Masters of the Stage

In February 2010, director Michael Mayer, who won a Tony Award for Spring Awakening and recently directed American Idiot, and choreographer Rob Ashford, who won a Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie and was nominated for The Wedding Singer, Curtains and Cry-Baby, were featured in a Director/Choreographer Network discussion on Working in Film. Michael Mayer recalls being asked to direct A Home at the End of the World and saying yes without hesitating, without any film experience. Rob Ashford talks about choreographing Beyond the Sea with Kevin Spacey and learning how to tell the DP what shots to take. Key differences they discuss between theater and film include lack of rehearsal, shooting out of order and film actors vs. theatre actors. This seventy-minute discussion is an enlightening glimpse into the world of filmmaking from the theatre professional's perspective.