by Robin Galen Kilrain

A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre
and
And Then, You Act: Making Art in an Unpredictable World
by Anne Bogart

Ye Bare and Ye Cubb presented in a Virginia pub in 1665, and Hair performed in Sarajevo by a Bosnian company during the height of conflict there in the early 1990s. Christo’s bridge wrapping in 1985 Paris, and Victor Schklovsky’s theories on the purpose of art, expressed in essays he wrote in the 1920s. All intrigue director/teacher Anne Bogart, as do myriad other acts of creativity both on and off the boards. A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art in Theatre and And then, you act: Making Art in an Unpredictable World function as outlets for Bogart’s studies of the hows and whys of the creation of art, with particular focus on preparation and follow-through.

Someone once said that “all the world’s a stage”—and Bogart seems to concur, often roaming far from any footlights in her writings. The stage is just a stepping-off point for many of her observations about art, life, theatre and all that jazz. Consequently, A Director Prepares and And Then, You Act are no ordinary technique handbooks. Neither, however, are they non-ordinary technique books, as her Viewpoints guide might be considered. Rather, these two titles more closely resemble philosophy treatises.

Bogart has plenty of deep thoughts to share, formed over her decades of experience in the theatre: directing her own company (SITI, which she founded with Tadashi Suzuki in 1992) and teaching (she is currently a professor at Columbia University, where she runs the Graduate Directing Program). Although not at a loss for ideas, Bogart supplies other worthy company as well for her readers. Henry Miller, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Yo Yo Ma and many other creative minds known for brilliance in their fields are represented. Even Buddha has a say. Their opinions are woven through chapters on subjects as diverse as memory, terror and resistance (A Director Prepares) and context, intention and magnetism (And Then, You Act). The result is a fascinating array of views presented in 15 immensely satisfying essays.

On the last page of A Director Prepares,concluding the chapter on resistance, Bogart raises a call to action — not just on isolated stages, but also in the larger arena of life. This provides a perfect segue to her next book, whether or not it was planned that way. On the first page of the introduction to And Then, You Act, Bogart smoothly completes the transition, illuminating her intent for the two titles. Director describes “the process of preparation and groundwork for an artist”; And Then delves into the action that needs to follow, specifically in “times of difficulty, whether personal or political.” (The latter book was published in 2007, notably after 9/11, which heavily informs the introduction, the chapter on context and, presumably, the book’s subtitle.)

In her collections of essays, Bogart explores a depth and breadth of material that may be unexpected in theatre books. But for all the Big Issues navigated, the counsel offered in these two titles seems to come down to some pretty straightforward recommendations: Prepare, then go for it. And continue to be influenced by, and to in turn influence, the world.

Not bad direction.