This video was created as part of the web companion to the monograph Directions for Directing. Theatre and Method, written by Avra Sidiropoulou, and published by Routledge in September 2018. The book lays out contemporary concepts of directing practice and examines specific techniques of approaching scripts, actors, and the stage. Addressed to both young and experienced directors, but also to the broader community of theatre practitioners, scholars, and dedicated theatre goers, the book sheds light on the director’s multiplicity of roles throughout the life of a play – from the moment of its conception to opening night – and explores the director’s processes of inspiration, interpretation, communication, and leadership. The companion website explores the work of international practitioners of different backgrounds who operate within various institutions, companies, and budgets, providing readers with a wide range of perspectives and methodologies.

Vanessa Christodoulou, graduate of the M.A. in Theatre Studies Program at the Open University of Cyprus, talks about her experience of being taught directing in a distance-learning context. She shares audiovisual material taken from her directing work, which was produced especially for class projects. This video was shot in Athens in October 2017. Video editing by Kostas Katrios.