Altman Directing A Play In London

Busy times for Robert Altman: he gets an honorary Oscar next month, his new movie A Prairie Home Companion is screening right now for the media and he's directing an Arthur Miller play in London (Resurrection Blues) with a cast that includes Matthew Modine, Neve Campbell and Maximilian Schell. Apparently, he sees theater as no different than film and expects actors to overlap their dialogue and be as spontaneous as possible. Oh, and he has no idea what the play is about.

"The actors have to know the play because they have to memorize the words. The technicians have to know the play because they have to organize the sound and light cues. But I want to keep myself as virginal as I can. I say, 'Tell me what this play is about.' I'll find out as I do it and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. I don't advise young directors that this is what they should do. This is simply my method."