A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre

It's true that this book does not offer technical guidance on directing. I concur with the other reviewer in recommending William Ball's "Sense of Direction" if you are looking for a straightforward beginner's guide for directing and managing rehearsals and the technical aspects of producing a show (with lots of little practical details that some other writers leave out). What this particular book is invaluable for is its wisdom on the art of directing. The information Bogart provides in this book is not useful in the sense that it will not help a newcomer to know how many run-throughs to schedule before tech and such. It will be of incredible use, however, when a director is in the middle of a rehearsal trying to make innovative and engaging directorial choices on the fly and simply does not know where to begin or how to even approach the subject politically, intellectually, or artistically (which is the real difficulty in directing). Bogart here is big on encouraging artists to make "brave" choices without censoring themselves, but to still be aware of the political choices they are making. This sounds like telling people to be brave when they don't have the practical experience to develop or implement these big choices. I think the technical experience, however, comes with just that; experience. Get a different kind of guide to start out with (consider Bogart's practical guide, "The Viewpoints Book"), keep directing over and over again, try different things, read this book and others, and definitely consider some of the points Anne Bogart makes here in this work. Ball's book is what guides me in how to structure rehearsals; Bogart's (and Augusto Boal's as well) work is what inspires me to direct in the first place. Coincidentally, they are all at odds with each other on certain philosophical and artistic points (Ball believes the actor to be heroic when they are free to make choices, Bogart believes the actor to be heroic when they know how to accept constraints, Boal believes it is heroic when the spectators themselves make the choice to act, etc.), but that is the joy of figuring things out for yourself. This book is a great place to start in developing your own philosophical approach to directing (and I believe that as an artist, you should very much have some kind of philosophical approach to your own work). I personally have Anne Bogart's wisdom and techniques to thank for many of the choices I make as an artist, and I am glad that I read this book and became familiar with her work early on in my directing experiences. p.s. On a technical note, her writing style is sometimes a little long-winded, meandering, and vague. Read this for fun (or "inspiration," if you will), and just let her lead you from anecdote to anecdote. I personally like her style, but others might find it distracting.

A vitally important book about creating theatre in the 21st century. Those who complain that this book is not a handbook for how to direct are unfortunately missing the point - one would be hard pressed to find a more important, inspirational book about why we take on the struggle that being in theatre brings. Don't let the price scare you, all you fellow actors on a budget - this book is for you, too.

The title is misleading since the book is really about the process of making art--specifically making theater--and will be valuable to anyone involved in the collaborative process. Some have complained that this book does not tell one "how to direct." But Bogart's book is about how to find one's voice as an artist and how to wrestle with material--topics that are rarely treated with the sanity that this book does. Reading it will help you figure out how to direct(or act or design) in your own individual way.

Bogart writes from her years of experience and vision in A Director Prepares. Readers merely looking for a book on "how to direct" may want to look elsewhere: this manifesto takes on serious issues faced by theater artists every day. While other books "on directing" explain how to get actors from point A to point B, A Director Prepares examines the shoulders that theatermakers stand on: artistically, historically, politically. And it's not just for Bogart/SITI Company disciples. Like the creation of theater, A Director Prepares requires heightened attention and a clean slate every time you dive into its pages. It's inspiring, but also a challenge to theater makers to rethink how we approach our processes and to question upon whose shoulders we stand.

Far from being a prescription about how to direct, this book offers the wisdom of Anne Bogart's experience as a collaborator, investigator of the human condition, and artist committed to making theatre that is alive and relevant. I have had the pleasure of knowing and studying with Anne, and this book codified and elaborated on so many of the things I wished I'd written down at the time. The book illuminates her way of working more than it promotes any particular aesthetic, and in that, I think it should be incredibly helpful and informative to all theatre artists at any stage in their careers. Some reference point for Anne's work or the work of her SITI Company might make the more esoteric sounding parts of the book clearer for the reader, but all in all, this is a great read.