Profession assistant stage director

Assistant stage directors support the needs of the stage director and the production for each assigned stage production, and serve as a liaison between performers, theatre staff and stage directors. They take notes, provide feedback, coordinate the rehearsal schedule, take blocking, rehearse or review scenes, prepare or distribute actor notes, and facilitate communication between designers, production staff, and stage director.

Would you like to know what kind of career and professions suit you best? Take our free Holland code career test and find out.

Personality Type

  • Conventional / Realistic

Knowledge

  • Acting and directing techniques

    Range of training and rehearsal techniches that seek to encourage emotionally expressive performances. Techniques to address all aspects in making a film, play, performance in general. 

  • Art-historical values

    The historical and artistic values implied in examples of one's branch of art.

Skills

  • Read scripts

    Read a playbook or film script, not only as literature, but identifying, actions, emotional states, evolution of characters, situations, different sets and locations, etc.

  • Use communication techniques

    Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.

  • Supervise a script

    Supervise script preparation, maintenance, and distribution for all productions.

  • Analyse the artistic concept based on stage actions

    Analyse the artistic concept, form and structure of a live performance based on observation during rehearsals or improvisation. Create a structured base for the design process of a specific production.

  • Understand artistic concepts

    Interpret an artist's explanation or demonstration of their artistic concepts, inceptions and processes and strive to share their vision.

  • Adapt to artists' creative demands

    Work with artists, striving to understand the creative vision and adapting to it. Make full use of your talents and skills to reach the best possible result.

  • Liaise between theatre direction and design team

    Act as liaison between performers, theatre staff, director and design team.

  • Maintain a production book

    Maintain an artistic production book and produce final script for archive purposes.

  • Maintain blocking notes

    Keep accurate blocking notes regarding the position of actors and props throughout every scene. These notes are disbursed to the director, technical director, and cast.

Optional knowledge and skills

prompt performers coordinate artistic production develop an artistic framework develop artistic project budgets direct an artistic team follow time cues coordinate with creative departments manage prompt book assemble an artistic team define artistic vision define artistic approach

Common job titles

  • Assistant director - early childhood education
  • Preschool assistant principal / director
  • Assistant art director
  • Floating assistant director
  • Assistant executive director
  • Assistant director of community programs
  • Assistant center director - early childhood education
  • Assistant director, graduate studies
  • Floating assistant director - zionsville/westfield area - ece
  • Editor, post production