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The [the director] never forgets that the material of his art [the actor] is the most delicate, most perishable, most temperamental, most sensitive, most complicated mechanism in the world: a human being. (1)
Great artists often work intuitively, and an examination of the few who have attempted to explain their approach to art reveals that, in most cases, they fail to state clearly their methodology. At best they end up with a description of how they work. What is lacking is an analysis of how they work. This does not negate the works of art which they have achieved; they stand as monuments to their intuitive genius, and they highlight the need for analyses, not descriptions, of the art process.
In looking over the statements in print of theatrical directors on their methods of directing and rehearsing a play, one finds descriptions of how they work with actors. The approach, as set down, is largely mechanical. Alexander Dean's Fundamentals of Play Directing gives in detail sets of rules for picturization, acting techniques, production procedures, etc. It is an admirable book, as far as it goes, but what is lacking is an analysis of the relationship between director and actor.
I am of the opinion that Mr. Dean was not unaware