student explains how they would stage two selected moments of the play and ties this to their intention and impact, and to the ideas and context of the play. The student explains how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience. The student shows a good understanding of how tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning can be created.