The playwright-director relationship is challenging and complex. Perhaps this is why so many writers and directors describe their past experiences in mythic terms. Because theater is a collaborative art form, issues of ownership and interpretation often surface. One of the best things a playwright can do to avoid problems down the road is to meet with the director before the first rehearsal.

Whether taking place in a producer’s office or over coffee at the corner Starbucks, the playwright’s interview with prospective directors is the perfect opportunity for the playwright to ask important questions that will enable her or him to choose a director who is a good match both on an artistic and a personal level. The initial meeting is also an excellent opportunity to inquire about the director’s vision in order to determine whether it coincides with what the author has in mind for the play. "It’s important for the playwright to take control at the first meeting and ask questions of the director," says Manhattan-based director Rebecca Patterson. "The playwright asks me questions because, inevitably, I’m there trying to find out if I’m the right director for the project."

The playwright should go into the meeting with a good idea of the role she or he wants to play in the rehearsal process and be prepared to ask specific questions about how the director runs rehearsal. Let’s say, for example, a director mentions in the interview that she or he directed a play in a New Works Festival. One should not assume that the director is open to the playwright’s involvement in the rehearsal process simply because she or he has directed new work.

"It’s also helpful to get out and see young directors’ work," says Lisa McNulty, literary manager of the Women’s Project & Productions, an Off-Broadway theater company dedicated to producing plays by women writers. "You may have the most incredible meeting of your life with someone, but having a working knowledge is so important."

It can be very difficult for the playwright to give her or his work over to someone else’s interpretation. More difficult, perhaps, is the silent but necessary role the playwright plays in the rehearsal process. That is not to say, however, that the playwright’s voice is not heard. The playwright is often busy taking copious notes which she or he will share with the director outside of rehearsal. During this stage, it is imperative to the integrity of the collaborative process that the playwright trusts the director to both listen to her or his concerns and pass the information along to the actors. What the playwright should never do is try to assume the role of co-director in rehearsal or give notes to the actors behind the director’s back. Such bad rehearsal etiquette puts the actors in an unfair position, causing them to feel torn between loyalty to the director and the playwright, as well as undermining the collaborative spirit. "Your job as the director is to serve as a conduit for everybody’s ideas and to keep the vision for the play," says director Mahayana Landowne, a member of the Women’s Project’s Directors Lab. "This is why it’s crucial for the actors to hear only one voice."

Although it can be painful for a playwright to watch the play move in what she or he may feel is the wrong direction, it is essential for the evolution of the play that the playwright allow the director and actors to experiment and to make mistakes.

Most directors, however, value the playwright’s presence in rehearsal. "It’s an invaluable gift to have the playwright present to answer questions and to be part of the process," says Landowne. "It’s only tricky when the playwright’s energy isn’t supportive, because such a delicate balance exists in the room." It is important to remember, however, that some directors have never worked with a living author. Often, despite the director’s good intentions, this results in the playwright being left out of the loop. One director I worked with would sometimes forget to tell me about rehearsals. I remember spending an hour on the phone, trying to find out why rehearsal was canceled, only to discover that the location had been changed. I don’t believe the director purposely failed to notify me; but I do think, consciously or unconsciously, she did not consider me, the playwright, to be an integral part of the process.

Playwright Carson Kreitzer, whose play Freak Show was presented by Clubbed Thumb last June at HERE in New York City, discusses her past collaborations: "The best experiences I’ve had were with directors who were not afraid to be naive or at least appear to be naive. I like directors who don’t feel they have to understand the whole thing on the first read and can go through a questioning and finding out period with me." It’s helpful for a playwright to stay open-minded and remember that often the director can help her or him make important discoveries about the play.

A skilled director can be an asset during the writing process. Kreitzer says, "I often do a lot of research before beginning to write. I sometimes get lost in the process and don’t have a strong sense of what the audience needs to know piece by piece. A good director can let me know when I’m not communicating with an audience." An openness to the opinions of the director and actors and the willingness to make changes to the play are often to the playwright’s advantage. According to Kreitzer, "A director you’ve worked with and trust can be a wonderful well of information during the re-write process."

Issues of ownership can arise, however, when a playwright and director work closely together in the development process. "For the most part, it’s all about the playwright," says Landowne. "If the play ends up better and is followed through with in a future production, more power to it." A central element of the collaborative process is trust, and it is trust that creates an atmosphere where the playwright, director and actors can contribute freely. "The beauty of the collaborative process is that it goes beyond one individual person’s imagination," says Patterson. "The commercial aspect has distorted the process."

An issue of particular concern to playwrights centers around the incorporation of the director’s staging into the stage directions. At the heart of this issue lies the question: How much of the staging belongs to the director and how much belongs to the play? "Staging developed in rehearsal created to serve the play becomes part of the play," says Women’s Project Playwrights Lab member Liz Adams. "The idea of a director owning the staging is dangerous. It makes the collaborative process impossible." The play belongs to the playwright, and while it is important to have control over what she or he creates, Patterson cautions that the playwright should think of her or his role as "not owning the play, but championing it." The playwright champions her or his work by both being open to new ideas and allowing those ideas that illuminate the play to become part of the play.

Recently, I participated in a day-long retreat hosted by the Women’s Project & Productions for members of their Playwrights Lab and Directors Forum. The retreat created an atmosphere for playwrights to meet with directors to work on projects that would help them understand each other’s artistic sensibilities and to address the difficulties of making their relationships work. An exercise that generated a great deal of discussion involved the directors writing plays for the playwrights to direct. "This exercise was a simple, quick way to put directors in the playwrights’ shoes and playwrights in the directors’ shoes," says Lisa McNulty. Because there were fewer directors than playwrights, some playwrights shared directorial responsibilities. In one instance, two playwrights left the room to discuss a director’s play, inadvertently leaving the director behind. "Playwrights’ revenge," someone said.

Rebecca Patterson explains what it was like for her to switch roles: "I gained a huge amount of compassion for the playwright. I felt so powerless and vulnerable. It made me understand that it’s very important for it to be a collaboration." Playwright Liz Adams had a similar experience: "I got a sense of what it’s like when actors and the playwright don’t trust you. . . . How those involved perceive the director is very important. You must go into rehearsal with some trust in the director." Playwright Lesli-Jo Morizono explained that the experience of directing "made me see the power the director has during the production of a play. I had to constantly remind myself that I wasn’t the creator of the piece."

Landowne explains what it was like to see a play she wrote performed for the first time. "What was really interesting," she says, "and what I find when I’m directing, was the playwright and actors were coming up with things I didn’t realize were in the language. The language itself was illuminated in a way I hadn’t expected. It added to the work." Everyone seemed to come out of the retreat with a new understanding and appreciation of the other’s role.

Above all, communication is the key to a good playwright-director relationship. Fundamentally, it is about respect both for the director’s process and for the needs of the playwright. "With new plays, what makes it work is when everyone is working together to serve the play," says Adams. Ultimately, the relationships that don’t turn out well make good stories, and the ones that do keep us coming back to the theater again and again.

Elizabeth Scales Rheinfrank is a playwright whose work has been produced in theaters in New York City, NY, Chicago, Illinois and Orlando, Florida.