My Latest Favorite Directing Book

The Theatre of Thomas Ostermeier is my latest favorite directing book. I've been a fan of Ostermeier's work for a while (though I've only seen two productions live), and as an American director who loves this work but is struggling with a lifetime of training based in psychological-realism, it's hard to find my connection to it. The truth is, I like psychology, and want it to be part of the work, I think it's more interesting that way. Our job is to find humanity, right? 
But, we live in a society, and the society has issues, we know that. And plays are often in conversation with our larger societal predicaments. And the characters in plays are often in response to those. And their responses may be psychological, and they may effect what they want from the other characters, but they are deeply effected by the truth of their society. 
Psychological realism, I believe, runs the risk of living in the myth of individualism. We live amongst each other, and to deny that we aren't in constant response to the larger constructs of our world is a fallacy. By blending Stanislavski-based realism with a Brechtian social lens, I think Ostermeier creates worlds that are relevant, compelling, and truthful. 
Anyway, I recommend checking it out. 


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