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Directors and Directing
Short course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Join us at V&A South Kensington for a six-week course exploring the history of theatre directing and directors.
The role of the director is a fairly recent one in theatre. 18th and early 19th Century theatre was dominated by the actor manager whose view of the play largely revolved around showcasing his performance. But in the second half of the 19th century technical developments allowed for greater opportunities for staging and production. The 19th and 20th centuries also saw huge changes in theories about acting including Stanislavski and Brecht. Playwrights like Shaw and Ibsen were writing plays that were examining social issues and demanded a less melodramatic means of storytelling. All these new movements necessitated a new approach to staging.
This art history course will look at the historical development of the director with lectures and insights from guest directors and actors along the way.
The role of the director is a fairly recent one in theatre. 18th and early 19th Century theatre was dominated by the actor manager whose view of the play largely revolved around showcasing his performance. But in the second half of the 19th century technical developments allowed for greater opportunities for staging and production. The 19th and 20th centuries also saw huge changes in theories about acting including Stanislavski and Brecht. Playwrights like Shaw and Ibsen were writing plays that were examining social issues and demanded a less melodramatic means of storytelling. All these new movements necessitated a new approach to staging.
This art history course will look at the historical development of the director with lectures and insights from guest directors and actors along the way.
Course Leaders
Giles Ramsay and Malcolm Jones
Giles Ramsay has spent over thirty years working as an independent theatre producer and director specializing in creating new work with artists in developing countries. Malcolm has lectured on the Victoria & Albert Museum Short Course and Year Course Programmes since 2009, most recently running a course on Musical Theatre in 2023.
I signed up for this course as a one-off purely because of my interest in the subject but was so impressed by the lectures that I'll be looking to do further courses in the future. Previous V&A Academy Course Attendee
Course overview
In the second half of the 19th century technical developments allowed for greater opportunities for staging and production. The 19th and 20th centuries also saw huge changes in theories about acting including Stanislavski and Brecht. Playwrights like Shaw and Ibsen were writing plays that were examining social issues and demanded a less melodramatic means of storytelling. All these new movements necessitated a new approach to staging.
As the century progressed directors across Europe like Max Reinhardt, Erwin Piscator, Harley Granville Barker and Tyrone Guthrie refined the role of director delivering unique interpretations of great plays and by the middle of the 20th century the director was established. It was in the 1960s that the director, somewhat controversially became the name above the play and Peter Brook’s King Lear, Peter Hall’s Hamlet or Trevor Nunn’s Macbeth became an acceptable title. Since then the director has been a powerful figure and today we have directorial re-imaginings of plays from Shakespeare to Chekhov as well as directors running their own seasons in the West End.
As the century progressed directors across Europe like Max Reinhardt, Erwin Piscator, Harley Granville Barker and Tyrone Guthrie refined the role of director delivering unique interpretations of great plays and by the middle of the 20th century the director was established. It was in the 1960s that the director, somewhat controversially became the name above the play and Peter Brook’s King Lear, Peter Hall’s Hamlet or Trevor Nunn’s Macbeth became an acceptable title. Since then the director has been a powerful figure and today we have directorial re-imaginings of plays from Shakespeare to Chekhov as well as directors running their own seasons in the West End.
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Short course: Directors and Directing
26 February 2025 - 2 April 2025
£250.00
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
Header image: Picture of 1912 production of Oedipus at the Lyceum Theatre Directed by Max Rienhardt