What is involved in the pre-production period for a director? What are the practical and creative stages that occur in a director preparing for rehearsal?

Abstract

This dissertation will be an in-depth study of the pre-production period for a director. This will primarily be looking at the work of theatre director, Katie Mitchell, to see if her methods are applicable to all types of text. Katie Mitchell is highly acclaimed for her work over the years within the field of directing and her novel 'The Director's Craft' (2009) is a culmination of her work and findings over the years. The objective of this study is to discover whether there is one specific 'formula' for directing, focusing on the pre-production period, or whether the style of direction depends on the director and their interpretation. This will be applied to the text 'Iron' by Rona Munro (2002) in a supporting portfolio displaying the work carried out over a six month research period, and the conclusive findings of the study.