Introduction to the Theatre

THE 101 / University of Idaho

Chapter 8 / The Director

The Directors Role and History

     It has been said “an average director can make you see the play in a different way.  And a good director can make you see yourself in a different way.  But only a great director will make you see the world in a different way.”  Although this distinction is certainly clear, the primary function of the modern day director in theatre remains the same, regardless of their vision or ability.

     The basic role of the director is to provide leadership to the performers and the production.   This leadership is not only as an artistic authority, but also as an imaginative artist with creative sensitivity.   The director turns the script and its ideas into action and movement designed to convey and communicate the theme and message of the play to the audience.   This is done through intuition, interpretation, and stylization.   The director uses their intuition to aesthetically shape the script.   They know intuitively (and through experience) what will probably work in telling the story and what will not.   In addition, the director uses their interpretive abilities to read and analyze the script.   They are able to identify all the parts and pieces that will make up the play.   Once this is done, the director uses their analysis to develop an overall idea, which is called the commanding image.   This image is then used by the other artists to unify the production.   Think of it as the aesthetic ‘bull's eye’ of the production with the director using this stylization target to help guide his or her decision making process in determining choices and selections.   Some notable highly stylized directors are Paul Fort, Vesvelod Meyerhold, and Peter Brooks.  However, just as with all of the other theatrical elements, the role of the director has changed and evolved throughout history.

     For instance, the director in Greek Theater through that of the 17^th Century, tended to be the playwright.  That eventually changed and the responsibility shifted to the senior members of acting companies.   This often created a situation were the leading actor was also the director and, as you might imagine, this often resulted in productions with a fairly narrow performance focus.  In other words, it was not the age of the ensemble acting.   In addition, production elements were not always aesthetically organized.   Eventually a more unified voice in production was sought.   George II, Duke of Saxe Meiningen is essentially considered the father of the director's role.   An auteur style of director, he controlled every element of both performance and production in his German court theater.   Although this style of director still exist, modern day directors employ many more collaborative schemes in realizing their image and are limited only by their imagination and capabilities.   They are able to use the theatrical conventions of the past and the present.   For them, style is not an obligatory responsibility - it is a choice.  

The Directing Process

     As you may have gathered by now, theater is an artistic process.  This does not mean to imply that spontaneous and inspired moments do not occur, on the contrary, they happen quite often.  However, it does speak to the notion that “creation is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration” and when it comes to directing, sometimes the perspiration percentage might even be higher.

     Although the directing process might vary slightly from professional to academic and amateur theater, it does require three basic and distinct phases - the planning phase the implementation phase, and the finishing phase.   In the planning phase, several tasks must be accomplished for the play to be a success.   The script is analyzed and a commanding image is developed.   A stage manager and a staff of designers are selected.   Pre-production design work begins and the director helps the designers shape the image of the production.   In addition, a production calendar is developed so that everyone knows when the deadlines for their individual tasks are to be completed.   Finally, the cast is auditioned and selected.

     The implementation phase is also referred to as the rehearsal phase.   During the implementation phase the director and the actors develop blocking, character, pacing, and vocal qualities.   Blocking is the work of developing rehearsed movements that the actors will take from moment to moment in a play.   The director sees these moments as ‘pictures’ strung together, first as beats - a small unit of action, and then as scenes.   This picturization develops focus for the audience and a sense of flow and continuity as the play moves from moment to moment.   Although the actors develop their own characters, the director has a large hand in helping the actors craft them.   Pacing, in the implementation phase, focuses on the timing, tempo, and rhythm.  This not only has to do with the actor’s delivery of the dialogue and action on stage, but also encompasses the way in which transitions between scenes are dealt with.  

     In the finishing phase, the director integrates the other theatrical elements into the production.  Actors get to wear their costumes and use their finished props, designers finalize spatial relationships, refocus lights or add a bit of trim to a hem, and the director gets the chance to see what works together and what needs fixing.   This is a crucial phase and it is through this series or process of technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and previews, that the director will further polish all the elements of production and make the production fit for public presentation.

Directing Techniques

     There are six techniques that a director can employ when working with actors.   They are:

·        Discussion

·        Instruction

·        Coaching

·        Criticism

·        Problem solving

·        Experimentation

   Depending on the background of the director, the style of the play and the sensibilities of the actors, these techniques are used in varying degrees and combinations.  However, the success or failure of a director’s ability to communicate to the actor (and through them to the audience) often depends on the director’s mastery of these techniques and the versatility in which they are used.

     In the discussional technique, the director forges agreements with the actors about their characters.   These collaborative discussions center on the director and actors shared ideas, feelings, and thoughts and will help lead them to mutual choices.   Although these discussions often take place early in the rehearsal process, they can continue up to opening night.

