Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance: From Rehears ...

venture, I have been obliged to focus my approach, although this is still firmly embedded within the topic of styles of communication and specifically those arising from bodily initiation and demonstration. Because my initial background was in theatre, I decided, firstly, to choose performance over teaching methods; then, within this, the director’s role over actual performing; and, finally, the specific genre of opera. In terms of overall focus, the questions reduce down to four particular components:

1. Does a director’s communication style change over the rehearsal period of a production?

2. Do different directors employ different styles of directing?

3. Is a director’s style of communication dependent on the type of production undertaken?

4. What is the relationship between the director’s behaviour and the behaviour of others?

The research journey touches on various aspects of the human condition, including sensory and emotion processing systems, social and artistic interaction and collaboration, artistic training, and styles of artistic expression.

1.4. Outline of Chapters

This first chapter delineates the rationale for beginning the research journey, drawing on experience in several interrelated fields (film, recording, and live performance) gained through a lifelong background in performing arts that covers professional, amateur, and educational areas. The reported experiences have produced a research hypothesis and an area of study.

Chapter 2 critically considers the literature that frames the research questions, exploring theories, underlying scientific research and research findings, artistic communication, and professional applications of modelling in performance arts. It also looks historically at the training of actors, together with comparative practices of today, and at how emotional