1. Greek Directors Playwrights used to automatically direct plays
Didaskalos- playwright/directors, or “teacher.”
They not only wrote the play but also instructed the performers and advised the designers and technicians.

2. Shakespearean Directors
Directing was simple
Staged outside, so no need for lighting designers
Costumed appropriate to their character's station and profession
Stage was set almost the exact same each time
Most directing was done by an actor-manager
Who told the actors where to stand so that they could best be seen

3. Realism Called for psychologically complex characters Honest acting
Natural-looking sets
Played off the worldwide scientific, social, and philosophical movements of the day

4. The Duke
George II, the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen ( ) the ruler of a small German state, is often credited as the first modern director
He insisted on long rehearsal periods and ordered his actors to explore every psychological aspect of their characters
Made many advances in staging
Crowd scenes were famous for looking like paintings, and his costumes, scenery, and props were fully integrated and authentic
Toured Europe from

5. Stanislavsky
Konstantin Stanislovksy established the Moscow Art Theatre
“There are no small parts, only small actors.”
“I used to think that the director was like a chef, whose job it was to mix the correct ingredients in the correct proportions; then I thought that the director was rather more like a midwife; and now I am not quite sure at all what a director is.”j