Product Description

Until very recently, directing wisdom was passed on in the form of "tips". Continuing this tradition, you will find them ranging from the way set a scene to directing the actor on the way to laugh. The tips are clear, concise, evocative, and constructed to give you a better day in rehearsal and performance. A buffet of ways to improve immediately that you'll refer to over and over again!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #218216 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 263 pages

Review
A fine tool for directing and realizing a successful play production. -- Reviewer's Bookwatch October 2002

About the Author
Jon Jory served as the producing director at Actors Theatre of Louisville for thirty-one years, during which time he directed over 140 plays and produced over 1,300. He is recognized as a major innovator and initiator for the American theater during a crucial era of its growth. Throughout his career, Mr. Jory has devoted his energy to the rebirth of the regional repertory and to excellence in all facets of production, but especially to the encouragement of new writers and the production of new American plays. Mr. Jory is himself a published playwright. He now teaches theater at the University of Seattle. Mr. Jory has been responsible for developing the internationally lauded Humana Festival of New American Plays, the SHORTS Festival, and the Classics in Context Festival. Through his work at Actors Theatre, he has brought new plays to festivals all over the world. Plays from Actors Theatre directed by Mr. Jory have been seen On- and Off-Broadway, on national television, and in fifteen regional theaters in the United States.

Mr. Jory has directed and taught in Greece, Canada, Bulgaria, Australia, Hungary, Israel, Ireland, Yugoslavia, Poland, Egypt, and Syria. As a result of these efforts, he and Actors Theatre have received the Margo Jones Award twice for the production of new plays, the Shubert Foundation's James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of the Professional Theatre, Carnegie Mellon's Commitment to Playwriting Award, and a Special Tony Award for Achievement in Regional Theater. Mr. Jory was an honored recipient of the American Theatre Association's Award for distinguished Service to Theatre, the National Theatre Conference Award, the Southeastern Theatre Conference Distinguished Career Award, and the Milner Person of the Year Award.

"The craft of playing comedy is a lost art." Jon Jory

Customer Reviews

Tips Rocks
Fabulous gem of a book - all the things you thought you knew/learned/mastered.... Pithy, humorous, witty AND to the point, these tips are organized in a great form that's suitable for flipping through for ideas to set that next rehearsal on fire, hold more useful auditions, give clearer notes, or get through opening night.... Jory covers all the bases in this worthy companion to Tips for Actors, which every actor(and director!) should own.

Small but mighty!
The cast of any theatrical production establishes a unique culture, the tone of which is set by the director. That tone can be miserable; the director either lacks control, or he/she creates a fearful environment, in which actors expend all their energies in dodging sarcastic and belittling bullets.

"Tips" is a refreshing and positive outline of how to create a creative productive culture in which everyone is free to exercise individual artistry guided by the director.

As an actor, I've worked with directors I'd swear hated actors, and as a director, I've worked with (and am working with) actors who don't want to be directed. Mr. Jory provides clear and specific techniques on how not to be the first and how to deal with the second. I'm so grateful for this book, which goes far beyond the obvious to be helpful.

Wise, wry and witty, this little collection should be required reading for all directors in the theater. How to deal with specific varieties of difficult actors, how to conduct auditions and rehearsals, and when the director should keep quiet are just a few of the practical tips this book offers.

Mr. Jory drew from his considerable experience in writing this book. His underlying fairness and courtesy is impressive and he even addresses how to cope when good manners are not reciprocated. This book is a lifesaver for avoiding some of the human bombs that mine a director's path and I wish I'd had it years ago!