On Directing

by Harold Clurman

This guide to directing takes the reader from the initial choice of play right through every aspect of its production to performances and beyond. It contains the author's directing notes for ten of his best-known productions and anecdotes about working with famous playwrights and actors.

Genres: Theatre, Film, Nonfiction, Reference, Drama, Plays

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Harold Edgar Clurman was an American theatre director and drama critic, "one of the most influential in the United States". He was most notable as one of the three founders of New York City's Group Theatre.

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some background first, for I feel that this book - and maybe any book on theater/theatre - coincides with one's own experience in the art. Here's mine.

My first experience as an actor was when I was in church. I played an important shepherd in a musical called "No Phibbin' Mephiboseth". This was (much later) followed by a Middle School version of "The Hobbit" and then, in High School, I tried to act in at least two plays a year. College also found me acting many times. I have been in seven (I believe) acting courses, a Stagecraft course, worked on sets for at least three or four plays, and - in my recent job - been afforded the chance to co-direct Jean Anouilh's Antigone as well as work with students directing their own plays for the past few years. So ... I've been in the theater for a while. I have some experience on "both sides of the stage" so to speak, and, in preparation for my solo directorial debut, wanted a little extra background on directing.

I found Harold Clurman's book for cheap at a bookstore and figured, "Why not?"

First things first, is this a useful book for beginning directors? My answer is yes, to a degree. Is this a useful book for intermediate or advanced directors (that is, those who have directed before and wish to refine their techniques)? My answer is again yes, to a degree.

And what degree is that?

The underlying assumption of this book is that you are a director for a professional theater production. Off-Broadway or touring companies may be the lowest level that Harold Clurman's book assumes you will be working with. So, as I am directing a high school play, much of this book is impossible to employ. For the intermediate and advanced directors, they too have certain ideas on how a production should look and work. They may be constrained by factors not present in the productions that Clurman discusses. Are there ideas present in the book that they could try out if they haven't already? Absolutely. I think the Director's Notes (Part III of the book) would work wonderful for the experienced director looking for inspiration on how to tackle a particularly "difficult" play. That section also works great as examples of what Clurman means when discussing his pre-production work. The idea of a director's script as a blue print is not new to theater, but the detail discussed here (and to varying degrees based on the play) gives a handle to someone who has not been disciplined in thinking of the cohesiveness of a production.

Of course, the beginning director should look for one or two things to pull out of this book and then look for his/her own style of direction. I don't believe that everyone needs to be a "Harold Clurman" (and how many people actually recognize that name anymore? Hell, how many people recognize the names of the playwrights he has directed plays of anymore? I only knew maybe 75% due to my own training and the basic understanding of theater that I have). But the main reason why this book is not getting a higher rating is that it is most useful to the director planning on a professional production, and those directors should have had experience and training equal to reading this book by the time they would pick it up. I don't have enough time in a high school production to let the actors do nothing but read the play for two weeks. I only have 5 - 8 weeks for rehearsal and at most 5 hours per week for those rehearsals. Clurman has full day rehearsals.

Useful? Sure. But I'm sure there's better books out there.

[Feliks · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent/adequate survey of all the basic theatrical principles --supported by a rich trove of anecdotes--from a big name in the stage, Harold Clurman. Clurman's career goes back to 'The Group Theater' era in New York: Stella Adler, Elia Kazan, Lee Strasberg, Kim Stanley. He's worked with Richardson, Olivier, Guinness, Gielgud, young Brando, Matthau, Malden..everyone.

So the book is fine in that it rehashes all that. Whenever it was first released it may very well have been a wonderful read. When it was released everything in it must have seemed worth bearing-in-mind. But today, any junior high-school age kid would probably know all this material. Its all pretty much old-hat at this point. We're simply in a much more media-aware age than whenever this book came out. 'Actors need to find their motivation' is almost a cliche these days.

It is not a 'how-to' or a 'manual' of any kind. For sure, Clurman explains the way he directs--in detail--he shares much sage advice. But he offers no instructions. He doesn't describe how-to-do anything--merely, how *he* does things.

Half the book is how Harold Clurman 'assesses' a long list of famous plays and famous fictional characters he encountered during his career. Basically you can read his 'old notes' for famous stage plays. This is fully half the book: talk about what the 'spine' is for fifty plays and fifty protagonists.

Annoyingly, Clurman uses the word 'spine' as his constantly reiterated 'go-to' concept. He really wants you to gravitate to use of his favorite phrase. 'Spine'..what is the 'spine' of MacBeth? What is the 'spine' of Hamlet? (But what if you don't wish to adopt this?)

At the end of it all, its simply a pleasant, 'fireside chat' of a book. A garrulous, and rambling set of "reminiscences" rather than a clear-cut set of methods you can adopt in your own career. You learn all about how Clurman made his mark on the stage-- but not at all about how to go about directing a play of your own.

