Maria Shevtsova: Fifty Key Theatre Directors

London and New York: Routledge, 2005
ISBN 0-415-18731-1 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-18732-X (pbk)
286 pp + xvii

Fifty Key Theatre Directors covers the work of practitioners who have shaped and pushed back the boundaries of theatre and performance.  The authors provide clear and insightful overviews of the approaches and impact of fifty of the most influential directors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries from around the world.  They highlight rehearsal and other aspects of each director’s unique contribution to the theatre, referring to specific artistic innovations and developments of the directors in question and citing some of their main productions.  The book brings together eighteen different scholars whose entries begin with André Antoine and end with Calixto Bieito, and include JoAnne Akalaitis, Ann Bogart, Tadeusz Kantor and Anatoly Vasiliyev.  Shevtsova’s articles are on Pina Bausch, Patrice Chéreau, Lev Dodin, Declan Donnellan, Ariane Mnouchkine, Luca Ronconi, Peter Sellars, Giorgio Strehler and Jean Vilar.

Reviews

‘The subjects are arranged chronologically, which facilitates tracing influences and making comparisons between contemporaries.  Additionally, an alphabetical list of names follows the table of contents, making the book suitable for reference purposes as well.  A comprehensive index to individuals, play titles, theatres, locations and common topics of concern to directors follows the final entry….  Mitter and Shevtsova’s work is a definite enhancement to this area of study.  In particular, it draws much-needed attention to a few (seven) of the important women directors of the last century, and it venture assessment of established yet still active artists.  On the whole, this is a refreshing collection, and an important step forward in one of the more challenging areas of theatre scholarship.’ - Christa Williford, Theatre Topics

‘Aimed, by its own account, equally at the general reader and the student-practitioner, this collection of short essays has been put together “in the spirit of generating a lively debate”…. I know from my own students that this volume has already established itself as a very effective means of gaining a rapid overview of the subject area. All entries have highly focused suggestions for further reading.’ - David Grant, New Theatre Quarterly