Welcome to our Intermediate Directing workshop, written in collaboration with theatre director and Old Vic Education Associate Roberta Zuric. This workshop follows on from our Introduction to Directing workshop.

In this workshop, we will delve deeper into the directing process and look in more detail at how to collaborate with actors.

This workshop is broken down into sections, so you can complete it in your own time and at your own pace. If you get stuck and need any assistance you can contact us at education@oldvictheatre.com. Remember, this workshop isn’t about getting things right – it’s about your artistic ideas and your vision for a production. Good luck and have fun.

Read the text extract below from Bookies, written by playwright Kelly Jones. Alternatively, you could choose to use an extract from a different play if you’d prefer. The following exercise (which you may remember from the previous workshop) will help us analyse the scene.

You will need a large piece of paper or notebook for this exercise.

• Make a list of all the facts in the scene. Try not to make assumptions – just list the things that you can prove.
• These facts will deepen your understanding of the play. They are also useful tools that you can give to your actors to help them discover their performances.
• Next make a list of all the questions in the scene. What do you not know? What is unclear or uncertain?
• You can discuss these questions with your actors in the rehearsal room. Some questions might be very easy to answer, others might require further debate before you make a decision.

Now that we have a better understand of the text, it’s time to go deeper.