If you’ve ever sat in a read-through and wondered who actually decides things, you’re not alone. Director, producer, assistant director. The titles get printed in the programme, but what each person does is a bit of a mystery to most performers. Especially if you’ve only ever been on the stage side of the rehearsal room.
I’ve been in am dram on and off since 1994. I had a long break from 2000 and came back in 2023. In that time I’ve worked under a lot of directors, sat on two society committees as marketing officer (Erewash Musical Society and Arcade Players) and done my share of front of house stewarding. And now I’m directing for the first time: Now That’s What I Call a Musical! with Erewash Musical Society. So I’ve seen the production team from the stage, from the committee table, from the foyer and, very recently, from the director’s chair.
This guide explains what a theatre director does, what a theatre producer does, what an assistant director does, and where the lines sit between them. It’s written for am dram first, because that’s where most of you will meet these roles, but I’ll point out where professional theatre does it differently.
Director, producer and assistant director at a glance
Here’s the short version before I go into detail. Every society splits jobs slightly differently, so treat this as the usual pattern rather than a rule.
| Role | Main question they answer | Typical responsibilities | Who they work most closely with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director | What should this show look and feel like? | Overall vision, staging and blocking, working with actors on character, shaping scenes, running rehearsals, final artistic calls | Musical director, choreographer, stage manager, cast |
| Producer | How does this show actually get on stage? | Rights and licence, budget, venue, rehearsal space, schedule, ticketing, marketing, programme, front of house | Committee, treasurer, venue, director |
| Assistant director | How can I help the director deliver the vision? | Notes, running scenes, covering absences, keeping track of blocking, supporting the cast | Director, stage manager, cast |
| Stage manager | How does the show run safely and on cue? | Prompt copy, cues, backstage crew, scene changes, safety | Director, technical team |
What is a director in theatre?
The director’s job in one sentence
The director is the person responsible for the whole artistic shape of the production. They take a script (and, in a musical, a score) and decide how it will be told on this stage, with this cast, in this venue. The Prospects job profile for theatre directors describes the professional version of the job, and the am dram version is the same core role with a smaller budget and a lot more multitasking.
If you’re a performer, the director is the person you spend most of your rehearsal time with. They give you your blocking, they talk to you about character, and they give the notes at the end of the night that you’ll either love or quietly sulk about in the car park.
What a director actually does, stage by stage
Directing isn’t one task. It changes as the production moves along.
Before rehearsals start
Long before the first rehearsal, the director is reading the script again and again, deciding on a concept, and working out how the show will fit the venue. In most societies the director is involved in the show choice conversation too, and in planning the rehearsal schedule with the production team. They’ll meet the musical director and choreographer to agree how the show should look and sound.
Early rehearsals
The first weeks are usually about blocking (who stands where and when), reading scenes, and getting the cast comfortable with the story. In a musical the music rehearsals often run alongside, led by the musical director, so the director has to plan around who is learning songs and who is free to block.
Middle rehearsals
This is where scenes get built properly. The director works on character, relationships, pace and comedy timing. They’ll also be checking how the different parts of the show join up, because a brilliant number means nothing if the scene change after it takes two minutes.
Runs, tech and dress
Towards the end, rehearsals turn into runs of acts and then the whole show. Then comes tech week, which is where the director, the stage manager and the lighting and sound team work through every cue. Dress rehearsals put everything together. The director’s job here is to keep a calm head, give clear notes, and make final decisions quickly.
Show week
Once the show opens, the director’s power shrinks. In professional theatre the stage manager effectively runs the show once it’s up. In am dram the director usually stays closer, giving notes after each performance, but the cast and crew are the ones who deliver it.
Director vs musical director vs choreographer
In a musical the director shares the creative work with two other people. The musical director (often just called the MD) is responsible for the music: teaching the songs, getting the vocal sound right and, usually, leading the band or the backing tracks on the night. The choreographer creates and teaches the dances.
The director has the final say on how the whole show fits together. But a good director doesn’t overrule the MD on a harmony or the choreographer on a step. The three need to agree early on the style of the show and then trust each other. If you want to know which roles stretch a voice, my guide to vocal types is a good place to start, because the MD will be thinking about exactly that.
Directing a play vs directing a musical
Plays and musicals ask different things of a director. In a play, every moment of story is carried by the words and the acting, so the director spends far more time on character and text. My own view as a performer is that plays are less tiring than musicals but more satisfying, because you get a truly complex character to work with. That’s true for the director as well: a play gives you more room to dig into motivation.
A musical has more moving parts. The director has to balance scenes, songs and dances, keep the story clear through the numbers, and coordinate a bigger team. If you’re curious about how different musicals are built, my guide to the five types of musical explains why a book musical directs very differently from a jukebox musical.
What makes a good am dram director (the view from the stage)
I’ve worked under plenty of directors as a performer. These are the things I think make the difference. This is my opinion, from the performer’s side of the room.
They communicate well
A good director tells you what they want and why. You know what each rehearsal is for, you know what’s expected of you by when, and you’re not left guessing whether a scene is finished or still being worked on. Clear rehearsal calls and clear notes save everyone a lot of stress.
They let performers find the role
The best directors I’ve worked with give you a framework and then let you flow into the role. They don’t push their own reading of a character so hard that there’s no room for yours. You still get direction, of course, but it feels like you’re building the character together.
They protect breaks
This sounds small. It isn’t. Am dram performers often arrive at rehearsal after a full day at work. A director who protects the breaks keeps people fresh, keeps the room friendly, and gets better work out of everyone in the second half of the evening.
They work with people
A society production is a team effort from the cast to the crew to the people selling raffle tickets. Good directors work with all of them, not just the leads. They listen to the stage manager, they respect the MD and the choreographer, and they treat the ensemble as part of the show. I’ve been in the ensemble of Bad Girls the Musical and Evita with Erewash Musical Society and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with Encore Performing Arts. Ensemble builds confidence and community, and it’s where you learn to work with others as part of a bigger production. A director who remembers that gets the best out of the whole company.
They’re organised
Organisation is the part nobody sees. A rehearsal schedule that makes sense, a clear plan for each session, and decisions made in time for the production team to act on them. A disorganised director costs the whole society time.
What I’ve learned as a first-time director so far
I’m early in my directing journey with Now That’s What I Call a Musical! I chose a jukebox musical for my debut on purpose: I loved playing Trish in Boogie Nights, jukebox musicals are fun, and they suit my voice.
The biggest surprise so far is how many questions come up that you’d never think of from the stage. As a performer you turn up, rehearse and go home. As a director you’re suddenly the person people ask about everything, and plenty of those questions aren’t obvious ones. I’ve had to reach out to other people for information more times than I can count.
My advice if you’re thinking of directing for the first time: accept that you won’t know everything, and ask. Your society’s committee, past directors and your production team all know things you don’t. Asking early is far better than guessing and finding out in tech week.
What is a theatre producer?
The producer in professional theatre
In the professional world, the producer is the person (or company) who makes a production happen. They find or commission the show, raise the money, hire the creative team, book the theatre and manage the budget. Get Into Theatre’s guide to what a theatre producer does is a useful read if you want the professional detail.
The key thing to understand is that a producer’s job is practical and financial as well as creative. The director makes the show. The producer makes sure there’s a show to make.
The producer in am dram: who actually does it?
In am dram the word ‘producer’ is used in different ways. Some societies appoint a producer for each show. Others call the same role the production manager. In plenty of societies there’s no single producer at all: the job is shared between the committee, the secretary, the treasurer and the director.
So if you’re asked ‘who’s producing?’ in your society, the answer might be one person or it might be ‘the committee’. Either is normal. What matters is that every job below has a named owner.
What a producer looks after
Rights and licences
Before a society can stage most shows, it needs a performance licence from the company that holds the rights. In the UK the big licensors for musicals include Concord Theatricals and MTI Europe, and there are others for specific shows. Concord’s introduction to licensing explains how the process works, and Theatrical Rights Worldwide’s FAQ lists the kind of information a licensor asks for when you apply. Getting this right is usually a producer or committee job, not the director’s, although the director needs to know what the licence allows.
Budget
The producer keeps the show on budget. That covers the licence fee, scripts and scores, venue hire, rehearsal space, set, costumes, props, lighting and sound, band or backing tracks, programmes and marketing. In a society this is usually worked out with the treasurer.
Venue and rehearsal space
Booking the theatre and the rehearsal rooms, agreeing get-in and get-out times, and dealing with the venue’s rules all sit with the producer side of the team.
Schedule
The director plans what happens in each rehearsal. The producer makes sure the big dates work: when rehearsals start, when the set has to be ready, when tickets go on sale, when the programme goes to print.
Tickets, marketing and programmes
Selling the show is a production job. I’ve been marketing officer on two society committees, and it’s a big job: posters, social media, local press, programme copy and adverts. The producer side of the team needs it all planned well ahead of show week.
Front of house
Someone has to organise the stewards, the box office, the raffle and the interval drinks. I’ve done front of house stewarding myself. A well organised foyer shapes how the audience feels before they’ve seen a single scene.
Director vs producer: where the line sits
Creative vs practical
The simplest way to remember it: the director owns the art, the producer owns the logistics. The director decides that the opening number needs a staircase. The producer decides whether the budget, the venue and the build team can deliver a staircase, or whether it needs to be a set of steps and some clever lighting.
Who has the final say?
On artistic questions, the director. On money, dates, the venue and the licence, the producer (or the committee). In professional theatre the producer is usually the one who hired the director, so if push comes to shove the producer has more power overall. In a society the committee normally plays that role.
When they disagree
Most disagreements between a director and a producer are really about money or time. The fix is almost always earlier conversations. Agree the budget and the key dates before rehearsals start, write them down, and check in regularly. A director who knows the limits can be creative inside them. A producer who understands the vision can find ways to make more of it possible.
Director vs producer in film and TV
If you searched ‘director vs producer’ you might have film in mind. The basic split is similar: the director leads the creative work and the producer handles the money, the people and the schedule. The big difference is that a film director is in charge of a finished recording, while a theatre director hands the show over to the cast and stage manager once it opens. Every night is live, and the director can’t edit it.
