How a play is produced

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How a play is produced (1928)
by Karel Čapek, illustrated by Josef Čapek, translated by Percy Beaumont Wadsworth

Introduction

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Translated from the Czech original Jak vzniká divadelní hra a průvodce po zákulisí (1925)

Karel ČapekJosef Čapek4659467How a play is produced1928Percy Beaumont Wadsworth

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HOW A PLAY IS
PRODUCED

BY
KAREL ČAPEK

ILLUSTRATED BY JOSEPH ČAPEK

Translated by P. Beaumont Wadsworth

Geoffrey Bles

Suffolk St., Pall Mall

London

First published 1928

Made and Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd., Frome and London

Contents

page
Introduction (not in original ToC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		5
PART I—The Preliminaries
The First Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		13
Casting the Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		19
The Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		23
Reading the Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		29
In the Rehearsal Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		35
Further Rehearsals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		42
The Play Matures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		46

PART II—On the Stage
The Dress Rehearsal—I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		57
The Dress Rehearsal—II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		66
The Mise en Scène . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		81
The First Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		100
After the First Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		121

PART III—Behind the Scenes
A Guide Behind the Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		129
Those in Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		132
The Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		136
The Supers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		142
The Stage-Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		145
The Prompter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		147
The Curtain Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		149
The Property Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		151
The Electrician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		154
The Stage Inspector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		158
The Technical Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		164
The Furniture Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		165
The Wardrobe Men and Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		167
Miscellaneous People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		170

This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1945, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 78 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

Translation:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1983, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 40 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse