Directing Professionally

How do you develop both the craft of directing as well as a professional career in freelance directing in today's theatre industry? Drawing on his own extensive experience and that of other theatre professionals from the US and UK, Kent Thompson illuminates a pathway from training, apprenticeship and assistant directing to an established career as a director.

Directing Professionally first lays out paths for aspirant directors to train, grow and succeed as directors, then advises freelance directors on how to establish and accelerate their professional careers. It also reveals the most significant ways those directors become artistic directors today. With a frank, thoughtful and often humorous examination of the job of professional direction and artistic direction, Thompson writes about the passion, commitment, artistic vision, directorial experience, leadership skills, and powerful persuasive gifts needed to succeed in this extraordinary field.

Featuring case studies and brief interviews with professional theatre directors, artistic directors, producers, critics, managing/executive directors, and theatre leaders currently working in the field in the UK and the US, this volume will equip you to develop your career as a professional director in today's theatre.

About the Author

Kent Thompson has been Producing Artistic Director of the Theatre Company at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA), USA, since 2005. For 16 years, Thompson served as Producing Artistic Director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF). In addition to an active career as a freelance director, he has directed and/or taught in major conservatory programs, including The Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, Washington University, Boston University, Temple University, DePaul Theatre School, among others.

In addition, he has led two major Master of Fine Arts Programs in Professional Theatre: the University of Alabama/ASF program and the National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center. Thompson served for eight years on the Board of Directors for Theatre Communications Group and as its president for three years.