Chapter 5 and Trouble in Mind

Subject: Adaptation and the director's role

Adaptation is a word that continues to resurface as we discuss the different roles in the theatre. We have seen it in chapters three, four and now five. It makes you wonder who is control of the adaptation of a play? Do we always look to the source of the play, the playwrite? Could you argue that the playwrite leaves it to the actors to "make the detail," as Declan Donnellan says? Finally, is it the director's role to put the pieces together? The answer, I think, is yes.

The playwrite publishes a play for a reason. He or she picks a subject that may or may not be close to their hearts, but they write the play for a purpose. As chapter 5 states, the director takes great consideration in choosing a play they want to work on, just as an actor does. It becomes a long process to get from the pages of a playwrite to the theatrical production. It is feasible for each person involved in the play may have a different vision, but I believe it is the director's role to put them all "in their place."

Trouble in Mind helped to amplify this point. I like the first look at Mr. Manners and the way he shocks the cast. He initially catches them off guard just to put them back in their place. He uses his knowledge of the actors and the play to gain his control over them. Mr. Manners is a person who has decided what he wants "his" play to look like, and is going to use his tools, the actors, to get the story across.

Directors can have so much control, but everything they do relies on the staff surrounding them. They can have an image of where the play needs to go, but without the right casting, set design, and correct communication among all parties, the director can easily lose everything.