A refreshing introduction to play directing. Why refreshing? Because so many directors have come to believe they are some sort of artistic god, and free to muck with the play as much as they like, doing their level best to remove the playwright's voice from their play. This author does not take this view, and continually reminds the director that they are a coordinator that is interpreting the playwright's words, not rewriting them. Also, the exercises and projects provide a useful hands-on approach to directing. The book is written lucidly, without a lot of jargon, making it accessible to the beginning student of directing. ( )

Amazon: Most of the insights in the book apply to both plays and recorded performing arts though Hodge fully defines what makes play production different from the recorded mediums. The author is truly brilliant in his inclusiveness and insights into story telling using human performance. The book is not boring to those of us who love the detail that gives a deep understanding of how things work. While most books I've read about directing are only the author's limited viewpoint of that which they've experienced while directing, Hodge departs from this easy approach by producing a complete directorial viewpoint that gives the student of directing the broad tools necessary to handle the complex activity of play directing as a professional. ( )