Directors’ Theatre

David Bradby (1942 – 2011) was Emeritus Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. He was the UK’s leading specialist in modern French theatre, and a prolific translator of French playwrights and theatre-makers, including Michel Vinaver, Bernard-Marie Koltès, and Jacques Lecoq.David Williams was Professor of Performance Practices in the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance at Royal Holloway, University of London, until his retirement in 2016. He published on the work of Peter Brook, Ariane Mnouchkine, and Theatre de Complicité, and he is also a director, performer, and a long-term dramaturg with British performance duo Lone Twin.Peter M. Boenisch, originally from Germany, is Professor of Dramaturgy at Aarhus University, Denmark, and Professor of European Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. His research areas are the fields of theatre directing, dramaturgy, and contemporary dance.

Bradby and Williams’ study of directors’ productions and the development of their theories and practices remains informative and compelling. Directors’ Theatre is an important text for theatre historians and those in the field of directors’ theatre, who study the artistic role of director. Additionally, it is an important text for anyone who wishes to pursue the art of directing, providing a basic overview of several directing practices.

• Preface: ‘Enthusiasm and conversation’ (David Williams)Introduction: ‘Directors’ Theatre 30 years on’ (Peter M. Boenisch)Part I: Directors’ Theatre (David Bradby and David Williams)1. The Rise of the Director2. Joan Littlewood3. Roger Planchon4. Ariane Mnouchkine5. Jerzy Grotowski6. Peter Brook7. Peter Stein8. Robert WilsonPart II: ‘Directors’ Theatre’ – 30 years on: Perspectives and Horizons9. Directors’ theatre in Eastern Europe, 1945 – 2018: A survey of some trajectories (Katalin Trencsényi)10. Dis/playing Direction: ‘Genetic Research’ as new approach in directors’ studies (Edith Cassiers, Timmy De Laet, Luk Van den Dries)11. Beyond ‘directors’ theatre’: Global(ised) mise en scène in the twenty-first century (Patrice Pavis)12. The Heterarchical Director: A model of authorship for the twenty-first century (Duška Radosavljevic).