There's 'guidelines' Clurman offers, sure--but always with the understanding that 'you can probably find your own way just as well!' In other words, Clurman's advice is not 'firm' or 'bulletproof' [exactly what most people want, these days]

Conclusion: if you love New York/London theater lore, this is the book for you. If you are trying to learn directing techniques...not so much!

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately didn't care much for this book. This title is definitely outdated in 2020, with Clurman referencing not only plays and historical figures I've never heard before to attitudes that no longer meld with where society is today. There are excellent notes and insights, but it's bloated by diatribes on personal experience and references that I don't think added anything to the collection.

[Adam Hegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read this one to get my head in directing space. I feel like Clurman is my uncle. The prose can be considered kind in this book. It almost feels as though he is (while providing erudite instruction) telling you stories on his front porch. That is not to say that this is a work of anything other than a sparkling intellect. I am better off for having read it again.

[Julian Munds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best book I've read about the subtle art of theatrical direction. It uses personal anecdote and also a balanced perspective to convey points. A must have for any theatre professional. The best thing is the examples at the back and even though the book is over 50 years old it still rings true. At times Harold even accurately predicts the future.

[Keira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most straightforward book on directing for the theater. Clurman is the master at laying out, step-by-step the process of directing. A major tool for any aspiring director and a must-have for the bookshelves of the experienced director.

[Kevin Powe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As comprehensive a guide to the process of directing as you can expect from a written text, carefully constrained and positioned by Clurman as simply his own perspective.

Looking forward to digging into some of the play analyses in conjunction with the play itself.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This helped me figure out why directing came more naturally to me than acting. It was also really clear and practical, without being too basic.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great inspirer to directing actors and being prepared for a play or film.

[Jeremy]

Great for all directors - good notes in the end

[Jennifer-Lynn Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh, it took me about five months to finish this book! Not because it wasn't interesting, but maybe more-so that I just wasn’t ready to take in all its information when I first started reading it. As an actress and someone who wants to direct more in the future, I found a lot of valuable and fascinating insights. Although theater and cinema have their differences, their core essence often overlaps. Some parts of the book felt like they dragged on a bit too long, making me think, “Alright, I get it, let’s move on.” However, once I dedicated time to sit down and read, I truly appreciated it.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book by a great director. A knowledgeable and balanced look at the direction process. While there is certainly a lot of Clurman's personal directing philosophy, there is also a hefty amount of practical advice, a Q&A section, and a large appendix with a sample of his director's notes. Good for actors and directors alike.

Some of his style comes off as "name dropping" but for Pete's sake. If the man directed Marlon Brando he's allowed to say so!

[Bryan Lucchesi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book comes highly recommended by every single directing teacher I know. It might have been mind-bending when it first came out, but if you’ve never directed a play before, this will not help. If you’ve already directed, this will not help.

If you like random and hilarious anecdotes about stanislavski, then read this book. Otherwise, don’t bother.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

هارولد کلرمن یک نظریه پرداز تیاتر و یکی از بنیانگذاران "اکتورز استودیو" در نیویورک است. نظریات تیاتری او که بیشتر بر اساس روش استانیسلاوسکی بنا نهاده شده، در دوره ای بلند بر تیاتر آمریکا سایه انداخته بود. یکی از نمایش نامه نویسان مشهور دهه های بیست و سی قرن بیستم، "کلیفورد اودتس" تحت تاثیر کلرمن، نمایش نامه های اجتماعی نوشت که در دوران رکود اقتصادی آمریکا سخت مورد توجه مردم قرار گرفت. انچه بعدها بر مبنای نظریه های کلرمن در "اکتورز استودیو" رواج پیدا کرد، معروف است به "تیاتر روشی" که غرض در اصل همان روش استانیسلاوسکی به روایت آمریکایی آن است. برای نقد و بررسی آثار کلیفورد اودتس، اینجا را بخوانید

هارولد کلرمن که در سال هایی همکار و دوست نزدیک کلیفورد اوتس بود، و همراه او "گروپ تیاتر" را تاسیس کردند، پس از مرگ اودتس، و در سال های دهه ی شصت قرن گذشته، در بنیان گذاری یکی از گروه های تیاتری که در تیاتر جهان اثر گذاری شگفتی داشت، به نام "تیاتر زندگی" یا
Living Theatre
حضور موثر داشت. او که بازیگر، کارگردان و منتقد تیاتر بود، با بسیاری از کارورزان مشهور تیاتر در قرن بیستم از نزدیک آشنا بود
در مورد کلرمن و رابطه اش با کلیفورد اودتس، اینجا را بخوانید؛
http://www.ali-ohadi.com/global/index...

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a standard text on directing and it really deserves the praise it gets.

[Kari Barclay]

This was a trip down memory lane. I last read this when I was 15, and, rereading it in grad school after years of directing, it was like seeing where all the techniques I use now came from. I'd forgotten their source and just how solid this book is.