Directors and Designers is there a Different Direction: Notes by Nate

There is often tension between directors and designers during a production. Many directors are seen as the head of a production but in reality they are the head of only half. As described in Directors and Designers is there a Different Direction designers often have to take the role of a 'wife' figure, having to word questions to the likes of "how do YOU think this would look?" in order to gain a response from directors who have the innate need to be in charge of every aspect of a production.
The year 1911 in Germany was a great year for theater. For the first time plays were mixed in with music costumes and intricate colorful sets that were designed for specialists. However, also stemming from this breakthrough was the commonly notion that the designers served the directors. But in 1988 this issue was addressed by The Society of British Theatre Designers as they stepped forward to announce that a change in the artistic collaboration between director and designer must change.
Pamela Howard calls for this change in her article stating that designers should become "architects of the space and the space itself becomes a major player in the production. This is becoming a reality as many designers are becoming just as well recognized as directors and with the new technology available to theaters for creating outstanding sets, this trend can only increase.

-Nate Murphy