Newsletter
February/March 2004
by John
Watson
As a director, what’s in your “toolbox” of practical skills and knowledge? When was the last time you added to it? Whether this update is a new warm-up, interesting blocking technique, a new way of exploring text, an understanding of current acting theory, or a new way to lead rehearsals—a director’s skill set should always be advancing.
Learning to be a director, or further developing one’s skills as a director, can be accomplished through a variety of means, including training, practical experience and by reading books that explore the art of directing in all its many forms.
“There isn’t one ‘best’ book on directing. There are textbooks used in colleges and universities, there are simpler how-to’s and anecdotal books coming from the author’s experiences,” says Leondard McHardy, Co-Owner of TheatreBooks. “It is important to read the table of contents and to flip through the book; does the material speak to you and your needs?” Notes on Directing
by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich (RCR Creative Press) is a highly practical manual that has been endorsed by Edward Albee, Tom Stoppard, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen among many others. It offers to-the-point observations on directing, including important “road maps” to getting the play on stage. While it is easy to read, the valuable information contained within will empower any director to succeed. This new book has been flying off the shelves since its release.
For those looking for a less-traditional approach
to directing, check out Ann Bogart. She has written a fantastic book
A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Theatre and
Art (Routledge) that is part artistic manifesto and part
handbook. Ann is the Artistic Director of the SITI Company, a New
York-based experimental theatre/dance company that has developed two new
approaches to acting. Ann Bogart: Viewpoints
by Michael Bigelow Dixon explores the acting technique “Viewpoints” developed by Ann Bogart. Play Directing In The School: A Drama
Director's Survival Guide
by David Grote (Meriwether Publishing) is written for the novice director, and takes the reader through the process of choosing a script to casting to the rehearsal process. This book is intended for teachers and explores the challenges of producing theatre in an elementary or high school setting. William Ball founded the American Conservatory
Theatre, a company that explores classical and contemporary work. His
book, Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of
Directing
(Quite Specific Media) is a candid, personal look at the directing process, including pre-production homework and rehearsal techniques. His insightful experiences discuss team building and putting ideas on stage. On Directing
by Harold Clurman (Fireside) is a book that finds its roots in the Russian tradition of acting technique. Clurman describes working with Marlon Brando, Arthur Miller and Julie Harris. While the content is distinctly American, it is a good preparation for directing the classics.
Breaking down the director’s process is John
Ahart’s book The Director’s Eye: A Comprehensive Textbook for
Directors and Actors
(Meriwether Publishing). In a textbook format information about rehearsals, analyzing the script, developing a style, collaborating with other artists is shared with the reader. Tips: Ideas for Directors
by Jon Jory (Smith & Kraus) offers bite-sized tips and advice on all aspects of directing. From casting to text interpretation to blocking suggestions to staging, this little book is a great resource for the beginner director.
While not a directing book per-se, a wonderful
resource for playreading committees or directors of musical theatre is
Let's Put on a Musical!: How to Choose the Right Show for Your
Theater
by Peter Filichia (Back Stage Books). This book explores over 200 musicals and breaks down each shows’ plot, casting requirements and staging needs, plus groups the musicals by predominantly male or female casts, shows that are vocally demanding and those requiring a lot of choreography, and musicals suitable for high school youth.
All of these books are available from TheatreBooks,
11 St. Thomas Street, Toronto ON M5S 2B7, phone 416-922-7175 or
1-800-361-3414, www.theatrebooks.com
Any of these books would be great to add to a personal collection or theatre library, and they also make for a great opening night gift. By expanding a director’s toolbox, theatres around the province will increase in their artistic excellence!
by John
Watson
On January 1, 2004, the final phase of a
three-part piece of federal legislation came into effect. The
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
(PIPEDA) affects all Canadian not-for-profits, charities and businesses. Because Ontario does not have a similar privacy bill, Ontario companies should refer to the federal PIPEDA legislation.
PIPEDA applies new rules to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. Personal information is information that can be used to identify or contact a specific individual, including name, age, contact information, and family relationships. This impacts a theatre’s use of patron, member and donor information.
A key component to ensuring your theatre (professional and community theatre groups) is following PIPEDA is the development and adoption of a privacy policy. This policy will guide the practices of your theatre’s personal information collection and use; and explain them to the public.
