A Day in the Life of an Artistic Director by Port Stanley Festival Theatre Artistic Director, Liz Gilroy Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen......... Some mornings that is what it feels like as I start my day as Artistic Director at Port Stanley Festival Theatre. On a typical day during the summer season, my day starts in the office at about 8:45 am. I answer as many emails as I can, make phone calls, check in with my staff and then head upstairs to the rehearsal hall to start for 10 am. I chat with my Stage Manager and Apprentice SM, while I wait for the kettle to boil for my cup of tea. Then I check in with the cast and answer any questions they might have before the day begins.
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We usually start by blocking a scene that can be anywhere from 7 to 14 pages long. We read through the scene first, to get everybody on the same page and then we start ‘blocking’, which is figuring out where the cast will go, sit, stand, x to stage right or stage left, exit or enter, etc. We might need props if we are blocking a scene with food or drinks or perhaps jumping in or out of a casket. It’s a collaborative effort, but the final decisions on how it all plays out will be mine. The director provides the outside eye and makes sure to guide the audience’s focus to the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the scene. We take a break mid-morning, refill our tea and coffees and repeat, hopefully moving on to the next few pages. Lunch: I come back down to my office and try to get my other job done as the AD. (the same sort of stuff I did when I got to the theatre at 8:450). Hopefully, there are no ‘fires’ I need to put out. After lunch, we repeat the morning’s routine, take a mid- afternoon break, more tea, and then review all of the day’s work. If it is the end of the week, we would do a full run-through from start to finish and then have notes and work on ‘bits’. When rehearsal ends, the stage management team and I create the schedule for the next day. Then I return to my office for about another hour to check email one last time. At some point during the day, I also check on the upcoming shows -- set design, production meetings, costumes, budgets, marketing, schedules, choosing the pre-show music, etc. I arrive home just after 7 pm: have a bite to eat, go for a walk, say a quick hello to my better half, stream something mindless on my screen and hit the hay. Shake, rinse, repeat ......... Unless it’s tech week – shake, rattle, and roll....
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