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

Chapter 2

Communication Overview

From Body To Art

2.1. Introduction

The purpose of this study is to focus on the role of directors in a rehearsal situation as they work with singers to create operatic productions. Although the original topic of interest was ‘modelling’ and that created a starting point for the study, ultimately, the course of this research has a wider remit and a more complex foundation. Although the body was my original focus, its powers to convey information within the rehearsal context are inextricably bound to language, and therefore, the final direction that was chosen reflects a bias towards language-based communication, with modelled communication being focused on demonstration as a specific category. In this way, the study ranges more widely and places modelling within an overall frame.

In order to fully communicate as a person, bodily movement—which would include sensory, motor, cognitive, and neural systems—is integral to that communication. The role of movement and gestures,