Musical Directing
The Musical Director (MD) of a show is responsible for all the live
musical aspects, where they exist. This can vary from a
musical with dozens of live musicians to a play using a small ensemble for incidental music. The MD will typically have to work closely with the
director,
choreographer (if dance and music are used together) and
sound designer, who will deal with the technical aspects: microphones, speakers,
sound effects and pre-recorded music. In most musicals they will also "balance" the live music.
Shows sometimes appoint an MD at the application stage. On other occasions they will advertise for a
musical director later on, normally on music society email lists. The Musical Society and Musical Theatre Society are both good places to start looking if you're interested - see the Societies list for more details.
The role can encompass a wide range of skills:
auditioning, training and teaching singers; composing and arranging; finding and rehearsing a band; and conducting the show. You will almost never have to do
all these things for one show, though. Don't be daunted by the long list - there are plenty of people who can help out. The main requirements for an MD are patience and enthusiasm! In particular, for more complex shows the MD may recruit an assistant to help with aspects of the job. Taking on the role of an assistant or playing in a show band is a very useful introduction to MDing your own shows.
Last edited Thu 6th Sep 2007 by Stuart Cuthbertson
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