Theatre: Art in Action

Chapter 2: Directing & Producing

Overview

The director analyzes a play, develops a vision of how it should be presented, conducts auditions, chooses the cast, decides on a rehearsal schedule, and oversees all other aspects of staging the production. To accomplish all of this, the director needs a visionary bent, a strong visual sense, skill at handling movement, and knowledge of technical aspects of the theatre. The director receives help from the assistant director, stage manager, and prompter. The director's boss is the producer, who is responsible primarily for the fiscal aspects of staging the play. The producer's staff consists of a business manager and an artistic director.

The performance space available influences nearly everything, including what type of play can be performed successfully. There are three types of stages: the proscenium stage, a performance space in which the audience views the action as if through a picture frame; the arena stage, a performance space in which the audience sits on all sides of the stage; and the thrust stage, a combination of the proscenium and arena stages, with the audience sitting on two or three sides of the acting area. Regardless of stage type, almost every theatre has a lobby, where the audience gathers before and after a performance; a house, where the audience sits during a performance; a stage house, where the actors perform; and a backstage, which includes all stage areas other than the acting space.