Production Team Responsibilities
PRODUCTION TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES
"Ensemble" - A unit or group of complementary parts that contribute to a single effect.
Faculty Director: Responsibilities include coordinating production goals through collaboration with all active participants, both onstage and off, in pursuit of a unified artistic vision. The director casts the play, sets the rehearsal schedule, attends all rehearsals, blocks the actors, and provides strategies to help the actors reach professional standards of performance. He or she attends all design and production meetings in an effort to encourage collaboration, artistic unity, and creative vision. This position coordinates with faculty designer and technical director, and reports to the Department Chair.
Faculty Designer: Responsibilities include coordinating unified production goals through work with the entire production team. The faculty designer provides the director, stage manager and technical director with design documents. He or she attends all production meetings. This position coordinates with faculty director and technical director, and reports to the Department Chair.
Technical Director: Responsibilities include organization and supervision of all technical aspects of the production process. The technical director maintains budget, supervises crews, maintains and implements safety standards, coordinates production workshops. He or she attends all production meetings. This position coordinates with faculty designer and director and reports to the Department Chair.
Box Office Manager: Responsibilities include coordination and execution of all season, group and single ticket sales procedures, including publicity and promotion of the season. The box office manager supervises box office volunteers. This position reports to the theatre faculty.
Box Office Assistant: Responsibilities include assisting in the daily activities of the box office, such as publicity, promotion, public relations, ticket orders, mailings, data entry. This position reports to the box office manager and the theatre faculty.
Assistant Technical Director: Responsibilities include all aspects of the technical duties as assigned by the T.D. He or she attends all production meetings. This position reports to the technical director and the theatre faculty.
Stage Manager: Responsibilities include assisting the director with the running of auditions, rehearsals and production meetings. The stage manager facilitates communications between the director, designers, cast, and crew; and maintains blocking and direction of the show during the run as well as calling the cues for the cast and crew. The stage manager is ultimately in charge during the run of a performance. He or she attends all production meetings and manages costume fittings schedule. This position reports to Technical Director, Director, and theatre faculty.
Assistant Stage Manager: Responsibilities include assisting with the stage manager’s duties. The assistant stage manager assists in the coordination of the scene shifts, props placement and other backstage elements. While the stage manager calls the show from the control room, the assistant stage manager is positioned backstage. He or she attends all production meetings. This position reports to the Technical Director and Stage Manager and the theatre faculty.
House Manager: Responsibilities include training ushers, opening and closing the house, familiarity with emergency procedures, professional appearance of the facility, and enforcement of house rules. This position reports to and the theatre faculty, and coordinates with Box Office Manager and the Stage Manager.
Scenic Designer: Responsibilities include creation of a scenic design in keeping with the production concept, available budget and time constraints. The scenic designer provides the director, faculty designer, and technical director with a ground plan, white or color model, working drawings, paint elevations and section. He or she attends all design and production meetings. This position coordinates with director, other designers, and technical director.
Construction Crew: Responsibilities include building, transporting, and maintaining scenery, equipment, hanging soft goods, rigging and routine shop maintenance. This position reports to technical director and assistant technical director.
Properties Master: Responsibilities include development of a detailed prop list. Conducts period research to assist in his/her collecting, purchasing or building of all hand and personal properties. The properties master may also design or build special furniture or set dressing following scene designer’s specifications. He or she also maintains the prop budget and purchasing log and is responsible for the placement, inventory and maintenance of the props and supervising the properties crew. The properties master coordinates and runs props for the show. He or she attends all production meetings. This position reports to the director, technical director, scenic designer and stage manager.
Properties Crew: Responsibilities include assisting in the collecting, purchasing or building of hand and set properties, as well as the placement, inventory and maintenance of props. This position reports to the properties master and to the stage manager.
Scenic Charge Artist: Responsibilities include mixing paint, preparing textures, and maintaining paint tools and equipment. The scenic charge artist supervises inventory and paint shop area, serves as head scenic artist on paint crews, and executes designer’s paint techniques and style as indicated by model or paint elevations. This position coordinates with properties master, scenic designer, and technical director.
Lighting Designer: Responsibilities include creation of a lighting design in keeping with the production concept, available budget, and equipment and time constraints. The lighting designer provides the faculty designer, stage manager, and technical director with a light plot, hook-up sheet, instrument schedule, and cue sheet and is in charge of lighting focus and cueing of the show. He or she attends all design and production meetings. This position coordinates with the director, other designers and technical director.
