This video was created as part of the web companion to the monograph Directions for Directing. Theatre and Method, written by Avra Sidiropoulou, and published by Routledge in September 2018. The book lays out contemporary concepts of directing practice and examines specific techniques of approaching scripts, actors, and the stage. Addressed to both young and experienced directors, but also to the broader community of theatre practitioners, scholars, and dedicated theatre goers, the book sheds light on the director’s multiplicity of roles throughout the life of a play – from the moment of its conception to opening night – and explores the director’s processes of inspiration, interpretation, communication, and leadership. The companion website explores the work of international practitioners of different backgrounds who operate within various institutions, companies, and budgets, providing readers with a wide range of perspectives and methodologies.

This video presentation features playwright and director Oriza Hirata’s concept of robot theatre. Making Robot Theatre: An interview with Oriza Hirata of Tokyo-based Seinendan. Video editing by Emy Tzavra Bulloch. A live interview with the author at Agora Theatre in Tokyo (March 2016), this video was prepared for the purposes of this book in August 2017. Many thanks to Ryohei Yamamori for all his help with the video, the audiovisual material, and the English subtitles.