CONTACT Directing Philosophy - Kent Thompson

Kent’s directing philosophy

Directing is a revelation of characters, story and meaning through stirring, imaginative theatrical performances.

I tell stories

My focus as a director is as an interpretative artist—a theatrical storyteller. I want to create productions that stir emotions, provoke thoughts, and reveal the world around us in a new way. Directing is a revelation of characters, story and meaning through stirring, imaginative theatrical performances. Trained in classical theatre, I am obsessed with clarity of ideas, language, and context.

Striving to find the heart of each piece, I am deeply interested character and human interaction; therefore, I have deep respect for the actors who must embody these people for the performance to take flight.
Much of the success of any production requires working with each theatre to assemble the best creative team and cast possible. After extensive preparation, in rehearsals I seek to create a vision that illuminates the play and then to lead by collaboration to achieve the best possible production, given the resources of each theatre.

At the first rehearsal, I strive to be the most knowledgeable person about the script, the characters, and the journey of the play; by opening, I hope that the actors will have become far more knowledgeable than I. Creating a working environment that is creative, safe, positive and fulfilling is critically important.
Finally, a script can only become “theatre” with the arrival of audiences. Vital to my directing philosophy is a creating a production that inspires and excites both audiences and artists.

Kent has a great book out. You should read it.

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