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Threaded Order Chronological Order
| re: Stage directions | |
| Posted by: | StageDoorJohnny 05:33 am EST 12/20/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Stage directions - AlanScott 01:26 am EST 12/20/15 |
| two older era authors who did write their stage directions were James Barrie and GB Shaw. Indeed, Barrie's stage directions are almost as much fun as his plays And where today's authors may be careful to insist on the gender of the actor playing a role, or a specific setting for their play (Beckett for sure) I've never heard of a case of someone being sued for not following stage directions -- in fact a theater in Connecticut is being sued now for essentially lifting a production, sets, costumes AND blocking from Hartford Stage. If I do a show in 3/4 thrust or in the round, how do I follow stage directions? | |
| reply to this message | |
| Shaw, O'Neill, Barrie | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 06:39 pm EST 12/20/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Stage directions - StageDoorJohnny 05:33 am EST 12/20/15 |
| It's generally clear with such authors as Shaw, O'Neill and Barrie that the stage directions come from them. They often go far beyond simple descriptions of sets in terms of where, say, the fireplace should be in relation to the door to the hallway and the door to the study, into . . . well, I don't have to tell any of you the kinds of things you find in their stage directions. I remember someone, maybe Mordden, talking about how Mielziner got huge praise for his scenic effects for Me and Juliet, and some of the critics seemed to think that the ideas came from him. The ideas came from Hammerstein. Mielziner made them happen onstage, but they were in Hammerstein's head first. Unfortunately, of course, they were the best things about that particular show. Some of the lawsuits in recent years have seemed a tad odd to me given the history of acting editions. Not all of them, but that Love! Valour! Compassion! suit seemed odd to me given that for so long it was common for acting editions to include not only detailed stage directions based on what was done in the original production but even floor plans and prop lists. Certainly the message given for decades was that it was not only OK to copy a Broadway or London production, it was expected. Things have changed, but it's not surprising that the director in Florida (Michael Hall, not the actor) may well have thought that it was perfectly fine for him to borrow ideas used in Mantello's production. I don't have a copy of the licensed script, but the lawyer quoted in the linked article says that the elements over which Mantello sued were in the licensed script. I'd guess that they no longer are in the licensed script. I think Manello's beef should have been with McNally and Dramatists, not with Hall and the Caldwell | |
| Link | Settled out of court |
| reply to this message | |
| re: Shaw, O'Neill, Barrie | |
| Posted by: | Michael_Portantiere 08:19 pm EST 12/20/15 |
| In reply to: | Shaw, O'Neill, Barrie - AlanScott 06:39 pm EST 12/20/15 |
| I happened to see that Florida production of L!V!C!, which was not long after the Broadway production, and my impression -- even before the lawsuit was filed -- was that they copied the Broadway production down to the minutest details, including specific blocking, interpretations of the roles, and even facial expressions and line readings. I assume that was the issue, rather than recreation of the floor plan and props list. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Shaw, O'Neill, Barrie | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 12:53 am EST 12/21/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Shaw, O'Neill, Barrie - Michael_Portantiere 08:19 pm EST 12/20/15 |
| Part of it, according to the news reports at the time, was the use of the model house, which Mantello said was his idea, but which I'm guessing is (or at least was) mentioned in the acting edition. Anyway, there are a lot of articles online about the specifics of the case, none of which probably get quite as specific as you and I might prefer. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| O'Neill | |
| Posted by: | showtunetrivia 10:53 am EST 12/20/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Stage directions - StageDoorJohnny 05:33 am EST 12/20/15 |
| A few years ago, the Neo-Futurists did an entire show based on the incredibly detailed stage directions in O'Neill's early plays. Laura | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: O'Neill | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 11:05 am EST 12/20/15 |
| In reply to: | O'Neill - showtunetrivia 10:53 am EST 12/20/15 |
| It was fun. I think they actually did a second play with more of them (that I didn't see). | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
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