Directing: A Miscellany by Simon Usher

A witty, anecdotal window into the world of theatre. Usher has spent over four decades as a theatre director and has staged productions at The Royal Court, National Theatre and for the RSC. He is a director who evidently thinks deeply about his craft; in a recent conversation with Colin Ellwood, he suggests that, ‘Directing… is about striking the correct balance of complex forces that play out in the rehearsal room… The director in this sense is a moral arbiter; they are the person who exposes truth and the actor becomes one who confesses.’

Here, Usher gives honest and searing insights into the art of theatre directing and uses overheard conversations, philosophical quotes, essays and truisms to do so. He makes no bones about the fact that theatre directing is a difficult profession, and you get a real sense of his battles on the wooden boards.