Notes on Directing

The book is based on the notes of director Frank Hauser who had a distinguished career working alongside a host of theatrical and cinematic figures, including Sir Alec Guiness, Richard Burton, Sir Ian McKellen and many others who looked to Hauser as a teacher and mentor. Based on a long relationship and many discussions with Hauser, former student, Russell Reich has expanded and polished these notes into a book. Acclaimed as a timeless classic, the notes offer a succinct insight into the craft of directing and acting: from understanding the script, to rules for rehearsal, how to talk to actors, how to get a laugh, how to manage personalities and difficult situations. The notes also reveal what got the young Ian McKellen and Judi Dench started on their careers and offer rare quotes from artists as diverse as Anton Chekhov, Elia Kazan and Bernard Shaw.