Personal development as director training: a dramatic dialogue

If our aim is theatre that is genuinely inclusive, relevant, and able to respond to the continuing developments of the (post-)COVID world, then we need directors who are flexible enough to respond to societal changes and empathetically encompass identities and experiences that are not their own. I argue that this requires directors to interrogate their belief systems, develop interpersonal skills, and explore alternate ways of working. Composed as a dramatic dialogue between two theatrical characters, Director A and Director B, the article presents two figures who wrangle to the conclusion that personal development is an often overlooked but essential part of ongoing director training in our rapidly shifting world.