Additional Information
Students should consider a good theater program in a college setting. After
that, get some experience, even if you have to volunteer to do it. Summer
theaters will often take on apprentices, and sometimes that will give you
a leg up on the competition.
Most directors have some experience as actors, but that's not always the
case. Some stage managers also become directors.
Melanie Sutherland, a New York director with over 20 years of experience
in the business, says if you really want to get ahead fast, the trick is to
make as many contacts as possible. Also, get your master's degree -- you'll
meet the playwrights and producers who will help your career later in life.
"Truly, the older I've gotten, the more I've realized it really is about
who you know," she says. "If you have talent, that's great to fall back on.
But I wish I had gone to grad school, because then I would have met the people
and been able to cultivate those relationships."