Federico García Lorca

Lauded as one of the most important poets and playwrights of the twentieth century, Federico García Lorca was also an accomplished theatre director with a clear process and philosophy of how drama should be staged. Directing both his own work and that of others, Lorca was also closely involved in the rehearsals for productions of many of his plays, and from his own writings and those of his collaborators, a determined agenda to stimulate audiences and renovate theatre can be seen. This is the first book in English to fully consider Lorca as a director and his rehearsal methodology. The book combines: - A biographical account of Lorca's work as a director and rehearsal leader, revealing his techniques and methods of approach texts; - An exploration of his key writings on and around theatre, drawing on his talks, play introductions, and some of the dramatic works themselves; - The first translation into English of his fragment Dragón; - A detailed discussion of Lorca's key productions, Lope de Vega's Fuente Ovejuna (1933) for La Barraca, and his own Yerma (1934). - Specific focus on the practical applications that we can draw from Lorca's methods, both from what survives of his own work and from the accounts of his close collaborators. As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners offer unbeatable value for today's student.

Simon Breden is currently Doctor Encargado at the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain. His published work focuses on rehearsal practice, contemporary and Golden Age Spanish theatre, and issues of translating for the stage. He is also a published translator and former stage director.

Contents List of figures Acknowledgements A note on translations Prologue 1. LORCA'S LIFE IN THE THEATRE Formative experiences La Barraca Anfistora Mainstream success 2. KEY WRITINGS AND IDEAS A Talk About Theatre The modern director Lorca's ideas on theatre Social commitment and theatre Rhythm and harmony Imagination and inspiration Multidisciplinarity Prologues, Dragón El público, Comedia sin título 3. KEY PRODUCTIONS Fuente Ovejuna Lorca and the Spanish Golden Age Rehearsing Fuente Ovejuna Casting Co-directing: Ugarte and Maortua de Ucelay Rehearsals and actor training Working on verse Co-directing: Rivas Cherif Acting work 4. PRACTICAL EXERCISES: LORCA AND RIVAS CHERIF Observations of Lorca's rehearsals Casting The rehearsal period Verse work Breathing Verse form Punctuation and thought Annotating the text Improvisation Character work Conclusion Bibliography Index