Ask Judith: Submission #4

Reply Thanks for asking this—because I followed an unusual process writing this book! In April 2019 I was approached to make an audiobook of the original Directing Actors, which came out in 1996. I’d always wanted to do an audio version and voice it myself—but at this point, so many years after the book had been written, it felt like it needed updating. So the audiobook, which came out in September 2019, is different from the original paperback. Then Michael said, let’s do a new print edition—it’s perfect timing for a 25th anniversary edition. At first I thought it would be a matter of sprucing up the punctuation from the audiobook text—but then I decided to work with an editor (E. Amato—she is great!) and go all out on a complete revision and updating of the original book. I’d been teaching throughout the 25 years since the original book was written and had so much more to say. The 25th Anniversary Edition expands and deepens the central concepts of the original, with many more, completely updated examples and references. And it contains a lot of new material—a totally reworked chapter on Emotional Event; a scene from The Matrix used for a Script Analysis demonstration; a more detailed Rehearsal chapter, to guide directors in learning how to rehearse; a brand new chapter on Directing Children. I hope it will be clarifying for readers of the original and helpful to a whole new generation of directors, actors, and writers.