The theatre director is in charge of the creative vision of the theatrical production. Their goal is to bring out the best performance from the actors and tell the story of the play in a compelling way. A theatre director also oversees creative choices on set, costume, and design – though those decisions are made in conjunction with the other creatives involved. Theatre at its best is a collaborative process and a theatre director will put together a great team to support their vision.
Creative Vision
It’s the director’s responsibility to set the creative vision for the play. Having a clear vision helps the rest of the team tell the story in a complex and unified way.
How does the Director come up with a creative vision?
Usually, most productions start with a read-through of the script. The director will guide this read and may ask the actors to bring a certain energy to it. It can be helpful to get up on the floor during this read-through, to develop an understanding of the play in the space. During these read-throughs, the director is deciphering and deciding the following things:
What is the play about? (This can be an initial emotional response).
What are the main themes of the play?
What is the action of the play? (This is a more sophisticated understanding of the journey and plot)
What is the world of this play? (Where and when in time?)
Who are the most important characters of this play? Is this consistent throughout?
What is the structure of the play? (Is it linear, non-linear, cyclical, montage?)
When are the most important moments in this play? (This may be an action, line of dialoge or scene).
What are the symbols of this play? Themes? Colours? Atmospheres?
What is the experience you would like the audience to have?
What kind of stage would this performance require?
Would you adapt this play at all to suit your current interpretation?
After deciding the answer to these questions throughout the read-throughs, the director will synthesise their answers into a creative concept.
This concept should create a clear image of the experience the director would like the audience to have, and the world of the play that the audience should see, and the story that it should tell.
The clarity of this vision is important because it is the anchor that all designers will use, to ensure that they are working towards the same creative goal, alongside their practical considerations.
Watch the video below to see an example of a directors vision, and how it effects the different elements of design and production.