Acting and directing

• Acting

  

  Acting on stage requires physical and emotional skills which often exceed those required of film actors.

• Casting

  

  Choosing the right actor for the right part is the job of the casting department. One of their main jobs is to run effective auditions, but they must also see lots of theatre in the evenings so they keep aware of new talent.

• Directing

  

  Nick Hytner discusses the role of the director in putting on a play. You can also watch Nick and the cast of Much Ado About Nothing in rehearsal, and Sean Holmes rehearsing with the cast of The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

• Fight directing

  

  Stage combat is all about cooperation between actors.

• Voice

  

  Voice work at the National is a varied area; in addition to helping actors explore the vocal potential of the three theatres and develop their vocal technique, Jeannette Nelson and her team also work on the language of the scripts that are used in performance.

• Movement

  

  For the National Theatre's 2009 staging of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour choreographer Maxine Doyle worked with performers to create a dedicated movement language.