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    AbdulRasheed Musa

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    147 views12 pages

    Evolution of Play Directing

    Uploaded by

    TofunmE
    AbdulRasheed Musa

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    HUMANITIES | REVIEW JOURNAL June 2002 Volume 2. Number 1 ISSN 1596-0749 A PUBLICATION OF HUMANITIES RESEARCH FORUM Rasheed A. Musa 46 Play Directing and Directors: An Evolutionary ‘Doctimentation in the Nigerian Thestre PLAY DIRECTING AND DIR AN BVOLUTIONARY DOCUME IN THE NIGERIAN THEATRE "TOR VATION Rasheed A, Musa versity of Hor tion Theatre documents life aesthetically in different performat reflects on the attractiveness of man’s glorious moments it also celebrates in an absurdist manner, the nothingness of his existence. Many artists and theatre designers make things happen in the theatre through their creative, imaginative, intellectual and pirational endowments. One of them is the theatre director who engages in the art of play directing and who is the facilitator and organizer of the totality of the mise-en- scene in the theatre, Drawing, from the above, this paper 1s set to trace the evolution of play directing and the theatre directors in he different theatres ofthe world, to critically evaluate the art of play directing and the Nigerian theatre directors and comment on play directing and the Nigerian theatre, The evolution of the Nigerian theatre director ‘ean be traced through six major stages: “The community/traditional theatre director ‘Theactor-manager-theatre director “The playwrighttheatre diecetor ‘The literary and or, academic theatre ‘The student and of, apprenticeship theatre director ‘The professional theatre director We also observe in this paper that some Nigerian theatre directors belong to two or three ofthe above categories and that play directing i till a part-time and an all-comers profession in the Nigerian theatre, For the Nigerian theatre ditector to come of age there is aneed for exposure, edueation and technological understanding so as to enable them ‘cope with the ever-rising challenges of play directing. “There have been diverse opinions about what play directing should be. Nwoko observes, “In all the theatres of the world, the director has always been a controversial, figure and still remains so as his functions vary with theatrical styles” (1981:477). The 46 Play Directing And Directory A) theatre director's ubiquitous personality is as result ofthe numeren in quite sizeable numbers of deamatic genresavaitable to hint to work with. He thealtieal demands of staging a tragic play difers from that of acomie or absurdist play. Pssential the theatre director's major concern is theatrical and dramatic pertormanee, a web, wel his art depends on, The position af Kolzetka on the process of play making, anu theatre direetor is relevant here ‘A great play does no just happen on stage but isthe wearing tetera atte the talents, visions and skills of many workers under he intelligent, planned sd shill ‘uidanee oF leadership of one acs, de dine, (1968515) The theatre director must be versatile and understand the vital arts of the theatie. 1p ‘own ‘jack of all trades’ must be master of al. While not attempting (0 iynore the soe ial significance of “theatre as a group art’ or the division of labour through job special ation in the theatre, one is certain that the theatre director is: ‘Someone witha passionate interest in acting, plays, and the erative proces hal le to peeformance, yet with no desire to take an active par in stage managing acti designing: finger in every pie...(Mertison, 1984:14) I'he director cannot dance properly, he has to know the artistic relevance of varios dances prevalent in his environment and their relevance to his repertory. If he cant sing melodiously, he must understand musie and know when discordant cane nd tov are to be corrected. As a designer, he must also know the relevance of colour (0 I ‘various theatrical conceptions. If he has not received any formal training in eostuinin and make-up, he must be a willing collaborator and adviser inthe art of costurniny amid make-up, Cole (1992:5) in her book, Directors in Rehearsal further confirms Nwoko assertion thatthe director ‘has always been a controversial figure’ (1981:477). She di her examples by observing theatre directors practically at rehearsals, She also capline and catalogues various scholarly and definitive notions about the theatre director. Sore of the attributive metaphors of the theatre director include: Directors Father-Figure, Director as Mother, Director as Ideal Parent, Director as Teacher Director as Ghost, Invisible Presence, Ditector as Third Eye, Director as Voyeur, Directo! as Ego of Superego, Director as Leader of an Expedition to Another World, Director ‘Autocratic Ship Captai, Ditector as Puppet-Mastr, Director as Seulpton/Viseal Aris Director as Midwife, Directors Lover Direcior as Marriage Parner, Director as Liter ritic, Director as Trainer of Athletic Team, Director as Trustee of Democratic Spi Director as Psychoanalyst, Director as Listener, Surtogate Audience, Director as Aut Director as Harrower/Cardner, Director as Beholder, Ironic Recuperator of the Mater Gaze. ‘The above summarizes the position of the theatre director in the art of play directing Directing can also be described as the organization, management, interpretation