Final answer:
The director integrates each character into the production, balancing all elements from actor performances to technical aspects. This leadership requires a cohesive vision, starting with casting to post-production, emphasizing the director's comprehensive role in crafting the audience's final experience.
Step-by-step explanation:
The director integrates each character as part of the total production. This includes not only working with the actors to discover and physicalize the characters but also making sure that all the technical and design elements come together cohesively.
During technical rehearsals, the director must shift focus from working closely with the actors to overseeing the entire ensemble of the production, which entails integrating finalized sets, props, lights, microphones, and costumes that the designers bring in.
The director's work is crucial throughout all the stages of a production: from casting to post-production. In the early stages, the director compiles a character breakdown that includes both the playwright's description and the director's unique vision, which actors use to prepare for auditions.
Later, during post-production, the director goes through all the takes to select and edit the pieces that align with their storytelling vision—often without the actors present. This process illustrates the director's significant impact, truly shaping the final product as envisioned.
Moreover, the director is also considered the first audience member, responsible for ensuring that the audience's experience matches the original artistic concept. They must balance the artistic choices and the technicalities, similar to a pilot steering a ship, emphasizing their role as both a leader and collaborator.