Theatre of Les Waters

<p><em>The Theatre of Les Waters: More Like the Weather</em> combines original writings from Les Waters with short essays by a wide range of his collaborators, creating a personal and multi-faceted portrait of an influential director, revered mentor, and inspirational theatre artist. </p><p>The book begins with a critical introduction of Waters’s work, followed by essays written by a wide range of Waters's collaborators over the past four decades. These essays are framed by shorter pieces of writing by Waters himself: reflections, inspirations, observations, and personal anecdotes. At the heart of this book lies the notion that the director’s central position in theatrical production is defined by collaboration and that a study of directing should take into account how a director works with playwrights, designers, actors, stage managers, and dramaturgs to turn artistic vision into concrete reality on stage.</p><p>An insightful resource for early career or student directors in theatre programs, <i>The Theatre of Les Waters </i>sheds light on the art of theatre directing by exploring the work of a major theatre artist whose accomplished career sits at the heart of American theatre in the 21st century. Drawing on aspects of memoir, case study, interview, miscellany, biography, and criticism, this is also an enlightening read for anyone with an interest in how theatre artists bring their creative vision to life.</p> <p>1. Introduction: A Long Conversation </p><p><em>Scott T. Cummings</em></p><p>2. Early theatre experience</p><p>3. School report</p><p>4. "My Les"</p><p><em>Annie Smart</em></p><p>5. Some things will be lost, maybe.</p><p>6. Postcards </p><p>7. "The Next Phase"</p><p><em>Mia Katigbak</em></p><p>8. I love lists</p><p>9. Theatres I have known</p><p>10. "Archeology, Erasers, and Les Waters"</p><p><em>Sarah Ruhl</em></p><p>11. Working things out in public</p><p>12. "Les Waters is an Attractor"</p><p><em>Anne Bogart</em></p><p>13. "If you have Les Waters direct your plays"</p><p><em>Charles Mee</em></p><p>14. Silence onstage</p><p>15. 24 things I could look at all day</p><p>16. "A Story, A Whisper, A Joke"</p><p><em>Quincy Tyler Bernstine</em></p><p>17. "A Huge Vat of Human Skin"</p><p><em>Steve Cosson</em></p><p>18. Ten films I admire that other directors might find interesting</p><p>19. Testing for COVID-19</p><p>20. "Les(s) is More: The Essential Artistry of Les Waters"</p><p><em>Tony Taccone</em></p><p>21. Some productions I saw that made me the director I am</p><p>22. Sometimes</p><p>23. "Les. Fragments."</p><p><em>Anne Washburn</em></p><p>24. Room control</p><p>25. A good rehearsal room</p><p>26. "Les in Space"</p><p><em>Amanda Spooner</em></p><p>27. "Hearing Things"</p><p><em>Bray Poor</em></p><p>28. Learning to direct</p><p>29. Friday, August 28, 2020</p><p>30. 50 works of fiction that I love</p><p>31. "The Power of Contradiction"</p><p><em>Anne Kauffman</em></p><p>32. "Inside and Outside"</p><p><em>Kathleen Chalfant</em></p><p>33. Actors and notes</p><p>34. The list of films goes on . . .</p><p>35. Thin places</p><p>36. Max and the Royal Court</p><p>37. Ten key productions for me</p><p>38. "Les Waters at the Royal Court"</p><p><em>Rob Ritchie</em></p><p>39. Off a cliff</p><p>40. Diary: Top Girls in Tokyo, 1992</p><p><em>Les Waters</em></p><p>41. "Just Nod and Say Thank You"</p><p><em>Keith Reddin</em></p><p>42. National identity</p><p>43. Something about lists</p><p>44. "Designing with Les: ' . . . back in the arms of a good friend.'"</p><p><em>David Zinn</em></p><p>45. Photographers</p><p>46. A few more productions of mine</p><p>47. "About Memory. About Ghosts."</p><p><em>Naomi Iizuka</em></p><p>48. Evacuation list</p><p>49. The Humana Festival of New American Plays</p><p>50. "Partnership Leadership"</p><p><em>Jennifer Bielstein</em></p><p>51. Chair exercises</p><p>52. "The Search is the Destination"</p><p><em>Amy Wegener</em></p><p>53. Some thoughts on somebody who is a stage manager</p><p>54. "The Trust Factor"</p><p><em>Paul Mills Holmes</em></p><p>55. A cloud of direction</p><p>56. Opposites</p><p>57. "The Thing"</p><p><em>Sarah Lunnie</em></p><p>58. "Responsion"</p><p><em>Lucas Hnath</em></p><p>59. Presence</p><p>60. Humana on my watch</p><p>61. "The Art of Seeing"</p><p><em>Meredith McDonough</em></p><p>62. Four more productions of mine</p><p>63. Do's and don'ts for directors</p><p>64. "Unfounded Belief"</p><p><em>Lila Neugebauer</em></p><p>65. The last list of films</p><p>66. The need to do it</p><p>67. "Dear Mr. Les Waters"</p><p><em>Raelle Myrick-Hodges</em></p><p>68. Things unfinished</p><p>69. Grief</p><p>70. Pandemic reading list</p><p>71. "Don't Talk"</p><p><em>Bruce McKenzie</em></p><p>72. Kenneth Tynan</p><p>73. Some of my favorite places</p><p>74. Ghosts</p><p>75. "[aside]"</p><p><em>Maria Dizzia</em></p><p>76. Comfort, solace</p><p>77. "Still Connected"</p><p><em>Caryl Churchill</em></p><p>78. What is Beauty? </p><p>79. A list catalogues experience</p>