Job Description for a Stage Director
A stage director sets the artistic tone for a live theatrical production and collaborates with artists and technicians to create a story for the audience. According to the American Association of Community Theaters, the director "has the challenging task of bringing together the many complex pieces of a production--the script, actors, set, costuming, lighting and sound and music--into a unified whole."
Other People Are Reading
-
Tasks
-
A director's work starts long before rehearsals begin. First, she reads the script to understand the playwright's vision and shares that vision with the costumer, choreographer, set designer and other artists. Next, she casts actors who best embody each character. Through the rehearsal process, she helps the actors understand the intentions of their characters. She also blocks the actors, meaning that she tells them where to stand in each scene. As opening night approaches, she incorporates the music, lights, costumes and sets so that they all work together smoothly.
Education and Experience
-
There are no official education requirements for being a stage director, but many have a bachelor of fine arts in theater or a masters of fine arts in directing. Directors must be very familiar with all aspects of theater, so it is helpful to have acted and also been on the technical crew of a show. To make the transition from actor or stage crew to director, aspiring directors may take a position as an assistant director on a show.
-
Other Qualifications
-
Directors must have strong leadership skills and high emotional intelligence so that they can collaborate with other artists and also bring characters to life through the actors. They must be organized, creative and willing to work long hours. They must also understand budgets and be able to work within them.
Misconceptions
-
Some people think that a director is involved in maintaining the production after it has opened. However, a director's job is essentially over once the show has opened. The stage manager ensures that the show remains the same and also leads rehearsals for understudies and replacement actors. The director may visit the show occasionally to give notes to the actors and may be called back to a rehearsal if a major star is taking over a leading role.
Job Outlook
-
A director is hired by a producer or artistic director to work on one particular show in a theater's season. Therefore, many directors are freelancers. According to the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the director of a Broadway musical in 2008 made $59,570, while the director of a play made $51,285.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics combines data for directors with data for actors and producers and states that employment is expected to grow 11 percent through 2018, which is "about as fast as the average for all occupations." The bureau also reported that "median annual wages of producers and directors were $64,430 in 2008."
-
References
- Photo Credit Stage Curtains image by Darragh Tobin from Fotolia.com
