ABSTRACT
An acting coach's role is to develop the actor's technique; the director's role is to conceive and guide the production, working with the actors to achieve his or her vision. The closest relationship the director has with any part of the production is with the cast. The actors develop their characters, the director must determine the type of character each actor is portraying and determine their function and purpose within the play. The protagonist is generally considered to be the major character in the play. It is this character around whom the playwright has centered the plot. The antagonist is the character who works in opposition to the protagonist, seeking to prevent the protagonist from reaching his or her goal and is often the villain in the story. The foil is the character who serves as a contrast to another character, usually the protagonist. The functional character appears in the play for a specific purpose.