     In the instructional technique, the director imparts both clear and specific instructions about character and character movement.   An example of this would be when a director tells an actor where to enter or exit the stage space.  These instructions are planned or pre-envisioned by the director, but may change through the employment of any of the five other techniques.

     The coaching technique is a ‘live’ approach done in real time while they are rehearsing.   This technique induces a fusion of the actor and the role by providing immediate insight while the actor is working.  For instance, the director might approach the actor on stage, while the actor is engaged in a scene with another actor.  The director might then whisper into the actor’s ear, “he’s lying,” or “you want to kiss her.”   This technique allows the director to give the actor additionally input or insight into what he or she is doing without interrupting the actor’s work.

     The director uses the criticism technique with the actor by discussing and exploring the positive and negative aspects of their work.   They work towards resolving misinterpretations, miscues, and weak character relationships.   Often times a director will invite a neutral but experienced party - such as a fellow director, to attend a rehearsal as a second pair of eyes to help identify these areas.  Through criticism the actor and director can make discoveries and establish new goals and objectives for both the actor and the character.  

     In problem solving, the director diagnosis production problems and provides effective solutions and counter measures.  These problems can be technical, such as cleaning up a blocking traffic jam (too many actors entering and exiting out of the same place and the same time) or it may mean changing the interpretation or context (drunk vs. sober) in which a scene is played.

    Moreover, in the experimental technique, the director might use improvisation or ‘theatre games’ to further enlighten the actors on their character or themselves.   As noted before, a director will move freely from one technique to another in a given rehearsal but only after communicating clearly with the actors about their intentions.

     There are several more elements of directing available to director to help them craft the play.   The use of emphasis and subordination helps the director create focus and balance by positioning the actors in groups or alone or by their position on stage.   The uses of movement, gesture, and “business” help establish the motivation of the characters and provide clues to their emotional state.   In addition, variety - such as in voice and speech, helps provide texture and change making the play more interesting.   Finally, directing requires a wide expanse of knowledge relating to history, literature, period styles, and acting techniques.   It is developed through experience and through mastering and understanding the crafts of acting and directing.   Good directing is also developed through life experience, building in the artist the empathy and understanding necessary to better portray the human condition.

Stage Directions

     To block a production, the director and actors must have a common understanding of stage locations.   To accomplish this a compass of stage directions has been developed to help the director verbally move actors on the stage floor.   All theatre practitioners learn this method of location and coordinates.   The part of the stage closest to the audience is called downstage while the part farthest away is upstage.   The actors' right is called stage right and their left is stage left.   The center of the stage is called center stage.   From these main locations come the many varied combinations of stage directions.   A director may ask an actor to move upstage to a center stage right position and then cross downstage to a stage left position.   Additionally, and while it may seem obvious, the actor needs to know when to be onstage and when to be offstage.

Assistant Directors and Stage Managers

     The role of the director and the multiple tasks required to complete the job has resulted in the development of two essential theatre practitioners: the assistant director and the stage manager.   Although both of these positions have vastly different responsibilities, they both aid in the coordinating and organizational tasks of the production so that the director can focus their efforts on the aesthetic concerns of performance and design.  

     The assistant director, although not used in many productions, can be an extremely useful asset to a director.   The “AD” can help the director mange and control actors during rehearsals while they are off-stage.   They can do very basic tasks like “running lines” with actors who are having difficulty with memorization or they can rough block the movements and actions of secondary acting groups, such as chorus’.   Assistant director can be used as a director’s second pair of eyes or the director might use them as an artistic sounding board.  In academic theater, assistant directors are often up and coming directing students.  In this way, the student can work with an experienced director in a sort of mentor/apprentice relationship.  However, no matter if an assistant director is required or not, it is the director which establishes the scope and nature of their responsibilities.

     In contrast, the stage manger is a key and essential part of the production process.  He or she is the central processing unit of the production.   They are the hubs of the organizational wheel.  They organize production meetings, coordinate and communicate to the technical personnel, acquire rehearsal props, costume and furniture pieces, maintain the safety and security of the theatrical space during rehearsals, run technical rehearsals and are, basically, in charge of the production while it is in performance.  To accomplish all these tasks the stage manager records all the production and rehearsal information in the master copy of the script called the prompt book.   The prompt book contains the finalized blocking patterns, placement of lighting and sound cues, scenery movements and special effects.   It also contains a phone contact list of the cast and crew, and many other items necessary to the run of the production.   In professional theater, the stage manager takes over for the director after opening night.   The stage manager can call rehearsals, if he or she feels they are required and can make technical changes in the production if the circumstances require it.   However, it is presumed that the show will remain the same if done according to ‘the book,’ but remember, this is a live theatre production and anything can happen and the stage manager must be prepared to handle it.