régisseur

régisseur, (French: “manager”), theatrical director or stage manager, especially in France, Russia, Germany, and Italy, whose duties encompass the artistic interpretation and integration of a play, the guided rehearsal of the actors, and the overall responsibility for the technical and economic aspects of the production. The position is similar to that of the director in the American theatre and the producer in that of England. In ballet a régisseur coordinates the activities of the producer, stage technicians, and orchestra; handles the finances of the company; and makes all the arrangements for tours. In the cinema a régisseur’s duties—much like those of the assistant director in the British and American systems—chiefly involve the management of costumes, sets, and props.

The régisseur originally functioned as a stage manager. By the end of the 19th century, with the increased complication of stage apparatus and the tendency of actors and playwrights not to direct their own plays, the stage manager became a separate officer under the régisseur, who took on the broader duties of directing and overseeing the production.