Artistic director

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For the director of a musical company, see Artistic Director (Music).

The artistic director (AD) has the ultmate artistic (as opposed to production) control of a theatre company.

Their responsibilites can include but are not limited to: choosing the material staged in a season; the hiring of creative/production personnel (such as directors), as well as other theatre management tasks. They also may direct productions for the company. They work closely with the producer of a theatre and contributes the artistic evaluation of projects and productions to be included in promotional, funding, and press materials. An artistic director also functions as a resource for the directors who are working to mount productions at the theatre and can provide support, counsel, and/or artistic input where requested. The artistic director may be called to assume the production should the director become unable to complete his/her duties. The AD must be able to select a canon of works for a given season or series of seasons, to reflect the mandate of the company, as well as provide an offering to the audience which will challenge, entertain, and excite them to continue to attend their productions.

In some ensemble companies, the AD is responsible for recruiting performers to act as a talent pool for the company's productions. This ensemble may include actors and artists of various disciplines. The AD functions as leader of this group, with the aim to create and/or realize various new and established works.