That old saying, “Everyone wants to be a director!” must come from the misconception that a director is in charge and simply stands around telling everyone what to do. If only it were that easy! In actuality, directing is a highly technical and intimate art form that requires playing the roles of leader, collaborator, guide, coach, mother/father, friend, priest, teacher, technician, architect, and artist—just to name a few—often at the same time. If you’re interested in taking on the responsibility of master storyteller, I recommend following these steps:
1. ActIn my opinion, the best directors started out as actors or have solid acting training under their belts. Acting allows you to get in the head of a character and explore the world through their eyes. Acting forces you to experience the action in a highly personalized, intimate way.
Of course, the director must ultimately see the play through the eyes of every character but this is a great way to start the process. Find a great acting teacher/mentor. Focus on listening, breathing, moment-to-moment truth, emotional honesty, relationships, power, and creating activities. A director must be able to zoom in/zoom out through the entire process and
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