Director

Job Duties

The director oversees all aspects of a theatre production. If directing a play, it is the director’s job to translate the words and ideas of the playwright to an audience. If directing a musical, the director must convey the words and ideas, plus the music and lyrics.

The director reports to the producers or theatre company who financially sponsor the play. The director is responsible for casting the actors, and usually has a say in others hired for the creative team including (but not limited to): set designer, lighting designer, costume designer, sound designer, music director, choreographer, dramaturg, and stage manager.

Some of a director’s work is pre-production, which means it is done before rehearsals begin. The rest of a director’s work happens during the rehearsal period.

Directors may start the pre-production period months or even years before rehearsals begin. They begin by reading the script and taking notes. If it is a new play, they will have discussions with the playwright/writer(s). If it is a classic text and the playwright is no longer alive, they must do research to get answers to their script questions. Ultimately, it is the director’s job to communicate the writer’s story to an audience.

In the next phase of the process, the director will engage in script analysis. During this process the director may read the script hundreds of times to make sure they understand everything the writer is trying to convey. If it is a new play, this may include a period of rewrites, where the director and writer(s) meet and discuss possible changes to help clarify the storytelling. If the director is working on a classic text, this may involve reading other translations, or reading interviews with the writer(s) about the show.

In the pre-production phase, the director’s job also involves research. This could include everything from the time period of a play, to its location, to any real people or events that are represented. The director may work with a dramaturg to do further research that can then be brought to rehearsals and shared with the actors.

Theatre is a collaborative art and one of the most important parts of a director's job is to be the leader for the actors and the creative team. Once the director has a vision for the show, it is their job to communicate that vision to the designers and other creative team members so they are all aligned in that vision. This happens as part of the pre-production period and there will be production meetings where design and technical elements are discussed with the entire creative team.

When casting actors, directors in a more professional theatre with union actors may work with a casting director to decide what types of performers they want to see for each role. The casting director will then use this breakdown to schedule auditions. Directors in a community theatre setting will often be more hands on, finding actors through advertisements and word of mouth. These directors may be on staff at the theater, perhaps as the artistic director, and will be more involved with the preparation of auditions and callbacks. Directors usually have final say in which actors are hired, although sometimes producers or artistic directors will have input.

Once rehearsals begin, the director is in charge of the rehearsal process. This process will vary slightly by director, but will usually include:

• Read through/sing through of the whole show
• Table work - where the director and actors analyze and discuss the script
• Blocking - where the actors get on their feet and start the process of deciding where/when they will move
• Stumble-through - where the actors will run through the whole script off book for the first time
• Run-Through - where the actors will perform the entire show off-book
• Designer Run - a run-through performed specifically for the designers so they can see where/how the actors move onstage as preparation for tech rehearsals (see below)
• Sitzprobe - In opera and musicals this is when performers sit in a room with the orchestra for the first time to sing through the score
• Tech Rehearsal - where the technical elements (set, lights, costumes, sound, etc.) of the production are added
• Invited Dress Rehearsal - an audience of strictly invited guests to act as a supportive first audience
• Preview Performances - still considered part of the rehearsal process, these are the first paying audience members to see the show. It is common for text and staging to continue to change throughout the preview period which can last from several days to several weeks.
• Opening Night - this is officially the director’s last day on the job and the show is “frozen” meaning nothing should change after this point. After opening night the show becomes the maintenance of the show becomes the job of the stage manager.