The directorial concept
According to the Board of Studies, a directorial concept:
'is based on the director’s creative interpretation of the play’s text, themes, characters, style, mood, structure and context elements of drama include tension, focus, rhythm, space, movement, sound, time, symbol, mood, pace, pause and atmosphere,character/role, actor and audience relationship'.
In essence, the directorial concept or 'vision' is how the director envisions the play. This begins as a written idea before being realised through the elements of production, namely the set, costumes and lighting. Before launching a production, the director must have a clear vision.
how to develop a directorial concept
The directorial concept will evolve through a combination of reading, research, reflection and inspiration. It may be clarified by exploring the following.
The design concept
The design concept should clearly support and reinforce the directorial concept, presenting a visual representation of the world of the play. Visual aspects include sets, costumes and lighting. This description will include:
key images, objects and props
characters and relationships
Students should make detailed notes on all characters and their relationships.
These notes may include:
a description of the character, their role and status
'is based on the director’s creative interpretation of the play’s text, themes, characters, style, mood, structure and context elements of drama include tension, focus, rhythm, space, movement, sound, time, symbol, mood, pace, pause and atmosphere,character/role, actor and audience relationship'.
In essence, the directorial concept or 'vision' is how the director envisions the play. This begins as a written idea before being realised through the elements of production, namely the set, costumes and lighting. Before launching a production, the director must have a clear vision.
how to develop a directorial concept
The directorial concept will evolve through a combination of reading, research, reflection and inspiration. It may be clarified by exploring the following.
The design concept
The design concept should clearly support and reinforce the directorial concept, presenting a visual representation of the world of the play. Visual aspects include sets, costumes and lighting. This description will include:
key images, objects and props
- colours, textures, lines, shapes and mass
- use of space
- use of light and dark
- the focus on a particular period, style, metaphor for the production.
characters and relationships
Students should make detailed notes on all characters and their relationships.
These notes may include:
a description of the character, their role and status
- the development of significant characters
- their function within the play as a whole
- the motivation and main objectives of characters
- relationships between characters
- physical realisation of characters though movement, stance, gesture and facial expressions
- any specific needs for props or costumes.
Resources for creating a Director's Concept
The presentation below provides an overview of how to use visuals when creating a directorial concept.
The document/s below provides an explanation of what a directorial concept is, as well as providing examples of written concepts. These examples are particularly useful when considering the length and type of language that should be used in when presenting your directorial concept.