Contemporary European Theatre Directors (review)

Contemporary European Theatre Directors is a series of essays about influential directors from the 1960s to the present - predominantly those who came to prominence in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, though contextualized by the inclusion of some earlier directors. Editors Delgado and Rebellato have created a satisfying structure, with each essay written by a different writer and focusing on a different director. The book is loosely chronological, leading us from Ariane Mnouchkine to Thomas Ostermeier, coincidentally born in 1968, the year that student protests and workers' strikes helped shape the political consciousness of the Théâtre du Soleil. This chronological structure allows us to see evolving relationships and connections among artists within the collection, such as those between Declan Donnellan (Cheek by Jowl) and Lev Dodin (Maly Drama Theatre), as well as to see the historical links of the artists featured in the collection to Brook, Planchon, Grotowski, Lecoq, Pina Bausch, and others. It also foregrounds patterns of (and differences in) practice, as well as trends in directing, design, and criticism.

Brian Singleton's essay on Mnouchkine opens the collection with a concise history of the Théâtre du Soleil that underlines the importance of financial, political, practical, and aesthetic considerations and emphasizes the role(s) of directors within a collaborative company structure. These topics recur throughout the book, as do questions of "European-ness," trans/internationalism, auteur status, and the place of actor physicality, multiple languages, and striking imagery, respectively, in theatre that must transcend linguistic borders.

The essays in this collection are not all adulatory in tone; nor are they all similar in form. Some are traditionally historical; some are interviews with brief introductions; others are critical essays. I found this variety engaging, though some readers might wish for more consistency of approach. No one, however, will quibble with the breadth of directing styles represented here. From Declan Donnellan's assertion that his job is "to look after the acting" (146), to Piotr Borowski's reimagining of Grotowski's paratheatrical experiments, to the multi-lingual, multi-art theatre of Jan Lauwers and the devised work of Complicite with Simon McBurney, a wide variety of philosophies, practices, and foci are represented. This is a formidable and articulate group of artists, written about with clarity and nuance, and they effectively represent the changing face of both directing and politics in Europe over the past few decades.

Janelle Reinelt's terrific piece on Jan Lauwers and Needcompany, Marvin Carlson's essay on Frank Castorf and the Volksbühne, and Dan Rebellato's investigation of Katie Mitchell's evolving work are just a few of the excellent essays that offer new vantage points from which to view directors' careers. Lev Dodin, Declan Donnellan, Kristian Frédric, Thomas Ostermeier, and Peter Sellars all give especially satisfying interviews, well-edited and well-framed by the interviewers.

As in any volume of this size, a few details are worth questioning. One wishes more women were included, though this undoubtedly reflects the state of gender inequity in director employment. In addition, the introduction is best read both first and last. In seeking to review so many threads in a wide variety of essays and interviews, and in attaching themes, names, and plays to essays not yet read, the introduction is somewhat repetitive and a bit of a slog. However, read as an afterword, it provides a fine overview that ultimately shapes the experience of the book in a satisfying way.

Contemporary European Theatre Directors is an important contribution to the study of directing and perhaps even to contemporary European cultural history. Most readers will discover at least one new artist, and professors and students will find this a useful text, both for the information it provides and for the example it sets for theatre scholarship. The essayists in this collection consistently ground the directors and companies they write about in the social, economic, aesthetic, and political context in which they make their art, demonstrating how the work interacts...