Master Electrician: Responsibilities include organizing and managing electrics crew, implementing and maintaining the lighting design, and performing necessary maintenance of equipment. The master electrician supplies technical director with purchase list of needed equipment and supplies, prepares for and conducts the hang, supervises safety of rigging and equipment, and updates lighting paperwork. The master electrician also assists the lighting designer with the execution of focus, and conducts pre-show dimmer check. He or she attends all production meetings. This position reports to the technical director, lighting designer and stage manager.
Electrics Crew: Responsibilities include the execution of the light plot and maintenance of equipment and electrics area. The electrics crew assists in hang and focus process. This position reports to the master electrician.
Light Board Operator: Responsibilities include learning operational procedures of light board. He or she operates the light board during the hang, focus, and cueing process, as well as tech and dress rehearsals and performances. The light board operator also updates computer paperwork and cleans the booth on a daily basis. This position reports to the master electrician, lighting designer and stage manager.
Special Effects Coordinator: Responsibilities include creating and fabricating specialized effects (i.e. explosions, fog, fire, etc.). The special effects coordinator maintains all safety standards and supervises stagehands in their execution of effects. This position reports to technical director.
Costume Designer: Responsibilities include creation of a costume design in collaboration with director, scenic designer and lighting designer. The costume designer works within stated budget and accounts for all expenditures and is responsible for purchasing all fabrics and trims, creating and executing the costume plot, and coordinating the costume parade. The costume designer is responsible for patterning and costume construction, pulling stock or renting. He or she provides the director and faculty designer with sketches and renderings and attends fittings, design and production meetings and dress rehearsals. The costume designer coaches wardrobe crew.
Wardrobe Head: Responsibilities include organizing and supervising costume changes during each performance, and assisting the actors as necessary. The wardrobe head supervises dressers and is responsible for load-in, laundering, cleaning, and repairing the costumes during the run. He or she assumes complete responsibility for all the costumes in a production after opening night including strike. This position reports to costume designer and stage manager.
Wardrobe Crew: Responsibilities include execution of the design as a stitcher, craftsperson, dyer, or cutter as needed. Crew members also serve on costume running crew. This crew initially reports to costume designer; then reports to Wardrobe Head during performances.
Dressers: Responsibilities include assisting actors in costume changes, presetting costumes when needed and returning costumes to dressing rooms after changes. This position assists wardrobe head with duties and reports to wardrobe head.
Sound Designer: Responsibilities include creation of a sound design in keeping with the production concept and available resources. He or she designs and coordinates all recorded music, as well as live and recorded sound effects. The sound designer also works with the soundboard operator to provide the director and technical director with a production CD. He or she attends all production meetings. This position coordinates with the director, stage manager, and technical director.
Sound Board Operator: Responsibilities include learning, operating, maintaining, and securing all audio equipment. The sound board operator conducts pre-show sound checks, assists in audio production, and cleans the booth on a daily basis. This position reports to the sound designer, technical director and the stage manager. He or she operates the sound board during tech and dress rehearsals as well as performances.
Sound Crew: Responsibilities include installing equipment necessary to execute the sound design and assisting in sound production. This position reports to the sound designer, sound board operator, and the technical director.
Run Crew Head: Responsibilities include coordinating scene changes, operation of all backstage equipment (foggers, rigging, etc.), maintaining and securing that equipment, and managing the backstage crew. The run crew head conducts pre- and post-show inspections of all scenic elements, and performs necessary repairs. This position reports to stage manager and technical director.
Fly Operator: Responsibilities include the safe operation of all fly rigging and hanging scenery. This position reports to technical director, stage manager, and run crew head.
Run Crew: Responsibilities include the operation of backstage equipment, special effects and shifting scenery and props. This crew reports directly to the Run Crew Head.
Choreographer: Responsibilities include creating, teaching and polishing choreography. This position coordinates with the director, designers, and stage manager.
Dance Captain: Responsibilities include maintaining and polishing all choreography in the absence of the choreographer.
Music Director: Responsibilities include all elements of the production’s music. Sometimes serves as vocal coach and/or conductor. This position coordinates with the director and stage manager.
Vocal Coach: Responsibilities include polishing choral performances, as well as setting and running extra rehearsals for soloists or ensembles as needed. This position reports to the music director.
Conductor: Responsibilities include selecting musicians, rehearsing the orchestra and conducting during performances. This position coordinates with the director, music director and stage manager.
Actors: Responsibilities include research and script analysis to assist in creating a believable, three-dimensional character in keeping with the playwright’s intentions and the director’s concept for the play. He or she attends all rehearsals, fittings and performances, maintaining a responsible work ethic and a positive attitude. It is the actor’s responsibility to be aware of the process and, above all, to promote the ensemble of the production. This position reports to the director and stage manager.