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Sir Peter Hall
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Born in 1930 in England
Founded the Royal Shakespeare Company; director of
the National Theatre
Directed the English-language premiere of Waiting for
Godot; London premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; world
premiere of Amadeus
Major advocate for government funding for the arts
“In the last five years, I've made another radical change:
I now ask the actors to learn the part before we start
rehearsals. Some argue that, if you do that, the actor
won't develop. Absolute bunk. What it gives you, in
effect, is an extra two weeks' rehearsal."
“I don't regard Brecht as a man of iron-gray purpose and
intellect, I think he is a theatrical whore of the first
quality.”
Daughter Rebecca Hall is stage/film actress (Iron Man 3,
The Prestige, The Town)
Harold “Hal” Prince
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Born in 1928 in New York City
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Produced many shows…West Side Story, Fiddler on
the Roof
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Directed many shows…Cabaret, Evita, Phantom of
the Opera, several shows with Sondheim,
including Sweeney Todd and Company
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Holds record for individual winning 21 Tony Awards
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“Artistic self-indulgence is the mark of an
amateur. The temptation to make scenes, to
appear late, to call in sick, not to meet deadlines,
not to be organized, is at heart a sign of your own
insecurity and at worst the sign of an amateur.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g
qapHRAqnfk
Mike Nichols
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1931-2014; born in Germany, but moved to US when he
was 7
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Married to Diane Sawyer
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Began career doing improv with the Compass Players
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Won Emmy, Oscar, Tony, Grammy (1 of 14 to do so)
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Directed Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Annie,
Spamalot
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Movies: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate,
Working Girl, The Birdcage, Wit, Angels in America
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“I love to take actors to a place where they open a vein.
That's the job. The key is that I make it safe for them to
open the vein.”
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=lEQ1pTp0STQ
https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=grGzh5kXu
WE
Jerzy Grotowski
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Polish director and theoretician, 1933-1999
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Started the Laboratory Theatre in Poland; trained and directed actors in
experimental theatre; rigorous physical training (believed in actor using every
part of his body to express emotion)
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Wrote Towards a Poor Theatre (poor=theatre can be made without spectacle; it
is about communion between actor and spectator)
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Famous productions: Akropolis and The Constant Prince
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“If you want to create a true masterpiece you must always avoid beautiful
lies… The spectator, perhaps, is content. The spectator likes easy truths. But
we are not there to please or pander to the spectator. We are here to tell the
truth.”
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=kNzESIKUQhw
Sir Trevor Nunn
Born in 1940 in England
 Has been artistic director of the Royal
Shakespeare Company, the Royal National
Theatre, and the Theatre Royal
 Best known for directing Cats and Les
Misérables!!! Also directed revival of
Oklahoma! starring Hugh Jackman!!!
 “If you're a director, your entire livelihood
and your entire creativity is based on your
self-confidence. Sometimes that's
dangerously close to arrogance.”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZKSV
KDvkF0