(Note: This post has been updated (2) as of 8:02 AM Eastern on 10 Nov. See below.)
Regarding the, um, less than congenial reception of my post, "The Director's Chair" (and of myself as a trespassing and transgressing "civilian"), by several of the blogosphere's professional theater community, reader Joseph Alessandroni writes in an eMail (quoted with permission):
The pro's of the blogosphere's theatrical contingent may have pooh-poohed your contention that the playscript is the play, and that a director's main responsibility is to faithfully translate that playscript into a concrete physical reality that can be presented on stage for an audience, but you're in good company with that contention. You said theater was only of marginal interest to you, so I'd guess the name Jacques Copeau will be unknown to you, but for about the first half of the 20th century this French director-actor-critic-theorist was a major and influential voice in the theater, and his view of the director's main role exactly matches your own.
I thought you'd like to know that.
Enjoy reading your blog, and look forward to it on a daily basis.
Best wishes,
Joseph Alessandroni
I'm indeed gratified to learn of this (and gratified as well that Mr. Alessandroni enjoys the blog, and is a constant reader), but somewhat less than gratified to learn that my take on this matter was voiced previously by a Frenchman «spit!».
My thanks to Mr. Alessandroni.
Update (10:05 AM Eastern on 9 Nov): Uh-oh. Director and blogger Isaac Butler of Parabasis (he who thought it "ultimately ridiculous ... that we're spending a great amount of time as theater professionals arguing with someone who doesn't even like theater very much") doesn't much like what my eMail correspondent had to say (and be sure to read the attached comments).
Update (8:02 AM Eastern on 10 Nov): And the beat goes on.
It's The Music, Stupid!
Peggy
