The director has two basic responsibilities:
(1) to bring about a unified vision within the finished production
(2) to lead others toward its ultimate actualisation
The director must decide upon the interpretation to be given the play; work with the playwright (if possible), designers, and technicians in planning the production; cast and rehearse the actors; and coordinate all elements into the finished production.
To decide upon interpretation, the director must analyse the script to discover the play’s structure and meanings. Without understanding, the director cannot make choices. He or she seeks to know what the play is about and to understand each character in terms of both the script and the demands that character places upon the actor. The director must be able to envision the play’s atmosphere or mood and know how to actualise in terms of design and theatrical space. And, finally, the director must be able to see the play in terms of both physical and verbal action.
Before rehearsals begin, the director meets with the designers. At this time, the director not only gives his or her vision, but also listens to ideas. The director may have specific requirements that would need to be presented to the designers before their work begins.
The director’s most time-consuming task is to rehearse the actors. The director must be organised, for he or she focuses the entire cast during this time. The director constantly must be sensitive to both the needs of an actor and at the same time think of ways to meet those needs in positive ways.
Initially, the director usually has the actors read through the script. The read-through allows the director to discuss his or her vision, character motivation, and interpretation which will help the actors begin to see their characters in terms of a unified understanding. The director then blocks the actors. The next step would be to work on detail, which helps an actor discover his or her character. Detail includes working out stage business, which is an actor’s small-scale movement. For instance, making coffee, answering a phone, putting on shoes, or adjusting a tie are pieces of stage business. Hopefully, the actor will originate much of his or her own stage business. During this time, the director is also concerned with pace and seeks a variation of tempo. If the overall pace is too slow, then the action becomes dull and dragging. If the overall pace is too fast, then the audience will not be able to understand what is going on, for they are being hit with too much information to process.
Late in the rehearsal process, the director often has the actors run through the production. At this stage, the director usually does not stop the actors but takes notes to give after the scene is finished.
Nearly all elements of the production — actors, scenery, lights, sound — come together at the technical rehearsal. The stage manager, prop crew, running crew, light and sound board operators all rehearse their various parts to play. Hopefully, light and sound cues will be set before the first technical rehearsal begins. A dress rehearsal is a technical rehearsal with costumes and makeup. At this time, the director must give over the production to the actors and technicians. The final dress rehearsal should be the same as a performance.
Nobody is more useless on opening night performance than the director. The director’s job is over at this time and is often lost and feeling alone. The best the director can do is to wish people well, sit, watch the performance, know every flaw during that performance, and sweat it out.
A stage manager is responsible for coordinating all the elements of production. Some of their duties include:
Costume designers create the look of each character by designing clothes and accessories the actors will wear in performance. Depending on their style and complexity, costumes may be made, bought, revamped out of existing stock or rented.
The shapes, colours and textures that a costume designer chooses make an immediate and powerful visual statement that must follow the directorial vision. A costume designer should also collaborate with the set and lighting designers so that the costumes are smoothly integrated into the production as a whole.
Costume designs should consider the clothing, accessories, makeup and hair off a character. Clever costume designs can provide information about a character's occupation, social status, gender, age, relationships, character development and sense of style to an audience. They can also establish the mood and style of a production.
A costume designers duties include:
All the scenery, furniture and props the audience sees at a production of a play make up the set design. The set designer's job is to design these physical surroundings in which the action will take place, creating a space for the play to be performed which follows the director's vision.
A theatre set should, suggest the style, mood time and place of the production and create interesting spaces for actors to perform.
All the things appearing on the stage other than the scenery are called stage properties, or props. Large or immovable props like furniture and decorations are the types of things that complete the set and need to be part of the set design.
A set designers responsibilities include:
Lighting designers create a lighting design, creating effects that match the mood of the action. A lighting design can indicate time of day, location, change the focus of the action on stage and create a distinct atmosphere.
A lighting designer's responsibilities include:
The sound designer plans and provides the sound effects in the play, including music from existing sources. In addition, a composer may write original music for the show. All the music and/or effects in a play considered as a whole make up the "soundscape." This soundscape can assist in progressing the action onstage, indicate events happening off stage, establish the time, place, season and weather, provide information about the characters, build transitions between scenes, manipulate the mood or atmosphere.
A sound designer's responsibilities include:
The publicity designer creates the promotion for the productions, services and public image of the theatre company. This role can involve many different areas depending on the size of the company or production.
The responsibilities of a publicity manager may include: