Artistic director
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Artistic Director
A manager who controls and oversees artistic policy. Though related in function to the German Intendant and to the directors of older European national theatres like the Comédie-Française, the artistic director arose internationally after the Second World War with the rapid establishment of companies whose finance was dependent on state or private subsidy. In many countries, but especially in England and North America, the earlier model of theatrical control implied a capitalist form of production in which sharers, a manager, or an actor-manager owned or leased the playhouse, chose the scripts, and hired the acting and production company, thus taking the financial risks and reaping the rewards. An extension of this model was the development in the early twentieth century of the producer, a commercial coordinator who controls a production in the interests of profit—the regular pattern still in the West End and on Broadway—but has no long-term investment in a particular playhouse or company. The artistic director, on the other hand, is normally contracted by the board of directors of a stable company and is insulated from the legal and financial responsibility of the institution, which most often is designated as a charitable or non-profit enterprise and thinks of itself as a public service.
The duties of an artistic director can vary considerably, but in most cases involve setting and maintaining standards of production, selecting annual seasons, and supervising casting, choice of directors and designers, and maintaining public and governmental relations. Sometimes the artistic director has fiscal, personnel, and material responsibilities as well, though for larger companies these functions fall to a specialist manager without artistic obligations. Artistic directors may be hired for a specified term, as at the National Theatre in London, or may remain in post for almost 40 years, as Zelda Fichandler did at Arena Stage in Washington. It is a sign of the power structure of contemporary theatre that most artistic directors have been and continue to be stage directors. Almost no designers or playwrights have been appointed to such posts, and relatively few actors. Laurence Olivier at the National in Britain was a highly visible exception to custom; in other cases actors elevated to power have rapidly converted to directing, as Christopher Newton at the Shaw Festival did. Notable artistic directors of the post-war period include Jean Vilar (another actor-director) and Roger Planchon of Théâtre National Populaire, Ariane Mnouchkine of Théâtre du Soleil in Paris, Peter Stein of the Berlin Schaubühne, Suzuki Tadashi of Suzuki Company of Toga in Japan, and Habib Tanvir of Naya Theatre in India.
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Artistic director
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Artistic director
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An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction.[citation needed] He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization. The artistic director of a theatre company is the individual with the over-arching artistic control of the theatre's production choices, directorial choices, and overall artistic vision. In smaller theatres, the artistic director may be the founder of the theatre and the primary director of its plays. In larger non-profit theatres (often known in Canada and the United States as regional theatres) the artistic director may be appointed by the board of directors.
The artistic director of a theatre is similar to the music director of a symphony, the primary person responsible for planning a theatre's season. The artistic director's responsibilities can include but are not limited to choosing the material staged in a season, the hiring of creative/production personnel (such as directors), and other theatre management tasks. He or she may also direct productions for the company. Artistic directors work closely with the general manager of the theatre, and contribute the artistic evaluation of projects and productions to be included in promotional, funding, and press materials. An artistic director also functions as a resource for the directors who are working to mount productions at the theatre and can provide support, counsel, and/or artistic input where requested. The artistic director may be called to assume the production should the director become unable to complete his/her duties. Artistic directors are frequently regarded as the artistic representatives of theatre companies and are often required to speak about their theatre to the press. In the United States, artistic directors often have fundraising responsibilities as well.
In some ensemble companies, the artistic director is responsible for recruiting performers to act as a talent pool for the company's productions. This ensemble may include actors and artists of various disciplines. The artistic director functions as leader of this group, with the aim to create and/or realize various new and established works.
In ballet the artistic director is the head of a ballet company. He has overall responsibility for training the dancers and mounting productions. He is almost always a retired dancer. Often he also choreographs some of the company's productions.
In some companies the artistic director may also manage the company but in a great many companies the artistic director may only make decisions about the art. In those cases decisions about administration, business issues, finances, fundraising, board relations, donor relations, publicity and marketing are usually the responsibility of the General Manager, Chief Operations Officer or Managing Director.
See also
Some prominent artistic directors (who are currently managing professional arts organizations) include the following:
- Jason Alexander — Reprise Theatre Company[1]
- Pierre Audi — The Netherlands Opera
- Michael Colgan — Gate Theatre
- Robert Falls — Goodman Theatre
- Joe Dowling — Guthrie Theatre
- Michael Kahn — Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Diane Paulus — American Repertory Theatre
- Bill Rauch — Oregon Shakespeare Festival
- Michael Ritchie — Center Theatre Group
- Kevin Spacey — Old Vic
- Helgi Tomasson — San Francisco Ballet
- Lin Hwai-min - Cloud Gate Dance Theatre
- Willy Tsao - City Contemporary Dance Company and BeijingDance / LDTX,
- Karen Kain - National Ballet of Canada
- Nikolaj Hübbe - Royal Danish Ballet
- Gregory Doran — Royal Shakespeare Company
- Mark Baldwin — Rambert Dance Company
- ((Jose Luis Valenzuela) - (Los Angeles Theater Center/Latino Theater Company)
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
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Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance. © 2003
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