A theater director supervises and coordinates all aspects of a production, requiring good communication, technical knowledge, and a visual sense. Education can be helpful but is not necessary. The director must be able to communicate with designers and have a vision for the production. Basic knowledge of technical theater is also important. The director’s ability to block scenes effectively is crucial. Creativity is important, but talent can be developed through practice and experience.
A theater director is an important part of any play, serving as the supervisor and visionary of any production. He or she must serve as a valet, knowing enough about each aspect of the production to bring them together as a single entity. While no special training is needed to become a theater director, the most basic skills needed include the ability to communicate well, basic technical knowledge and a visual sense of how objects work on stage.
Many theater directors have a serious education in literature and theater. Some of the world’s largest universities dedicate departments to training and educating directors. The studious theater director may hold various undergraduate, graduate, and even doctoral degrees. While education can be of great benefit to a theater director, it is not absolutely necessary and is best applied in conjunction with other skills.
While experts can debate the top merits of a director, one of the most vital skills is an extraordinary ability to communicate and motivate. In addition to rehearsing the actors, the director must coordinate with the designers to determine the look, sound, and feel of the production. Depending on the show’s budget and the make-up of the theater company, these designers may specialize in lighting, sound, set design, costume design, or makeup. A director must be able to communicate his plans and ideas to these experts, while allowing them to exercise creative freedom and encourage them to suggest new ideas. Like the leader of a rowing team, a theater director must ensure that everyone is heading in the same direction at the same time.
In order to better communicate with his designers, a theater director must have basic knowledge of the technical fields of theater. By knowing what is possible to achieve on stage, a director can save everyone a lot of time and headaches. While it’s impossible to be an expert in every field of theater, aspiring directors may want to take a basic class in each area to familiarize themselves with the field’s tools and capabilities.
Modern culture is based much more on cinema than on live theater, leading to serious misconceptions about how scenes and plays look on stage. With the inability to use dramatic close-ups, zooms and cuts, a theater director must be able to communicate subtextual information by knowing how to tell the actor where to stand and how to move. Blocking, as it is called, is an underrated part of the theater director’s job, but it remains vital to any successful production. If your lead actress’s death scene is blocked by a couch and two extras, audiences won’t care. A successful director will be able to visualize a scene and position people, furniture and objects effectively.
The most important aspect of being a theater director may be the vision. While creativity cannot be taught, talent can be awakened and focused through practice, scene work, and hands-on stage experience. Many great directors will start out bad and be able to learn from their mistakes and rely on their own ideas. When a director can be focused and open to suggestions, clear and humble, she will really be able to do great work.
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