Stage Managing Chaos: A Diary of the Old Vic Production of Fernando Arrabal's The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria

by Jackie Harvey, Tim Kelleher

Overview

In the early 1970s London's National Theatre, led by Sir Laurence Olivier, launched an infamous avant garde production of The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria. Concerned that his classical approach would clash with the "enfant terrible" director, Victor Garcia, Olivier enlisted stage manager Jackie Harvey to keep a diary of the often ludicrous, occasionally creative, always challenging rehearsals.

Anthony Hopkins and Jim Dale costarred in the surreal two-man piece. Led by the eccentric Garcia, the play quickly descended into a chaotic farce. Missed deadlines, technical hitches, unauthorized nudity and backstage feuds culminated in an unforgettable production, leaving the company debating: Was he a misunderstood genius or a brilliant con-artist?

Accompanied by recollections from Hopkins, Dale and others, along with photographs and documents that bring the key players to life, this unique diary provides a snapshot of a crucial period in the history of the National Theatre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476626444
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/27/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	204
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jackie Harvey trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and was a stage manager in provincial repertory and BBC television before joining the National Theatre Company in 1969, in the historic Old Vic Theatre. Tim Kelleher is a freelance editor and researcher based in London, with experience working on academic texts, medical publications, and personal memoirs.
Jackie Harvey trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and was a stage manager in provincial repertory and BBC television before joining the National Theatre Company in 1969, in the historic Old Vic Theatre.
Tim Kelleher is a freelance editor and researcher based in London, with experience working on academic texts, medical publications, and personal memoirs.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Original Program for the 1971 Production at London’s
Old Vic Theatre
Preface by Jackie Harvey
Introduction by Tim Kelleher
Stage Manager’s Diary
First Meetings
Week One: “From the moment I chose you I closed my eyes”
Week Two: “Lost in a labyrinth”
Week Three: “Psychology in the theatre”
Week Four: “My problem, not theirs”
Week Five: “A definite, clear, positive vision”
Week Six: “Intellectual masturbation”
Week Seven: “It is better without underpants”
Week Eight: “Live baby crocodiles”
Week Nine: “We had completely forgotten about him”
Press Clippings
Recollections
Anthony Hopkins (the Emperor)
Jim Dale (the Architect)
Jackie Harvey (Stage Manager)
Jean-Norman Benedetti (Translator)
Douglas Cornelissen (General Stage Manager)
Marc Wilkinson (Music and Sound)
Amanda Ducket (Assistant Stage Manager)
Antony Horder (Sound Technician)
Report on Rehearsals by the Centre National
la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) (1975)
A Scenography of Light, by Brian Arnott
(The Drama Review, 1973)
Index