Most directors of commercial and nonprofit theater companies have a bachelor of arts or a master of arts degree in theater arts and have worked as actors prior to assuming a leadership position. Casting directors are strictly involved in choosing the talent for a show; artistic directors oversee the workings of the actual production.
A theater director is responsible for choosing plays and musicals that will appeal to the company's core demographic, are technically feasible given the playing space and equipment, and are within budgetary guidelines. This not only requires familiarity with all genres of plays but also the enthusiasm to read original scripts submitted to the company.
A theater director holds tryouts to fill each of the roles in an upcoming production. These can either be appointment-only readings, referrals from talent agents, or "cattle call" community auditions. Depending on the type of production, singing and dancing may be involved as well as acting.
A director puts the actors through their paces in the weeks and months leading up to a show's opening, encouraging them to memorize lines, understand character motivations and fostering the teamwork necessary to deliver her vision of what the show should be.
A theater director works closely with the set designer, wardrobe mistress, props manager, choreographer, lighting/special effects technicians, makeup artists and musicians to achieve what he wants the finished product to look like.
Theater directors frequently do staged readings of new works and teach workshops in addition to full productions and are often involved in seminars to educate playwrights, actors and fellow directors on theatrical techniques and philosophies.