---
title: "A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre"
url: https://architect-books.com/A_Director_Prepares_Seven_Essays_on_Art_and_Theatre_0415238323
description: "A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre, by Anne Bogart, ISBN 0415238323 in the Architect Books catalogue."
---

# A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre

[Architect Books](https://architect-books.com/)

[Browse the catalogue](https://architect-books.com/l-1005-1.html)

Anne Bogart

- **Author line**Anne Bogart
- **Released**01 August, 2001
- **ISBN**0415238323
- **Binding**Paperback

## Reader notes

### A Landmark for Theater

Bogart writes from her years of experience and vision in A Director Prepares. Readers merely looking for a book on "how to direct" may want to look elsewhere: this manifesto takes on serious issues faced by theater artists every day. While other books "on directing" explain how to get actors from point A to point B, A Director Prepares examines the shoulders that theatermakers stand on: artistically, historically, politically. And its not just for Bogart/SITI Company disciples. Like the creation of theater, A Director Prepares requires heightened attention and a clean slate every time you dive into its pages. Its inspiring, but also a challenge to theater makers to rethink how we approach our processes and to question upon whose shoulders we stand.

### A Director Does What?

This book was a requirement for my directing class and I must say it did not help me at all. The title is misleading suggesting that a reader actually gets advice on how to prepare for directing. Instead, readers get Bogarts theory on what theater directing is. The book gives aspiring directors a confidence boost where Bogart basically says, "you can do it, just be persistent and brave." If anyone wants to get a book that gives a better description of what directing entails, the best bet is to get the book, A Sense of Direction, written by William Ball.

### Inspiring and unpretentious

Far from being a prescription about how to direct, this book offers the wisdom of Anne Bogarts experience as a collaborator, investigator of the human condition, and artist committed to making theatre that is alive and relevant. I have had the pleasure of knowing and studying with Anne, and this book codified and elaborated on so many of the things I wished Id written down at the time. The book illuminates her way of working more than it promotes any particular aesthetic, and in that, I think it should be incredibly helpful and informative to all theatre artists at any stage in their careers. Some reference point for Annes work or the work of her SITI Company might make the more esoteric sounding parts of the book clearer for the reader, but all in all, this is a great read.

## Related titles in the catalogue

[Other titles beginning A](https://architect-books.com/index-a.html)