There are 10 principles, recommended by the Canadian Standards Association, which should be taken into consideration when developing your theatre’s privacy policy. 1. Accountability
Theatres are responsible for all personal information under their control. For example, theatres can state in their privacy policy that they will not sell or lend their patron, member, and donor lists to other organizations. 2. Identifying purpose
Theatres need to document the purposes of collecting/using personal information. For example, your policy could state: “the theatre uses personal information to serve patrons through mailings (by mail or electronic) and phone calls to provide information about tickets, memberships and donations.” 3. Consent
The knowledge and consent of an individual is required for the collection/use/disclosure of personal information. For example, ticket-buyers can be asked over the phone or tick-off box on their order form if they would like be added to the mailing list to receive future mailings from the theatre about special events and activities. 4. Limiting collection
Theatres may only collect the type of information necessary for the identified purpose. For example, theatres that are paying individuals to be a part of their productions collect Social Insurance Numbers (SIN) on contracts in order to issue T4 slips. 5. Limiting use, disclosure and
retention
Personal information can only be used for the purposes for which it was collected, and retained for a period of time necessary to fulfill that purpose. Many community theatre groups distribute lists of their members. These members must have the opportunity to decline having their personal information (name, phone number, address, e-mail, etc.) distributed at large. 6. Accuracy
Personal information has to be accurate and complete. Patrons, members and donors have a right to ensure their personal information is correct. 7. Safeguards
Theatres must protect personal information from theft and loss as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying or use. A policy might state: “personal information is stored in our database(s) and in hard copy files. Only authorized theatre personnel have access to this information.” 8. Openness
Theatres must provide information on their privacy policy and contact information for the person responsible for ensuring the privacy policy is acted upon. If your theatre has a website, your privacy policy should be posted there, it can also be mentioned in your newsletter. Every organization should have one person responsible for ensuring the privacy policy is followed. This person is known as a Privacy Officer, and their duties could fall to a box office manager or membership director. Your privacy policy should explain how to contact this person. 9. Individual
access
Individuals can request to be informed of the existence and use of their personal information, and be given access to that information. 10. Challenging
compliance
Theatres must develop procedures to handle complaints about the use of personal information. Any complaints should be directed to your theatre’s Privacy Officer, but in extreme circumstances, the complainant could take their case to the federal Privacy Commission.
Theatre Ontario has developed a template of a privacy policy for its members. You are welcome to read it and adapt it to fit your theatre’s specific activities. Your policy should be adopted by your board of directors and reviewed annually. This document is available here on our website as a (Microsoft Word file).
For assistance in developing a policy that meets
your theatre’s needs, contact John Watson or Andrea Emmerton at Theatre
Ontario.
To view Theatre Ontario's privacy policy, click here.
 |
Maureen Lukie in "Harvey" | by Christine Berg
Lik e most people involved in theatre, Maureen Lukie does it all: acting, directing, and serving on numerous boards. She’s committed to professional development, and through her job, helps cultivate future talent. She is an active member of Theatre Ontario’s Board of Directors. Her varied talents and diverse experiences are an inspiration.
If you ask Maureen, her involvement in theatre
began with a sort of divine accident. While Maureen was in high school,
her instructor, Mrs. Campion, wanted to cast Maureen’s best friend as Anne
in the school production of Anne of Green Gables
. Maureen recalls, “ We were inseparable, my friend would only agree to do the role on the condition that I was given a part in the chorus. I count Mrs. Campion, as one of my career mentors because of the gift of that role. After having that first experience, I just kept going!”
Although Maureen came to the theatre by chance, you could say the theatre is in her blood. Maureen’s parents both enjoyed an evening of theatre, in fact, in his youth her father was an enthusiastic amateur actor, though he eventually gave it up to pursue a career in the air force.
Though she enjoyed acting, a fundamental fear of auditioning steered her away from attempting a career as an actor, but eventually led her to find her calling as Story Editor in residence at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto. The focused creative environment there has helped to bring out her best. Maureen spends her time working with young writers from across the country, in the spirit of community and collaboration. Out of isolation and immersed in this supportive environment, Maureen helps to guide emerging writers from one draft of their script to the next. “ I love the collaborative process of writing for the movies. Sometimes we have meetings that are a week long, and at the end of it I try to distill all the information into something that the writer can work with”. It’s an intensely engaging career, and that’s not all she has time for!
As a volunteer, Maureen is extraordinarily dedicated. She is a volunteer board member for ACT-CO, Theatre Ontario, Toronto Irish Players, and Amicus Productions. She became actively involved with ACT –CO (Association of Community Theatres - Central Ontario) in 1992, after being invited to write their newsletter. She was still involved a few years later, in 1995, when Theatre Ontario’s festival was going to be held in the central region. Amicus Theatre, of which Maureen is a founding member, agreed and Maureen became chair of the festival for that year. Maureen was appointed by ACT-CO to Theatre Ontario’s Board of Directors in 1999.
As well as being a part of Theatre Ontario’s
board, Maureen has participated in Theatre Ontario’s Summer Courses. She
began by taking Advanced Scene Study with Sue Miner in 2002. Maureen
describes it as an experience that has “really changed me, especially my
confidence level. It was so unexpected; it started with my acting and just
started filtering into other areas of my life as well. ” For her, the
experience of working and living with a community of people round the
clock and away from all distractions was creatively enriching. In fact,
she registered for another course the following summer, Hands on Design
with Tanit Mendes. This course was a big stretch for her artistically as
she had very little background in design, but the risk was worth it. She
has gained a new set of skills, and is currently developing design ideas
for James Joyce’s The Dead
, which she is directing for Toronto Irish Players.
Maureen is always interested in challenging herself creatively. Her upcoming project, as director of The Dead is her first crack at directing a musical, something she has always wanted to try. Much like story editing, Maureen recognizes that with each directing project, the process is a little different. However, as a director, Maureen finds the best results by taking a ‘writer-centered approach.’ She begins by looking at the play overall and asking herself “Why tell this story? What is the writer trying to say?” In Maureen’s words, “I look at the play as a whole and try to gain a deeper understanding that way, before beginning page by page analysis.”
Because she has worked as an actor, a writer, and
a story editor, her approach to directing is deeply informed by her
intimate knowledge of each of these disciplines; which come together to
form the overall vision of the play. The Dead
will be running from February 19 to March 6, 2004. For information and reservations, call 416-440-2888.
According to Maureen ‘it’s the twists and turns
that give interest to our work and give us things to say’. I’d say that’s
true about our lives as well. | 