A book doesn't have to be big to be beautiful or weighty to be significant and here we have a publication that is likely to find itself in very many directors 'essential reading' lists.
Notes on Directing collects together the rare artistic secrets of director Frank Hauser. Hauser ran the Oxford Playhouse for sixteen years and had numerous theatrical productions in London, New York, and throughout Europe. He also taught at Oxford, Julliard, and several other universities. The book's coauthor, American Russell Reich, is one of Hauser's former students. In 1987, Hauser appointed Reich as his assistant director on a production of Robert Bolt's A Man For All Seasons. Apparently, during rehearsals Hauser handed Reich twelve pages of typed directing notes saying "you might find these useful."
Well, with refinement and expansion those notes have now been published and indeed we may "find them useful!" This is not a "Dummy's Guide" nor is it an opportunity for the authors to name drop. It is a set of simple rules and ideas to help guide the director through the creative process.
Inexperienced directors would do well to read the whole book, experienced ones to dip into it. Both will find between the hardback covers gems to help focus their thoughts and move them forward when stuck.
At Last! An informative insight into the role of the director that communicates the unsteady path taken when script and the actor collide. Notes on Directing is a simple, no nonsense read that informs the aspiring director without becoming dogmatic. Its simple and logical progression builds with witty insights and relevant anecdotal supportives. This book can be read cover to cover as it is informative and engaging, or it can be a valuable aid to the director as a reference point when the rehearsal is going wrong. Whatever the situation you will find yourself in, this little gem of wisdom will certainly put you back on the right track or, indeed, give you the answer.