Abstract
This essay examines the complexities of evaluating the teaching component of academic directing and cautions against creating formal instruments that may inadvertently undermine directors’ artistic work or tenure prospects. The author notes that production participation constitutes an intense educational experience, yet the informal and intuitive nature of rehearsal processes makes teaching difficult to measure using objective criteria. While creative accomplishment has recently gained recognition as a valid form of scholarly contribution, the essay warns that adding another evaluative category may weaken that progress by implying that directing must also be judged as teaching. The discussion argues that directors cannot simultaneously maintain artistic focus and articulate pedagogical rationale without compromising creativity. Because student actors and directors themselves cannot reliably assess indirect learning, the essay proposes that acting program directors, who understand student strengths and limitations, may be best positioned to evaluate developmental gains through rehearsal observations and recorded sessions. Even so, the author emphasizes that any system will remain limited and inferior to intuitive administrative understanding. The essay concludes that directing should be evaluated primarily as artistic work, with teaching viewed as an inherent by product rather than a formal criterion for tenure or promotion.
Recommended Citation
Cooke, Thomas P.
(1985)
"Priorities in the Evaluation of a Director's Work,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 53, Article 12.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol53/iss1/12
