The Director's Toolkit

CHAPTER 16 Tempo, Rhythm, and Pace

 

THE DIRECTOR’S RELATIONSHIP TO TEMPO, RHYTHM, AND PACE

While many of the director’s functions are transparent, four areas of responsibility are clearly the director’s: the concept of the play; casting the show; the blocking; and the tempo, rhythm, and pace of the production. Good actors should have a sense of tempo, rhythm, and pace, but they are not in the position to fully judge its effect. Only the director, seeing the play from the audience’s perspective, can determine if they are working for each character as well as combining correctly to work best for each action unit and, ultiMately, the overall production. The director’s role in the combined effect of tempo, rhythm, and pace can be better understood ...