What does an assistant director do?
In professional theatre
An assistant director supports the director through rehearsals. Depending on the production, that can mean taking notes, keeping track of blocking, running scenes or understudy rehearsals, doing research and acting as a link between the director and the company. Get Into Theatre’s guide to the assistant director role covers the professional version well. For many professional directors it’s the first step into directing.
In am dram
In a society the assistant director (sometimes called the AD or the director’s assistant) is often a performer or committee member who wants to learn directing. Typical jobs include:
- Running a scene or a group while the director works with someone else
- Taking notes during runs and passing them on
- Keeping the blocking written down so nobody forgets it between rehearsals
- Covering a rehearsal if the director is ill or away
- Being a second pair of eyes from the back of the hall
It’s one of the best ways to find out whether you’d like to direct, because you see the whole process without carrying the full weight of every decision.
Assistant director vs stage manager
These two roles get confused, but they’re different. The assistant director works on the artistic side, supporting the director. The stage manager runs the practical side of rehearsals and performances: the prompt copy, the cues, the backstage crew, the scene changes and safety. Once the show opens, the stage manager is the one in charge backstage. A dedicated guide to stage management is coming to the blog soon.
The rest of the production team
The director, producer and assistant director are only part of the picture. Here’s who else you’ll usually find on a society production team.
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Musical director | Teaches the music, shapes the vocal sound, leads the band or tracks |
| Choreographer | Creates and teaches the dances and movement |
| Stage manager | Runs rehearsals and performances backstage, calls or manages cues, leads the crew |
| Deputy or assistant stage manager | Supports the stage manager, often looks after props and the prompt copy |
| Lighting and sound | Designs and operates lighting and sound for the show |
| Wardrobe | Sources, makes and maintains costumes |
| Props and set | Builds or finds the set and props, and manages scene changes with the crew |
| Front of house manager | Runs the foyer, stewards, box office and audience safety on show nights |
In bigger societies these are separate people. In smaller ones, one person might cover two or three of them. If you’re new to am dram and wondering where you might fit, my guide to joining an amateur theatre society in the UK covers the backstage routes in as well as the performing ones.
A short history of the theatre director
The director as a separate job is younger than you might think. For centuries, staging a play was usually the job of the actor-manager: a senior actor who chose the plays, staged them and ran the company. English actor-managers such as David Garrick and Colley Cibber are classic examples.
The modern director is usually traced back to the Meininger Company under George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, whose carefully controlled productions put one person’s vision in charge of the whole stage. Around the same period Konstantin Stanislavski, himself an actor-manager, set up the Moscow Art Theatre and helped establish the director as an artistic leader. The history of the theatre director shows the actor-manager slowly disappearing after the Second World War, with directing becoming a profession in its own right.
Am dram has its own history alongside this. NODA, the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, was formed in 1899 at a meeting in Manchester and has supported amateur societies across the UK ever since, and the director, producer and committee structure most societies use today grew up in that world.
How to get involved in directing, producing or assisting
If any of these roles appeal to you, here’s how I’d go about it in a society.
Start as an assistant
Offer to assist a director you respect. You’ll learn how a rehearsal schedule is built, how notes are given and how decisions get made, without the pressure of carrying the whole show.
Join the committee or a production team
Producing skills come from doing the practical jobs. Help with marketing, front of house, the programme or ticketing. You’ll learn how a show is put together behind the scenes, and committees are always grateful for willing hands.
Pitch a show
Many societies invite directors to pitch a show to the committee. Do your homework: check the rights are available, think about cast size and what the show demands, and be honest about the challenges. My guide to the hardest musicals to perform is a good reality check, and if you’re thinking ahead to a festive production, my list of Christmas musicals for amateur theatre has licensing notes for each show.
Keep performing
Every show you perform in teaches you something about directing, good and bad. Pay attention to what works in the rehearsal room and what doesn’t. It all goes into your own toolkit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a director and a producer in theatre?
The director is responsible for the artistic side of the show: the vision, the staging and the work with actors. The producer is responsible for the practical and financial side: the rights, the budget, the venue, the schedule and selling tickets. In am dram the producer role is often shared by the society committee.
Does every am dram society have a producer?
No. Some societies appoint a producer or production manager for each show. Others share the job across the committee, the treasurer, the secretary and the director. What matters is that the licence, the budget, the venue and the marketing all have someone looking after them.
What does an assistant director do in am dram?
An assistant director supports the director. They might run scenes, take notes during runs, keep track of blocking, cover rehearsals when the director is away and help the cast between sessions. It’s a great way to learn directing.
Is the director in charge during the show?
Not really. Once the show opens, the stage manager runs the performance backstage and the cast deliver it. In am dram the director usually stays involved and gives notes after each night, but their main work is done before opening.
Do you need experience to direct am dram?
Most societies like a director to have some experience, often as a performer, an assistant director or a committee member. Many first-time directors start by assisting. Whatever your background, be ready to ask a lot of questions. I certainly have.
If you’re about to step into a production team role, or you’re just curious about who does what, I hope this helps. And if you’re heading to your first audition rather than your first production meeting, start with my guide to what to expect at your first am dram audition.