ABSTRACT
Production research begins with the script itself. Either in the back or the front of many published scripts is a ground plan and often a production photo, usually from the original production. The production concept is the culmination of the director's work in the analysis, research, and interpretive exploration of the play and its world. Having completed the analysis of the play, the director can now turn to research in order to develop the concept for the production. Character research involves investigation into the background information that will help clarify the areas discovered during the character section of the script analysis. Having identified the style in which the play was written, the director then needs to conduct research into the implications of that style. The greater the understanding of the playwright and his or her work, the more the director can fit the play into context and better understand the playwright's message.
