PRODUCTION MANAGER

The jobs of PRODUCTION MANAGER and TECHNICAL DIRECTOR may vary from production to production and theatre to theatre. In some companies you may even find it as a combined position. It is important that you establish who will be responsible for what. Generally speaking, the PRODUCTION MANAGER is concerned with budgeting, cost control, overall scheduling and staffing issues. More specifically, the position is responsible for assessing, planning, implementing and managing the production’s human, technical and financial resources, and for monitoring and ensuring the progress of production activities. The P.M. also ensures co-ordination between the artistic staff, the designers and the production department. The TECHNICAL DIRECTOR is a technical co-ordinator and problem solver.

Under a unionized crew structure, the PRODUCTION MANAGER will share staffing responsibilities with the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT.

The four of positions of PRODUCTION MANAGER, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, (PRODUCTION) STAGE MANAGER and WARDROBE SUPERVISOR make up the management team of each production and all information should be shared equally. It is also important to maintain regular contact with the COMPANY MANAGER/SCHEDULING CO- ORDINATOR.

General areas of responsibility may include, but are not limited to:

BUDGETING

• Assesses the costs of building and running the production, in consultation with the Production and Operations Manager, after obtaining input from other Resident Staff, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, HEADS OF DEPARTMENT, DIRECTOR and DESIGNER
• Develops, with the PRODUCTION and OPERATIONS MANAGER, the production budget (includes staffing salaries); develops, with the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, a preliminary labour budget
• Estimates costs of submitted set, costume, lighting and sound preliminary and completed designs, in conjunction with the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, appropriate HEADS OF DEPARTMENT, and Resident Staff
• Signs off, with the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, on all approved designs
• Distributes individual budget line information to HEADS OF DEPARTMENT
• Authorizes all production purchases by signing AUTHORIZED PURCHASE forms
• Monitors and controls all production expenses and keeps detailed accounting records; distributes and all petty cash transactions
• Conducts weekly ledger comparison checks with HEADS OF DEPARTMENT
• Reconciles petty cash expenditures, according to University policy, for submission to the staff PRODUCTION and OPERATIONS MANAGER
• Produces a detailed financial report to be included in the PRODUCTION REPORT submitted to the staff PRODUCTION and OPERATIONS MANAGER upon Closing
• Develops a formalized time sheet; keeps a record of all hours worked on the production and includes a breakdown in the PRODUCTION REPORT
• On a Traditional Hierarchy or Client Services production, issues pay cheques
• To Designers, management and production crew, based on pre-established labour rates
• On a Unionized show, issues pay cheques to Designers, management and non-unionized production crew, based on pre-established labour rates
• Works with PROJECTION DESIGNER to create a list of all purchased and licensed content in use, verifying appropriate usage rights and licenses for the performance

SCHEDULING

• Responsible for the co-ordination of all action in all spaces
• Confirms availability of all spaces with the ASSISTANT TO THE PRODUCTION and OPERATIONS MANAGER
• Produces a detailed MASTER PRODUCTION SCHEDULE, in conjunction with the STAGE MANAGER, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR and Resident staff
• Produces a detailed WEEKLY SCHEDULE, based on input from the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, STAGE MANAGER and all HEADS OF DEPARTMENT. Due out by 12 noon the previous Friday.
• Produces a detailed DAILY SCHEDULE, based on input from the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, STAGE MANAGER and all HEADS OF DEPARTMENT . Due out by 5 pm the previous day. If schedule changes happen after an evening rehearsal, an updated schedule must be posted prior to the company leaving the building. After the show opens, the schedule becomes the job of the STAGE MANAGER
• If no daily is produced before 5pm, all crew must be called and asked if they would like to work their calls the following day
• Dailies posted before 5pm can still be removed and changed
• Co-ordinates with the STAGE MANAGER to include DAILY AND WEEKLY REHEARSAL SCHEDULES, if possible, in published paperwork

COMMUNICATION

• Designs and maintains a communication system that keeps all participants informed and enables feedback; ensures lines of communication are kept open and clear between production personnel and artistic staff
• Chairs regular production meetings
• Ensures the production callboard is established and maintained, in conjunction with the STAGE MANAGER
• Contributes to the accuracy of the COMPANY LIST, produced by the COMPANY MANAGER

STAFFING

• Supervises, in an administrative sense, all Production personnel
• Ensures PERMISSION TO WORK policies are adhered to
• Arranges for, and completes, work contracts for all production and design personnel
• Co-ordinates class exemptions with the COMPANY MANAGER, if there is academic conflict with matinee performances
• Assesses and ensures adequate staffing for all areas; assigns PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS to calls and posts these calls, where appropriate
• Can use the Local 1 to help staff calls when crew is short
• Maintains a system of Progressive Discipline; gives VERBAL WARNINGS and writes FORMAL LETTERS, when necessary
• Ensures that all work by any member of the production company is completed using accepted, safe working practices
• Monitors personnel performance and motivates when necessary
• Negotiates, with the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR and Resident Staff, changes to schedules and responsibilities among departments
• Acts as a mediator to resolve conflicts
• Ensures that all calls, meetings, production work and rehearsals are conducted in the presence of a member of the School’s Staff or Faculty

UNDER A UNIONIZED CREW STRUCTURE

• Works closely with the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, and HOUSE HEADS to ensure that all calls and crews are adequately staffed
• Establishes, with the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR and Resident Staff, a preliminary salary budget
• Tracks all crew hours, both unionized and non-unionized, and calculates all salary amounts
• Tracks and monitors all personnel performance issues, both union and non-union; liaises with the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT, when necessary, regarding union crew discipline
• Purchases items on behalf of, or advances petty cash to, HOUSE HEADS, as necessary, using the established petty cash procedure

AFTER THE PRODUCTION

• Obtains, prior to strike, a list of returns for each department
• Attends strike and ensures, in conjunction with the HEAD OF DEPARTMENT, all returns are accounted for and labelled
• Ensures all returns transportation has been arranged
• Participates in the strike as a crew member, once returns have been accounted for
• Submits written evaluations for all production staff no later than the start of the Post Mortem
• Ensures minutes are taken at the Post Mortem meeting
• Submits to the staff PRODUCTION and OPERATIONS MANAGER a PRODUCTION REPORT, which includes a synopsis of production process with recommendations for future PMs, preliminary labour and materials budgets, actual labour and materials budgets, crew time sheet totals and the Post Mortem minutes

This information is intended as a guideline only. It is not intended to replace the required reading or research in your area, or information gained in the classroom.

The demands of this position, and the hours worked, will vary with each production

THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS POSITION MAY BE ALTERED WITHOUT NOTICE BY THE RESIDENT STAFF AND FACULTY