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The Art and History of Directing a Play
Develop a unique directing style and expand your command of the director’s creative toolkit.
Class Description
Instructors: Mark Armstrong (Artistic Director, The 24 Hour Plays) Semester: Summer 2026 Session: 6 Online Sessions/6 Weeks New Students: $240 Returning PlayPenn or DGI Students: $210 Foundry & Entrepreneur Members: $192 DGI Certificate Students: $192 What does a director do? It's not always what you think. Directing has been a key element of the theater for centuries, yet opportunities for serious study and practice of this unique art form remain scarce. "The Art and History of Directing a Play" explores the history of directing and the various approaches of leading directors to their work, as well as script interpretation, design collaboration, working with actors and playwrights and more. Touching on both creative interpretation and craft-based pragmatics, students will develop a unique approach to the production of an existing play and expand their knowledge of the director's toolkit. Students participating onsite in Philadelphia will have the opportunity to stage a scene from their project in a laboratory setting with actors. WEEK 1: The Role of the Stage Director WEEK 2: Script Interpretation and Design Collaboration WEEK 3: Secrets of Scheduling WEEK 4: Collaborating with the Actor WEEK 5: Working with a Playwright WEEK 6: Class Final Presentations MARK ARMSTRONG is a Brooklyn-based theater director and the artistic director for The 24 Hour Plays. His production of Eric Bogosian’s "Drinking in America" (NYT Critic’s Pick) featured Andre Royo and played an extended run at the Minetta Lane Theatre, with a live audio recording released on Audible. His 20+ year career as a director includes collaborations with many of the American theater's most acclaimed playwrights, including Emily Mann, Christopher Shinn, Dan O'Brien and many others, as well as productions of classics from Williams to Wilder to Lorca and more. He teaches directing at The New School for Drama and the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University.
Enrollment Policies (Time Zones, Payment Plans, and Refunds)
ONLINE SCHEDULES & TIME ZONES: Most of our classes are offered online and open to participants worldwide. Our website automatically displays class start times based on your device’s current location, so you will always see the correct time no matter where you are. If you are traveling for work or personal reasons, please verify the local time shown on your device on this registration page before joining the class. For example, if a class begins at 7:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time (ET), it will appear as 4:00 PM PT when viewed from the U.S. West Coast, or 11:00 AM the next day if you are in Sydney, Australia. Many of our instructors are based in the U.S. Eastern Time (ET) zone, but not all. Once again, please double-check the local time shown on your device on this registration page before joining the class if you are traveling. IN-PERSON SCHEDULES & TIME ZONES: If the class is held in person, please note that the start time is based on the time zone of the city where the class takes place. If you book the class while traveling, be sure to use the class’s local time zone rather than the time zone of your current location. TRAVEL FOR HYBRID CLASSES: Many of our classes are held online but for time to time we offer hybrid classes where a portion of the class takes places online and a portion of the class takes place in-person. Please note the cost of the class does not include travel or housing for students to attend the in-person sessions. As well, PlayPenn cannot cover the cost of travel or housing. CLASS LINK: The hyperlink to join your respective online class(es) will be emailed to you separately from your class registration confirmation, closer to the first session. PAYMENT PLANS: PlayPenn believes that cost should never be a barrier to learning. Flexible payment plans are available, and we’re happy to work with students to find a solution that fits your needs. To inquire about setting up a payment plan, please email using the form on the Upcoming Class main page. REFUND POLICY: In order to offer a small-group class experience and pay our professional instructors consistently, please note all sales are final and tuition is not refundable. PlayPenn is not able to offer a voucher/credits towards a future purchase. Please consider this before making your purchase. Please visit our Refund Policy webpage to learn more about our other policies.
Learn More About Your Instructor
Our teaching artists are all working professional writers—award-winning playwrights and musical theatre creators—who bring real-world experience, insight, and passion to every session.
Get to know our artists by clicking a name below to read their full bio.
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