Joe Deer is Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre and Director of The Musical Theatre Initiative at Wright State University. He has directed off-Broadway, in top regional theatres across the US and at many of the finest educational institutions in the world. His first book, Acting in Musical Theatre: a comprehensive course (co-author, Rocco Dal Vera) is also available from Routledge.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Eric Schaeffer

Introduction

How To Use This Book

Phase One: Conception

Timetable One: Preparation

Chapter One: Preparing for Collaboration

Unit 1.1 Reading and listening to the Musical

Unit 1.1.1 Gathering Impressions

Questionnaire: First Impressions

Unit 1.2 Creating a Research Portfolio

Unit 1.3 History and Society Viewed Selectively

Unit 1.4 Tradition

Unit 1.5 Dissecting the Script and Score

Unit 1.5.1 Units of Action

Questionnaire: Unit Analysis

Unit 1.6 Character Analysis

Unit 1.6.1 Facts

Questionnaire: Character Given Circumstances

Unit 1.6.2 Character Journey

Unit 1.6.3 Charting Change

Unit 1.6.4 Attitudes

Questionnaire: Character Attitudes

Unit 1.6.5 Ambitions

Questionnaire: Character Ambitions

Unit 1.7 Directing and Style

Unit 1.7.1 What Is Style?

Unit 1.7.2 Establishing Style in Your Production

Unit 1.7.3 Unity of Style

Unit 1.7.4 History and Genre

Unit 1.7.5 Worldview

Questionnaire: Defining Worldview

Unit 1.7.5 Articulating Style

Questionnaire: Elements of Style

Unit 1.8 Visiting the Performance Space

Unit 1.9 Getting It Down On Paper - Creating a Concept Statement

Unit 1.9.1 This Is The Story Of ...

Unit 1.9.2 Themes and Ideas

Unit 1.9.3 Images and Visual Style

Unit 1.9.4 State Your Passion

Chapter Two: Imagining The Chorus

Unit 2.1 What is a chorus?

Unit 2.2 Populating the world of your musical

Unit 2.3 The power of the group

Unit 2.4 Applying Pressure

Unit 2.5 Chorus as Storyteller

Unit 2.6 Chorus as Spectacle

Unit 2.7 Chorus as Characters

Unit 2.8 Engaging Chorus Actors

Phase Two: Collaboration

Timetable: Phase Two

Chapter Three: Creative Collaboration

Unit 3.1 The Passionate Center

Unit 3.2 What is a Choreographer?

Unit 3.3 Theatre Dance vs. Concert Dance

Unit 3.4 Musical Collaboration

Chapter Four: Directing the Design

Unit 4.1 Design Process: Scenery

Unit 4.1.1 Scenic Design Preparation

Questionnaire: Scenic Design

Unit 4.1.2 What to Expect in the Scenic Design Process

Scenic Design Process for Big River

Unit 4.2 Design Process: Costumes

Unit 4.2.1 Character Analysis for Costume Design

Unit 4.2.2 Practical Requirements

Unit 4.2.3 Cast by Scene Breakdown

Unit 4.2.4 What to Expect in the Costume Design Process

Gregg Barnes' Costume Design Process for The Drowsy Chaperone

Unit 4.3 Design Process: Lighting

Unit 4.3.1 What to Expect in the Lighting Design Process

Natasha Katz' Lighting Design Process for Follies

Unit 4.4 Budgets and Creative Limits

Checklist: Effective Design

Phase Three: Rehearsal

Timetable Three: Auditions to Final Studio Run-Through

Chapter Five: Auditions

Unit 5.1 Casting Breakdowns

Unit 5.2 Principal Role Auditions

Unit 5.3 Chorus Calls

Unit 5.4 Addressing Multiple Casting Needs

Unit 5.5 Non-Traditional Casting

Unit 5.6 Negotiations and Waiting

Chapter Six: Staging and Coaching

Unit 6.1 Staging Stories

Unit 6.1.1 Levels of Staging

Unit 6.1.2 Staging Questions

Questionnaire: Staging Action

Unit 6.1.3 Believable Spontaneity and Inevitability

Unit 6.1.4 Types of Musical Numbers

Unit 6.1.5 Prompts to Staging Opportunities

Unit 6.1.6 Staging Structure

Unit 6.1.7 Storytelling Through Staging

Unit 6.1.8 All Staging is Action

Unit 6.1.9 Storytelling - Beat-by-beat

Unit 6.1.10 Group Staging Notation

'I Wanna Be A Producer' from The Producers

Unit 6.1.11 Choreographic Staging

Unit 6.2 Staging Tools

Unit 6.2.1 Movement and Images

Unit 6.2.2 Principles of Effective Blocking

Unit 6.2.3 Compositional Qualities

Unit 6.3 Blocking Scenes and Songs

Unit 6.3.1 Blocking Script Set Up

Next to Normal scene/song blocking script

Unit 6.3.2 Ideas Into Action

Unit 6.3.3 Blocking Notation

Unit 6.3.4 Giving Blocking to Actors

Unit 6.4 Coaching Your Cast

Unit 6.4.1 Actor/Singers

Unit 6.4.2 10 Keys to Coaching the Singing Actor

Unit 6.4.3 Dancers are actors, too

Unit 6.5 Entertainment Values and 'Selling It' To The Audience

Phase Four: Production

Timetable: Phase Four

Chapter Seven: Moving Into The Theatre

Unit 7.1 Getting acquainted with the space

Unit 7.2 Spacing Rehearsals and Adjustments

Unit 7.3 Safety First

Unit 7.4 Adding Scenery and Props

Unit 7.5 Adding Lighting

Unit 7.6 Adding Orchestra

Unit 7.7 Sound Design and Reinforcement

Unit 7.8 The Stage Manager Takes Charge - Technical Rehearsal

Unit 7.9 Adding Costumes

Unit 7.10 Crew

Unit 7.11 Special Rehearsals

Unit 7.12 Putting It All Back Together

Unit 7.13 Finding The Heart of the show again

Unit 7.14 Prioritizing and Problem Solving

Unit 7.15 "Please" and "Thank You"

Phase Five: Performance

Timetable: Previews to Closing

Chapter Eight: Shaping the Production

Unit 8.1 Curtain Calls

Unit 8.2 Previews

Unit 8.3 Advice and Opinions

Unit 8.4 Opening Night

Unit 8.5 Notes and Rehearsal After Opening

Unit 8.6 Post Mortem

Chapter Nine: Etcetera - And All The Rest

Unit 9.1 Directing New Works

Unit 9.2 Directing Revues

Unit 9.3 Habits of Successful Directors

Appendices

Appendix A: Sample Documents

1. Weekly Rehearsal Schedule - Seussical
2. Daily Rehearsal Schedule - Carousel
3. Blocking/Staging Checklist - Seussical
4. Cast-by-scene Breakdowns - Nine
5. Scene and Song Rehearsal Unit Breakdown - Kiss Me, Kate
6. Concept Statement - Into The Woods
7. Scene/Song Unit Analysis - Fiddler On The Roof
8. Character Analysis (short) - The Light In The Piazza
9. Staging Roadmap (Beat Breakdown) - 'The Night Waltz' from A Little Night Music

Appendix B: Complete Production Timetable

Appendix C: Blank Questionnaires

1. First Impressions
2. Unit Analysis
3. Character Given Circumstances
4. Character Attitudes
5. Character Ambitions
6. Defining Worldview
7. Elements of Style
8. Scenic Design
9. Staging Action
10. Checklist: Effective Design

Appendix D: A Brief Glossary of Useful Stage Terms