As a director, I've encountered many attitudes on this. I think you might get varied responses. Some of it depends on the circumstances - usually a director's "official" duties end on Opening Night, so if the person was brought in from out of town to direct, they probably wouldn't have housing past then. And sometimes a director might have moved on to other projects anyway, even if they are still in town.
In shorter runs / lower-profile projects, I usually ask the actors what they want (since I think AEA rules do limit what happens post-opening). I've had actors who really wanted continued feedback / notes, and then on the other hand stage managers who got REALLY annoyed when I tried to do just that, to the point where they almost scowled at me when I was there past opening. Which, again, I think is due to their "understanding" of AEA rules.
I think the answers also will change for a long-running show like The Phantom of the Opera, versus a medium-running show (like a Broadway show that runs a year or so), versus a LORT / regional show where it only runs a few weeks past opening, versus an AEA showcase where maybe the actors are greener and want to keep getting notes. I've found its usually the stage managers who have worked on the LORT shows that are the most "strict" when it comes to directors giving notes post-opening. |
