Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bo Metzler on August 22, 2010 at 5:22pm

In general . . .in simple terms. . . you deal with rehearsals and the show (production book, blocking, cues, schedule) things that are directly related to the cast. And he will deal with outside stuff and other staff and co-ordination of scenery and lights and hiring crew and doing the program. But there are always discussions and coordination between you regarding all aspects. He is technically your next higher in command. If he is good at what he does you will be happy to do your stage manager thing. If he is not there may be friction. A lot of Production Managers were former stage managers who just want to get away from the grind of rehearsals etc. Some want to be producers. Some people think of the Production Manager as a General Manager.

Permalink Reply by Steve on August 22, 2010 at 5:31pm

Well, If the production manager really knows what they're doing, they should take on most of the extraneous duties an SM always gets stuck with. The production manager should make sure tech staff is in place and know when they need to be present, they should be getting notes from the Director on duties such as contracts, scripts (and scores if necessary), house management, gift shop, tech supplies (batteries for mics, etc.) - in general, all the BS an SM and ASM get stuck doing that is NOT related to running the rehearsals and the shows. I think you'll like it if the PM is worth anything. If they're not very good, they'll just be another person to have to look for, contact and keep in line.
Steve

Permalink Reply by Erin Swank on August 23, 2010 at 8:11pm

I think the biggest thing about PMs and SMs that varies at theatres is which one runs the production meetings. Either way is fine, in my book, just discuss it ahead of time...and if the PM is running them, of course make sure you have your own list of things you want to cover for each department for each show, etc.

You concentrate on your one show (if that's what you're doing) and the PM is looking at the overall picture for the theatre as a whole, and doing much more of the "keep it on budget" part and "how are we on schedule" part. You are taking the notes that everyone needs, of course, as rehearsals progress.

Permalink Reply by Tiffany Owen on August 23, 2010 at 8:15pm

Thanks for the great feedback! I really appreciate it. We're supposed to be having a production meeting on Thursday so we'll see how it goes.

Permalink Reply by Rob Scott on September 24, 2010 at 4:31pm

So, how did the duties all sort out? Inquiring minds and all that...

Permalink Reply by Tiffany Owen on October 2, 2010 at 10:08pm

Well there was some bad communication but I think that was mostly the designer's fault. The PM took care of running and scheduling production meetings, and took the minutes. I sent out nightly rehearsal reports and he took care of keeping tabs on what was going on. He also took care of getting the crew for the run.

Permalink Reply by Rob Scott on October 2, 2010 at 10:22pm

Not a bad division of labor, all in all. Our community theater operates at a high level, and our (paid staff) Producing Director handles most of what your PM did in much the same manner. Because usually everyone except the director of the play is volunteer, our PD (or PM) is ultimately responsible for ensuring the quality of the show, has ultimate oversight over the volunteers (although as an experienced SM I find and train my own volunteer crews) and fills in the gaps when we don't have volunteers suitable for particular positions (like finding props for the show). Glad that it worked out for you and thanks for starting an interesting discussion.

Permalink Reply by Tiffany Owen on October 2, 2010 at 10:28pm

Definitely. This is a community theatre I'm currently working for though most of the designer and TD positions are paid, though not much. My run crew is one girl working for a stipend but who has some ASM/crew experience and a 14yr old intern who had no experience with the actual tech week process so I had to do some serious training with her.