In Stage Directing: A Director's Itinerary, the student of theatrical directing will find a step-by-step guide to directing a production, from choosing a play to opening night. Unlike other directing textbooks, it provides practical advice on organizing tasks throughout the directorial process, including budgeting, writing casting notices, and auditioning. It moreover includes an abundance of helpful examples and tried-and-true exercises, as well as information on how to organize a director’s documents into a production notebook.

The second edition builds on the strengths of the first edition by elaborating on key analytical, organizational, and strategic steps in a successful director’s itinerary, with special attention to the direction of musicals.

Michael Wainstein is Director of the University of Central Florida School of Performing Arts.

"Finally! A directing guidebook that takes the student through the craft of directing in an easy-to-process fashion."
      —Beate Pettigrew, Johnson County Community College

"This is the most comprehensive, common sense, step-by-step textbook on directing I have seen. Reading it is like having your master-director dad sitting next to you—guiding you as you work."
      —Bruce Miller, University of Miami

"Mr. Wainstein's book is ideal for the beginning director because it offers practical and workable advice for both understanding the play and getting the play on its feet. Chapters on running rehearsals and those about staging both a straight play and a musical are especially valuable for directors with minimal experience or training. Think of it as a training manual in the best sense of the term and keep it as handy as your prompt book as you go from choosing the play to the opening night cast party.”
      —David Rush, Playwright