1. Theatrical Director
The artistic director is responsible for conceiving, developing, and implementing the artistic
vision and focus of a theatre company.1 The theatre director would work with a producer
first on choosing the cast and discussing the artistic vision of
the show. The artistic vision would also be conveyed to the
rest of the different departments such as lighting, sound,
costume, makeup etc. This helps keep a singular direction to
the show and to maintain artistic integrity. The director will
also be in charge of blocking the show and working with the
stage manager closely on this as well, since the director is
not required once the show has begun; the stage manager
will take over in rehearsing the actors in their movements
and the musical director in singing and music. It is widely
accepted that once the show does its first performance, the
director has done their job. They pass on the role to the
stage manager and deputy stage manager who write the
book, which is a script containing cues for lighting and
sound, as well as last minute revisions to the script.2
One of the most famed is Trevor Nunn, who attended school
with Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in his youth, going on to begin work for the Royal
Shakespeare Company. Four years later, he was appointed artistic director, a position
maintained for 18 years following this. The first major directorial role for Nunn was the RSC
production of Macbeth, starring school friend McKellen and Judi Dench.
Arguably his most famous directorial job is for the original West End production of Cats in
1981 and the first British production of Les Miserables four years later. Additionally, he
directed the original Starlight Express and the Sunset Boulevard stage show.
1 http://www.aact.org/artistic-director
2 http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/exploring-theatres/who-works-in-a-theatre
