Notes on “Directors and Designers: is there a Different Direction?”

The point that this article tries to make in the beginning is that even though most directors think that they have a good relationship with the designer, the designers reveal that this is not true.

What follows is that their relationship seams to be one where that director is the boss, and the designer must do what he wants. The director is happy with the relationship and the designer is not. The designer wants more freedom. To me this seems arbitrary. “Director” and “designer” are two jobs designated by the theatre industry; they are not a state of being within those people, because great directors where not always gifted with craftsmanship, there evolved two separate jobs in the world of theatre. There are many such outsourcings, like “costume designer” and “lighting director”. Why are only stage designers discussed? Or when the author says “designer” does she mean anyone who does a creative job? In that case there are many such jobs in the theatre. Why must a person do one or the other?

If a person has no wish to direct a show, but only to design the stage, then they are a designer. If that same person wanted to be able to control the show they could be like some of the director/designers the author mentions.

What it all comes down to is the question of how collaborative theatre should be. Should it be solely the director’s vision, or should all jobs get an equal say? The problem with the current system is that it was designed in a hierarchical way. The director is one and the designers are many. Solely by the title, “director”, there is an implication of hierarchy, and dominance. The relationship between actor and director can be described in much the same way as the designer relationship: that they must ultimately conform to the director’s vision. An actor may want to work on a show, but they can’t unless they get cast, and even then, their idea of the character might be different.

For there to be any real change in the relationship between designer and director there must be a change in the structure of the production of theatre. If there is one person in charge, then there will be people who will have to conform to his standard. However, the question then arises: can an artistic work be truly collaborative? Will the piece be a jumbled mess, without one personal vision?