Five Questions Every Director Should Be Ready to Answer

If you're stepping into the role of a director, congratulations. And welcome to the hot seat. While you may think your job is about vision, blocking, pacing, and perhaps the occasional dramatic scarf, the truth is you're about to be peppered with a barrage of actor questions. Some will be practical, some emotional, and some existential. And yes, they will ask them whether it's day one of rehearsal or five minutes before opening night.

A great director isn't just someone with ideas. It's someone with answers. Or at least someone with enough empathy and clarity to make an actor feel safe and seen while they look for those answers together.

So before you start calling "places," here are five questions every theatre director must be prepared to answer.

1. "What’s my motivation?"

The classic. The cliché. The one that has launched a thousand eye rolls. But it survives for a reason. Actors want to know why their character says what they say, does what they do, and exists in the world of the play. If your only answer is "because it’s in the script," then you’re not directing. You’re just coordinating movement. A thoughtful director helps actors connect each line and moment to an intention. Even the smallest role deserves a reason to be. And sometimes the actor already knows the answer. They just want to know if you do too.

2. "What’s the tone of this scene?"

Actors are in the moment. Which means sometimes they need a little help zooming out. This is where you come in. Is the scene grounded or heightened? Are we leaning into the absurd or playing it straight? Is this Beckett or Sorkin? A clear tone helps actors calibrate their energy, their pacing, their volume, and their vulnerability. It’s your job to set the tone and make sure everyone is living in the same one.

3. "Can I try something?"

This is the test of your ego. A good director comes in with a plan. A great one makes room for discovery. When an actor asks to try something — a new gesture, a different inflection, a shift in blocking — say yes more often than no. This question is not a threat. It’s a sign that your actor is engaged and thinking. And sure, not every experiment works. But the rehearsal room should be a space where it’s safe to fail. That freedom often leads to breakthroughs that no amount of pre-planning could ever predict.

4. "What does my character want in this moment?"

This goes beyond general backstory and into the heart of the scene. Every character needs an objective. Not just in the show, but in every single moment. Are they fighting for love, power, clarity, approval, a second chance? If a scene feels flat, the issue is often that the objective is unclear. Directors don’t need to hand over all the answers, but they do need to help guide the way. When an actor is locked into their want, everything else falls into place.

5. "Do you want it the same every night?"

This is where the art meets the discipline. Theatre is a living thing, but consistency matters. Some directors want performances to be preserved like a final dress rehearsal. Others want the show to breathe and evolve with each audience. You owe your actors clarity here. Do you expect line readings to be identical? Can moments shift based on energy and audience? There is no wrong answer, but there is a wrong time to figure it out. And that is after opening night.

Actors ask questions because they care. Directors answer them because they’ve done the work. The best rehearsal rooms are not the ones where everyone agrees — they are the ones where everyone is asking the right questions together.

So before you call action, make sure you’re ready for "why."