Director

Director, person responsible for the general interpretation of a play, and for the conduct of rehearsals; known on the Continent as the régisseur. In England until 1956 he was called the producer, but it was then officially decided to adopt the usage of the American stage and the cinema. Until the beginning of the 20th century rehearsals were conducted by the author, the chief actor, the stage-manager, or the prompter, and they were brief and perfunctory. Many actors appeared on stage with no preliminary rehearsal, trusting to the older members of the company to carry them. The first to insist on long detailed rehearsals was the actress-manageress Mme Vestris. Dion Boucicault, who worked with Vestris, took her methods to the United States, where he directed his own plays and influenced David Belasco, America's first outstanding director in the modern style. Meticulous rehearsals, especially of crowd scenes, had already found favour in Germany with the Meininger company, whose influence was apparent on Otto Brahm in Germany, on Antoine in France, and on Stanislavsky in Russia. Among their disciples were Reinhardt in Germany, and in Russia Meyerhold. Meanwhile in England Granville-Barker had taken over the management of the Royal Court Theatre and trained actors in the new way. He was much admired by the French actor-manager Copeau, the first of a new generation which also produced Jouvet, Baty, Dullin, and, from Russia via Switzerland, Pitoëff. In Germany the work of the director was extended by Piscator and Jessner; in Russia Meyerhold gave way to Taïrov, Okhlopkov, and Vakhtangov; and in England French influence was brought to bear when Copeau's nephew Michel Saint-Denis settled in London. America developed a body of truly American directors with Eva Le Gallienne followed by Strasberg, Kazan, and Clurman. England was represented by Basil Dean and by the brilliant Shakespearian director Tyrone Guthrie; outstanding later directors were Peter Brook and Peter Hall. On the Continent the main currents of play production were influenced by Brecht, Vilar, and later Planchon and Stein. The styles of some directors may be immediately recognized. There is no lack of young and original directors in the theatre today; and there are courses for directors as well as actors.