Directing

Directing can be both exhilarating and rewarding while also being the most frightening and overwhelming task youve ever volunteered for.  Were here to help!  Our books and DVDS are full of how-tos that break directing down into manageable steps and even give you reproducible forms to use!  They also provide specifics on everything from stage management to stage combat, from creating comedy to creating characters.  So whether youre working with young children, teens or adults, these texts and DVDs will save you much time and trouble.

Pioneer Drama Service is pleased to offer 18 texts, CDs and DVDs in this category.
509 Digital Sound Effects
5 Compact Disc Set
Youll find hundreds of professional sound effects — 509 to be exact — on this complete sound effect library.  More...




The Actors Menu
How to create powerful, believable characters
This character preparation handbook tells you exactly what you need to know to become the kind of actor people want to watch.   More...


Backstage Forms
These forms have been collected from a wide variety of sources — educational, community, even Broadway theatres.  The forms includes sections on props, costuming, makeup, lighting, budgets, and more.  More...


Between Hisses
This is a collection of authentic sing-alongs, theme music for melodrama characters and olio numbers.  Also included is a section of illustrated gestures, which have become associated with melodramas.   More...


Blocking a Scene
A video guide to basic staging with actors
Emphasizing script analysis, development of a floorplan and collaboration with actors, this video focuses on two students as they begin their very first directing project.   More...


Finding Your Funny Bone
The actors guide to physical comedy and characters
This book contains a wonderful new how-to approach to creating physical comedy and finding the creative comic within you or your students.  More...


Melodrama:  Beyond the Boos and Hisses
or...  Never Be Foiled Again!  An Amateur's Video Guide to Melodrama
The professional actors on this instructional video will demonstrate for both director and actors all the exclusive aspects that make melodrama a unique form of theatre.   More...


On With the Show!
A guide for directors and actors
This straight-forward guide — which is really three books in one — gives you the tools to work more effectively and efficiently toward the final production.  More...


The Physical Comedy Handbook
This is a one-of-a-kind resource for students, actors, teachers and directors interested in physical comedy — from slapstick pratfalls to the theatre of the absurd.  More...


Places, Please! 
How to Structure and Organize Your Theater Program
This text clearly outlines every step in planning and presenting a high school theatrical production.  In addition, it details the processes of auditions, rehearsals and productions.   More...


Play Directing in the School
A Drama Director's Survival Kit
This text details the world of producing plays in schools.  Whether it's budgeting, scheduling or the motivating and management of students, this is a must for anyone in an educational institution.   More...


Play Director's Survival Kit
This book contains basic information for beginners and veterans.  Including over fifty-five reproducible checklists, forms and samples, it will help you direct contemporary, period and musical plays.   More...


Play It Safe — Introduction to Theatre Safety
Reproducible video guide and test questions included
Both an overview of important OSHA laws and an often humorous look at the basic safety guidelines that every theatre student/theatre worker needs to know.   More...


ShowSmarts
The volunteers guide for putting on shows with kids
An easy to understand guide with step-by-step instructions for making any childrens performance a successful and rewarding experience.   More...


The Stage Management Handbook
This unique book takes the reader through the numerous phases of mounting and performing a show exclusively from the stage manager's perspective.   More...


Staging Musicals for Young Performers
How to produce a show in 36 sessions or less
This step-by-step guidebook starts at the very beginning-selecting a musical, planning your rehearsal schedule, teaching theatrical basics and introducing your chosen musical to the group.   More...


Sword Fighting
A manual for actors and directors
This text provides guidelines on how to train with historical weapons, as well as showing how authentic European fighting styles from the past can be adapted for the purpose of directing combats.   More...


Theatre Talk
An illustrated dictionary of theatre terms
Newly revised, this book is a must for your theatre library!  More...