Is directing an art? Do directors need to be trained? What do directors actually do? These questions and more are answered in this accessibly written survey of the art of theatre direction. Its broad scope ranges across the theatres of both America and Europe, looking at practices from Stanislavski up to the present day.

SIMON SHEPHERD is Professor of Theatre and Deputy Principal (Academic) at the Central School of Speech and Drama, UK.

Preface: This Book and the Others
PART I: FINDING A NAME FOR IT
PART II: BEING A DIRECTOR
What is it Directors Do?
Methods of Direction
PART III: INTERVIEW WITH RALF RICHARDT STROBECH
PART IV: HISTORIES
The Beginning of Directors, and their Possible End: A Brief History
The Pre-history of Directing
Christophe Alix: A Brief History of the Publicly-funded Director in France
How Shakespeare Shaped Directing
PART V: DIRECTORS AS AUTHORS
Authoring Authority
James Reynolds: Robert Lepage and Authorial Process
PART VI: AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL GRANDAGE
PART VII: THE ART OF ORGANISATION
References
Index
Bibliography.