At the heart of almost any theatrical performance is the guiding hand of a director, a unique professional who takes charge of the production process and shapes almost every aspect of the show. Directors audition and cast actors; assemble and oversee the production team; provide design directives; lead rehearsals; and manage the production schedule of the project, ensuring that all the moving parts connect. Perhaps most importantly, they also supply a unifying understanding of the text and a particular vision for the production, which might mean a unique setting, a visual style or mood, or an interesting design concept that plays off themes in the text.
Directors typically begin their work on a production with careful reading and analysis of the script and its characters, sometimes aided by a dramaturg. Following this, the director assembles a creative team that might include a set designer, costume designer, sound designer, lighting designer, prop artist, choreographer, music director, and even the playwright or librettist. This creative team works closely with the director, altering and polishing the production's artistic vision and providing insight on design implentation. The work continues in rehearsals, where the director—assisted by stage managers—guides actors through the process of understanding their roles and lines, controls and refines the pacing of scenes, and implements blocking and choreography. Once the show opens, the director's job is complete and responsibility for future performances passes to the stage manager, although the director might still provide small performance notes.
Professional Skills
- Hiring and leading a production team
- Casting and running auditions
- Basic theatrical design
- A unique vision
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Leadership
- Multitasking
- Networking
- Time management
Interpersonal Skills
Successful directors possess a large suite of interpersonal skill, including personal and artistic sensitivity, aesthetic acuity, excellent communication and organization, and the confidence to lead and inspire others through a difficult and unpredictable process. They are superb multitaskers and steady as a rock in the face of adversity. While not all directors are great collaborators, all must understand how to facilitate the collaborative process and synthesize the efforts of large creative teams. Finally, it's vital that directors possess the ability to think critically and analytically about a text, and the passion and conviction to pursue their interpretations. It's the director's job to answer the difficult question of "why": why stage this show here, now, with these actors and for this audience? In essence, why does this performance matter?
Work Life
Like most theater artists, directors tend to work in bursts. Several months of intensive labor on a show culminate in the arduous final dash to the performance, followed by an abrupt transition to downtime, during which directors have the opportunity to relax, regroup, network, and acquire new skills before setting out on the next creative journey. Again like others in the theater industry, directors primarily work during the evenings and weekends.