Adrian Noble, artistic chief of the Royal Shakespeare Company, called Mr. Billington a fine critic but not a very good director.

He has certainly been busy since moving to the Royal Court in 1992, first as Mr. Stafford-Clark's co-director, eventually as artistic chief.

Linda Hartzell, the theater's artistic chief, directed Ms. Soelistyo each time.

First, the old-fashioned music director, meaning the resident artistic chief of a full-time, international-level orchestra, may not be so rare as some people think.

There, the play will be directed by the company's artistic chief, Neil Pepe.

Indeed, the production, directed by the company's current artistic chief, Brian Kulick, opens with a gimmicky but fun flourish that yanks us into the drama by the lapels.

For example, he could afford to write a play like "Sebastian" for the small Keen Company, whose artistic chief, Carl Forsman, is directing.

Meanwhile, at Circle in the Square, Theodore Mann, a co-founder of the theater, is concluding his 45-year stint as artistic chief with "Hughie."

Earlier this season, Jack, 52, the creative director of Jujamcyn Theaters, was named the new artistic chief of the esteemed Encores!

The director is Garry Hynes, the artistic chief of the Druid company.