coordination and manipulation of uman and material resources towards the sole purpose of creating an artistic whole for the audience. Direoting is teaching what to do as it also AN Rasheod A Musa ‘iene atintio demonstration of what is boon Dirveti Filerpreliig, bs analyeing ws 4 is onganizing. HAs watehing, a itis picturizay Jaualivin, Slab yoos the art ot play diaceting. “ay the most extensive and dem Wetheatre arts (1974 vii), Directing isn parasitic art whose artist must survive on the Aiilitle Co-operation of other theatre designers and performers, AIL these tectinical, Aiiote onut snanayorial tasks make the evolution and the development of play directing fin! we theatre director a study in theatrical progress Divectingg snl Pheatre Directors: Th or ieally, it isan aceepted theoretical proposition that gx nis such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus and Aristophanes wrote and iver ed their own plays during th od, What has not been recorded isthe ‘le of loaders of troupes before the eraft of playwriting began. During the Elizabethan Hioul, William Shakespeare, through two of his plays, Hamlet and A Midsummer Nigli’s Dreams, provided information about the importance of good actor’s voice an sjeel an some of the results the director must strive to obtain from the actor. In Hiner, Ale eponymous bere takes the place of the director and tells the players what Hie gvants them 40 do in the play-within-the play. The following are his preliminary Iinstrwetions Mumlet: Pray God for your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not erack’d within thering... come, give us tate of your quality, come, a passionate sp Vist Player: What speech, my good lon? Hamlet: Vea thee Speak me speech once, but itwas never acted, o fit was, not above once, forthe play. remember, pleas’d not the million,“ was caviary tothe general... an excellent play, well digested in the scenes, set down with as muel modesty as cunning... (cited in Jacobus, 1996:235) tn a desperate attempt t ensure thatthe players are ready forte play-within-the-pay, inlet reminds them: Hamlet: Speak the sposch, 1 pray you, a8 T pronoune’d it o you, trippingly on your tongue. But i'you mouth it, a many of our players do, Thad a life the wown-crir spoke my lines...but inexplicable dumbshows and ‘noise. I would have such a fellow whipp'é for o'er-doing Termagant. Pirst player: I warrant the honour. Hamlet; Be not tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor. Suit ‘the action fo the word, the Word tothe action, with special observance, that you o'ersep nto the modesty of nature. For anything so o’erdone {is from the purpose of playing, whose and, both atthe first and now, ‘was and isto hold as't werethe mirror upto nature... cited in Jacobus, 1996-240) Play Directing And Directors. 49 hough Hamlet, William Shakespeare (eaches his players on the nature of d rweigh sdvaninges of acting and its clisadvantages when over-done. ‘This makes him ph ditcetor ‘Another celebrated Shakespearean play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, which ‘contros om the illusion of reality and man’s unending struggle to define and understand himself his social environment, the world of fairies, dreams and the pendulum of love cslablishes the historical nexus ofthe playwright ~ director: Bottom: (Awatking) when my cue comes, call me, and I will answer. My next is “Mos fair pyramus... (cited in Jacobus, 1996:203) Bottom is obviously prepating for his entrance through the above excerpt and the simple literal interpretation of the above lines is that, “I have not forgotten the stage direction zgiven to me by my director I will enter when itis my time to doo". Theseus, the Duke ‘of Athens in the play also plays the role of a theatre director through his directions although he is symbolically represented as a majestic monarch in the play. ‘Moliere, a French dramatist was another playwright-director who through his ‘one act play in 1663 titled L'Zmpromptu de Versailles documents theatre history. The following encounter between Moliere and his players in the play further helps us to illustrate the fact that the playwaight-director through the art of play directing has been imexistence for long: ‘Moliere: Ladies, gentlemen, come-on nov, eu thet out! Are you trying to be funny? Listen now- oh a Plague on you! Listen now, rol call: Monsieur ‘deBrecoun? Brecour: What? ‘Moliier: Monsieur de a Grange? LAGrange: What i it? ‘Moliere: These people are driving me insane God! You want totum me into a ‘madman, gentlemen? Brecourt: What do you want usto do? We knovr our pats, so you're the one who"s s0ing to drive us insane ifyou make us perform today Motiere: .” Aetors are animale! Wild Beasts. Ah well, Take your places, we have ‘nwo hours yet you're already in costume, so let at least rehearse while Mile. du Pare: My God, [be terrible. Why in the world; you give me all hese affected parts... There's no one inthe world less affected than Tam, ‘Moliere: That's true, and it makes you an even beiter actress to play roles so ‘contrary to your nature! Try to catch the character of your part, and do believe in what your represent. (Turning to du Croisy). You play the poet, You must fill the character with yourself. Get that pendant ar that he assumes before the world, the sententious tone, and the precise pronounciation ofeach lable; doa’ tmissa singleletter oft... (cited ‘Cohen, 1988:148) BO