Di Trevis is a world-renowned director, whose work with Britain’s National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and directing productions worldwide, has deeply informed her knowledge of the director’s craft.
In Being a Director, she draws on a wealth of first-hand experience to present an immersive, engaging and vital insight into the role of a director.
The book elegantly blends the personal and the pedagogical, illustrating how the parameters of Time, Space and Motion are essential when creating a successful production.
Throughout, the author explores and recycles her own formative life experiences in order to demonstrate that who you are is as integral to being a director as what you do.
Introduction Part 1: Directing: The Parameters 1. Space 2.Motion 3.Time Part 2: Directing: The Specifics 4. Deciding to direct 5. Choosing the play 6. Reading a play 7. The meaning of a play 8. Choosing actors 9. Rehearsing the actors 10. Sounding the text 11. Shakespeare 12. Designing and Lighting a space 13. Finding music 14. Showing the play Part 3: Directing: The Kwoth 15. My journey, personal and professional
Biography
Di Trevis has worked at the National Theatre, RSC, Almeida Theatre and the Royal Opera House. In 2001 she adapted, with Harold Pinter, Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past which transferred to the Olivier stage in 2002 and won an Olivier Award the same year. She has taught extensively in the UK, USA, France, Germany, Austria and Cuba. Between 2003 and 2007 she was Head of Directing at the Drama Centre in London.
'Hard to remember how few women directors there were when I was cast in Di’s first play. She was revolutionary, an actor directing, one of the company, conscious of a wide European repertoire and irreverent imaginative theatrical magic. Inspired by the subtle dance of words, she was just so excited to create a playful rehearsal room, her laugh infectious. Rehearsing in 1984, she had me standing outside McDonald’s on a box haranguing hamburger eaters. I haven’t stepped inside a McDonald’s since. That’s how good Di is.' – Mark Rylance
