The Directorial Concept

A directorial concept is how the director envisions the play. It is a written expression of how the director
will approach the play and what s(he) wants the audience to take away from the show. The concept
defines the central themes, ideas, mood, tone, and visual appeal of the play. The DC is the unifying idea
that the production team will try to createit is the specific point of view the play will be approached
from. Basically, it is your analysis of the play (use the answers from the guiding questions for this) and
your general ideas about what you would want to do as a director to make sure that the audience
understood what you wanted them to feel, think, or know about the show. Complete this concept about
the short play Trifles.
Examples:
King Lear is a reminder of how quickly a country can be destroyed from within by political back-biting, greed and
complacency. Lear takes for granted both his responsibility as king and his land's stability, assuming he can leave
the daily running of the country to others while he retires to "the good life". Because Shakespeare's message is
appropriate for any point in history, we have chosen to set this production without specific period or culture. We
also wanted to create a raw, elemental world where violence becomes commonplace. Fire, wind and water are
placed within a steel structure set upon the earth, giving the set a non-realistic, presentational feel, where one
does not expect each location to be fully realized visually. This helps to accommodate Shakespeare's quick and
constant scene changes. In the background you can see a vague image of the empire that everyone is trying to
capture. It is polluted and corrupt, not beautiful. On this land, no one is immune from the desire for power. In our
"King Lear" there are no heroes and there is ultimately no innocence; everyone gets their hands dirty. As the
battles both political and personal ensue, the story reveals itself to be actually a quest for love and understanding,
and what is truly important in life. Karen TenEyk, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
On the surface, I Am the Walrus is a play about the misadventures of a walrus named Timmy. When one delves
deeper, however, one will discover a play about acceptance and love. Timmy, like most every other teenager,
wants to fit in with those around him. This poses a problem for Timmy, as Timmy is the only walrus in a city of
humans. Boys shun him; girls spurn his overtures of affection. Timmy feels isolated and alone. Socially awkward,
Timmy constantly gets himself in situations that cause amusement for others and disappointment for himself. To
represent Timmys internal strife, the play will employ harsh lighting and dark tones. However, splotches of color
will appear throughout, representative of the innate hopefulness of our protagonist. The costumes and lighting will
become increasingly bright and rich as our Timmy transforms from dope to hero.
Loss. Disappointment. Unrealized expectations. These are the themes at the heart of Death of an Interior
Decorator, and these are the ideas we wish to leave the audience with. Our protagonist is a woman in a
monotonous, boring marriage with three grown children who have sapped her of her energy. She has found the
promise of domestic life to be nothing of the fantasy she imagined. She is a sympathetic character, and we wish to
treat her as such. She serves to question the institutions our society holds so dear. We will expose this world as a
fantasy land by using a unit set on a thrust stage. The set will be bright and joyous, standing in stark contrast to the
themes of the play. This will highlight the disparity between our characters expectations and her reality. We will
use traditional symbols of marriage throughout the design , and at the center will be an immaculate, perfectly
designed interiorher greatest achievement, which is all a lie. Touches of blue will appear throughout the set,
linking everything together and foreshadowing our protagonists eventual watery suicide.