Kavheed A Mave Fhwavienl events during the clussivat period @ eontrol OF He slaginy andl performance oF the (109/229) obverve that show that the playrigl plays, Huberman, Pope a 8 were 1 Ludwig IW the classtont heat enWry A.) the playwrights themselves ek! the responsibil ‘vn plays: Following the example of the pioneering performer'Thespis, the earliest le cramatist rained the chorus, invented the musi, conceived the chon cen Cirecw and Rome (the sisth gentry B.C: ta the sixth Wy all to dhe sets, sd ever acted i their own plays, ‘euudling behind the playwright-directors is the actor-manager-ditectors, This /slquory of diteetors considered the production from the perspective ofthe role they are ply netors nd managers of their companies and as the atistic coordinators of all he theatrical and technical activities (as directors). Because of over-coneentration of finetions in the hand of one artist as the case was under the actor-manager-director, sone direct ws suffered and there were limited rehearsals, uncoordinated ‘ovement and directions and actors were often turned into robots because of the mode oF their mechanical acting. “Historically, the phenomenon of actor-manager-director spunea between 1750-1850, However, ion ofthis system was the aetor-manager, the leding actor who ‘the limelight, dhe est roles, the most sumptuous eostumes, and the 1 (Huberman, Pope and Ludwing, 1993:229) Voremnost aetor-manager unhinon, Edwin Booth, ‘ui many more iuded Edmund Kean, David Garrick, Charlotte erry, Charles Lemble, Thomas Betterton, Henry Irving, {he producer-directoris the third category of director in theatre history. Directors ‘wal this category bring “individualism” into the theatrical art of play directing. Evin K! Gollarb conclude that has sometimes been argued that the director did not exist in thé theatre before 1874, when a German nobleman, George I, duke of Sax-Meiningen; began supervising every element of his theatrical productions and coordinating them into an integrated whole Beginning with Sex-Meiningen, the director emerged as a ful-ledged, indispensable tember ofthe theatrical team, aking a place alongside the playwrights the performers, andthe designers. (1993:35) Alter the duke of Sax-Meiningen, the following theatre directors also fimetioned in the hyphenated producer ~ director capacity; Andre Antoine of the Theatre Libre ot Free ‘ heatre of Franee, Constantin Stanistavski, a producer- director —actor and co-founder ‘of Moscow Art Theatre, Max Reinhardt who was famous for ‘imaginative, theatrically cllective and spectacular productions’, Vsevolod Meyerhold who created the director's {hatre, Robert Wilson of the ‘Visual tablcaus’ which he called “the repetitive movements’, Play Directing And Directors 51 Paul Fort of Theatre d’Antin Paris, Jerzy Grotowski ofthe poor theatre fame, Peter Brook monished fellow directors to play God, In this study, we have categorized the evolution of Western play directing and the theatre directors into three categories (the playwright-director, actormanager-director an! producer-director) It is pertinent to observe that professional theatre directors are also the products of these three categories, This classification is speculative because ‘some theatre scholars have also come out with numerous categorizations. For example, Cohen (1988:145-153), presents us with a four-part categorization- ‘the teacher-directors, the realisic-directors, the stylizing directors and the contemporary directors’. Wilson ‘and Goldfarb also provide two categories, the author- director and the traditional director, Whiting (1961:147-151) recognizes the following theatre directors asthe historical egg hheads of the art of directing; David Belasco, Tyrone Guthries, Elias Kazan, Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, Gordon Craig, Max Reinhardt, Appia Wagner and the Duke of Sax. ‘Meiningen whom he described as a ‘strict disciplinarian’, These theatre directors evolved. different directorial principles and numerous styles, concepts and different directing, processes that change with time and period. ‘This is erucial because who. the job of directing calls for the imagination and sensitivity ofan artist, the skill and patience ofa teecher, and the efficiency and organization of an executive. (Whiting, 1961:156) ‘Nigerian Theatre and Drama Nigeria as a country is essentially heterogeneous and what can be called ‘the Nigerian theatre’ isthe theatrical cum cultural activities and performances of the numerous ethnic nationalities that made up Nigcria. Ogunbiyi, while tracing the evolution of Nigerian theatre and drama in his widely celebrated article, “Nigerian theatre and drama”. A. critical profile” observes that -the origins of Nigerian theatre and drama lei the numerous traditional religious and functional ritvalsto be found in practically every Nigerian society. What is however not clear and therefore remains speculative, isthe question of the precise evolutionary agrovrth of drama from rituals, that is ifa all did, (1981:4-5) ‘The classification and evolution of the Nigerian drama and theatre have always been a controversial issue and this contention is bome out of the theatre scholars’ desire to define the boundary between drama and theatre, While Nigerian theatre scholars traced the evolution of the Nigerian drama and theatre and have attempted various

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