"Directors and Designers" Pamela Howard

-  Architect Adolphe Appala interpreted creation as “the synthesis of space, light and performance achieved by one total personal vision.” P.25

-    Robert Edmond Jones commented that “the excitement that should be in theatres is found only in baseball parks, arenas, stadiums, and racecourses.” P.25

- Director and designer must work collaboratively to carry out unique vision. However, working together is not so easy. Directors and designers have very different views of collaboration; designer does not want to express too much of his opinion, lest he upset the director.Director seems to think that the relationship with designer is agreeable.

 -Designer does more than the job requirement, “Above all, it emerged that a designer had to be like a wife-supportive, a friend and a partner, ready to co-operate at all times and on all occasions…” 

- Prowse states “the best conversation I ever had with a director was with myself in bed at night.” P. 25

-          Designers only able to work through directors. Designers work for directors,  An unbalanced or unequal relationship. Designer may long to work with a particular play, but must render to the choice of the director

-          Theater designer Joe Mielziner described members of his profession as servants. Logically, must seek to serve the play. Simultaneously, must seek to serve the director.

-     Usually, harmony between the director and designer is a matter of co-operation, rather than collaboration. Director as the employer, and designer as the employee. Director as the master, and designer as the obedient/obsequious servant.

- This theater hierarchy can be likened to the architectural structure in which the team occupies. Degrees of separation have intensified throughout 20^th century.

-  Producers and management on upper floors; well-lit, perspective views. Artisans in basement workshops, near heating plant and boiler room. Poorly lit in comparison, no natural light. Director occupies center axis of building, the stage. During rehearsal, sits behind desk in center of auditorium, much like monarch in the Royal Box. Designer has no designated area to himself. Treks around the stage with his materials, goes where necessary. During rehearsal, no designated viewing spot like Director; simply uses vacant chair in back of room.

-          Master/servant relationship must be revised. Collaboration, as opposed to co-operation on behalf of the designer, must be sought.

-          Some inclined towards spatial imagination, some inclined towards literary imagination. Distinction has become Designer and Director, respectively.

-          Sometimes, however, designers are the central authority and assume the power of a director. Declare themselves to be more bold and more daring in executing certain ideas; courage to be innovative. Not held down by higher power.

-          When the vast, empty stage space is taken into consideration before all else, necessary that the designer become an architect of the imagination. Designer is no longer decorator of directorial concepts; has a higher purpose. Explore all spatial possibilities to exploit.

-For theater creation to move in different direction, familiar mantra must be followed. “Let us therefore move away from the labels, stereotypes and definitions and focus our attention on what we can do, individually, on the ground.”