The Poles of Directing: Male and Female

10.29488/BYYS.200405.0005

Jonathan Marks

表演藝術國際學術研討會論文集

2004年（2004 / 05 / 25）

5 - 18

英文

I argue that approaches to directing can be situated on a continuum, the poles of which can properly be identified as Male and Female. The names of these poles do not necessarily correspond to the gender of the director; a male could have a Female approach to directing, and vice versa. These names refer, rather, to qualities stereotypically applied to men and women. We generally agree that Georg Ⅱ, the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, was the first director in the modern sense, and he can be seen to have set the tone for the development of the director for many decades. With even the most superficial glance Georg can be seen as the alpha male of his society: the military and political top man, the embodiment of power, in a Germanic state at a time when masculinity and authoritarianism were dominant. The first director carried a sword. For the better part of a century, directors were almost all men, and most of them followed the authoritarian model. Women were considered unsuited to the task, just as they were unsuited to military discipline and to top executive and political positions; they were soft and compliant, whereas the job required rigor and command. There were exceptions, of course; some women directed, but usually these were stars who had achieved a measure of power due to their acting and public appeal, and they usually functioned by being as tough and authoritarian-as Male-as directors were supposed to be. Much changed in the era of the 1960s. For one thing, the feminist movement effectively challenged the stereotype of the woman as submissive and unsuited to roles of authority over other adults. In the theatre too there were changes. The standard notions of hierarchy were challenged; the idea of collective creation emerged from the avant-garde world, calling into question the necessity of both the author and the director. The ensemble, in some theatre organizations, became the prime artistic agent. Usually, however, in the midst of the group one individual remained the designated director, mediating among the various contributors. As Georg and his many successors represent the Male pole on the continuum, the animator of the group represents the Female extreme. A director today must learn to situate himself (or herself) somewhere along the continuum. The Male model remains a potent force-the image of the creative genius who dictates every aspect of the production-but many directors find that the process can be more fruitful when they tap the creative powers of all their collaborators.