RENT: A Director's Process

Abstract

RENT: A Director's Process describes the process a director undergoes in the creation of a piece of theater. It uses as its example Temple Theaters' 2010 production of RENT, and it examines how an MFA thesis production encapsulates the material garnered over three years' intensive study in a conservatory setting of the art and craft of directing. It explores the methodologies behind the pre-production process, including concept, approach, design, and casting, and continues into the production process, including rehearsal and performance. This thesis suggests a method of directing that is based on a formal approach, and shows this method to be as applicable to populist styles, such as musical theater, as it is to more experimental forms.