Think for a bit about a stage performance and the role of a good director. Clearly, successful directors don’t simply buy scripts, put them in the hands of actors, give a few directions, and expect compelling results. In fact, much of the power behind a play that “works” happens around rather than in the script. Along the way, a successful director must create affective and physical environments in which the play will evolve.En route to creating a play that works for an audience, the director has to make it work for the actors. This happens on at least two levels. First, the director has to come to know and understand each actor as an individual—his or her strengths and vulnerabilities, preferred ways of working, and life experiences. It is upon these individual aspects that the director will draw as rehearsals progress. Not knowing these things would not only limit the potential impact of the actor, but of the director as well. To prepare, the director will likely do some background “research” on the actor before rehearsals begin. This will be followed by individual conversations throughout the rehearsal cycle, and by careful observation and reflection to understand what makes the actor shine as a character in some instances and what makes it difficult for the actor to bring a character to life in others.In addition to learning to know and understand the actors as individuals, the director needs to help the actors move from being a collection of individuals to a cast, a troupe, an ensemble, a company—a team. They need to unify around a shared and commonly understood endeavor, without losing their distinctiveness. In other words, the director has to help build a sense of community among the actors so that the group works cohesively to benefit both individual and shared development.

Finally, in building an environment in which the actors can evolve, the director must create a physical context for the play. In the theater, of course, this is called a set. It is a miniature world designed on a small piece of real estate called a stage. It will contain whatever is necessary to make the play come to life and enhance the work of the actors. Nothing on the set is without purpose. From flats to props, everything contributes to the viability of the little universe. Shape, color, design, texture, and location are elements that sculpt the play and enliven the acting. When the set is ready, it is almost never final. Changes are nearly always made right up until opening night, and they will often continue throughout the life of the play.The role of the teacher in developing an effective classroom environment is much like the role of the director. The drama, of course, is a compelling one— the interaction of individuals with ideas and skills that will change the individuals for better or worse. It requires risk, extreme effort, failure, self-awareness, honesty, small victories, and major triumphs. To make the drama work, the teacher must work quickly to get to know the actors and persistently understand them. He or she must begin early to build a team from a group of disparate individuals and continue the team-building process for as long as the drama runs. In a small piece of real estate called a classroom, the teacher must offer a set in which the actors can work to make the play compelling. The remainder of this chapter will exam- ine these three elements: getting to know students, building a community, and designing the physical environment of the classroom.