Antigone

Directorial Concepts!

Directorial Concepts! What’s that?!

• When you Direct a play you must think of the following… • What is your focus going to be? • Where are you setting it? • How you going to connect to a modern audience? • How are you going to make it different?

Antigone…

• As a director you may want to stage your play in a CLASSIC setting or a MODERN setting. • You may want to focus on one of the themes e.g. Family, Conflict, Gods etc • You may want to think about HOW you are going to stage it!

Proscenium Arch

A stage where the audience sits on one side only is called a proscenium stage (you might know this as end-on staging). The audience faces one side of the stage directly, and normally sits at a lower height.

Theatre in the Round

An in-the-round the centre of the audience - ie there is audience around the whole stage. This type of stage creates quite an intimate atmosphere, and is good for drama that needs audience involvement

Avenue Theatre

A stage where the audience sits on two sides is called an Avenue stage (or Traverse). Again, this type of stage is good for creating an intimate atmosphere.

Other ways to stage…

• Thrust Theatre • Promenade • Site Specific

Various Stage Productions around the world…

Setting

• Where are you setting it? • Bosnia? • Greece? • Iraq? • Post 9/11 – pre 9/11? • Nazi Germany? • Unnamed country?

Theatre Arts

• Think about… • Lighting: colours (gels), back lighting, strobe etc • Costume: Period? Style? Colours? • Mask: Yes? No? • Music: Music adds great affect – where can you add music into the text to create atmosphere or build tension?

Remember you are the DIRECTOR! Be interesting! Be daring! Be Bold! BUT ALWAYS…

JUSTIFY!

WRITING A SET TEXT ESSAY

• READ the question at least three times • Underline KEY words • Separate the question into the A section and B section • Make a plan • INTRODUCTION – explain what you are going to do i.e re-word the question. Give a full explanation of any of the key words that you will be attempting to justify.

• M E G – Make a point, exemplify the point and give a quote to back it up (stage directions are acceptable) • At the end of each paragraph, re-state the question and the point you are making • DO NOT – simply re-tell the story, make up quotes, repeat previous quotes unless you are making a different point • ALWAYS – sum up your findings – re-word question and justify how you have answered

What do you think is the dramatic purpose of the opening in your set text? As a director, how would you communicate this dramatic purpose to an audience?

• Working with a partner, construct an essay plan on the above question, using textual references to justify your answer.

The Dramatic purpose could include the following: setting the scene, character development, providing backstory, exploration of two contrasting characters, introducing key themes and issues, introducing how two characters in the excerpt feel about the character of Creon. As a director you choose where to focus your purpose but you must justify! You can use the structural devices/concepts below to help communicate your purpose.

• Acting techniques and rehearsal process • Theatre Arts • Staging • Directorial Concept • Use of language • Media