Directing - a Handbook for Emerging Theatre Directors

The theatre director is one of the most critical roles in a successful drama company, yet there are no formal qualifications required for entry into this profession. This practical guide for emerging theatre directors answers all the key questions from the very beginning of your career to key stages as you establish your credentials and get professionally recognized. It analyzes the director’s role through relationships with the actors, author, designer, production manager and creative teams and provides vital advice for “on-the-job” situations where professional experience is invaluable. The book also provides an overview of the many approaches to acting methodology without focusing on any in particular to allow the director to develop their own unique methods of working with any actor’s style.

Each chapter includes these key features:

• Introduces important theories, identifies practitioners and provides key reading to provide an overview of historic and current practice.

• Interviews with leading practitioners and emerging directors.

• Suggested exercises to develop the director’s own approach and practical skills.

Author Biography

Rob Swain is a practising theatre director and the programme director of the MFA Theatre Directing at Birkbeck University. He is the Chair of the National Council for Drama Training and a panel chair for the accreditation of acting programmes in drama schools across the UK.