TECHNICAL PRODUCTION LABOUR FORMATS

Notwithstanding the top-down management model of technical labour, the School, in trying to give students a near-to-professional experience, recognizes that there are alternate ways the Industry organizes the technical side of production. One of these is the UNIONIZED models.

HOW THE TWO MODELS DIFFER

TRADITIONAL THEATRE MANAGEMENT

This structure is the most useful for a small to medium-sized production being mounted in a similarly sized space. It is also found frequently in smaller producing companies and at the non-unionized Regional level. On occasion, the company is resident is their own facility, and therefore controls the space as well as the production. At the School, this model of organization will be used for all shows in the Studio Theatre, and Studio Format shows performed on the Mainstage.

The Production Manager, Technical Director, Stage Manager, and Wardrobe Supervisor share management duties and responsibilities in order to support the Director’s or Choreographer’s vision. The PM is responsible for people, time, money and space; the TD for all technical elements, installation, and run-of-show elements; the SM is responsible for the cast and show operation; and the Wardrobe Supervisor ensures effective costume co-ordination and realization

In some cases, the PM and the TD are the same person.

All technical departments have a Head, who supervises, if available, dedicated crew members and floating Production Assistants. The Heads or HODs, and by extension, the crew and PAs, report to the PM and TD for day-to-day duties, and to the SM for show-run duties. It is also possible, due to the limited number of production personnel on the show, that the Head is the only person responsible for the work of their department.

All company members, from the Artistic Staff and Director, down to the PA, are part of the same organizational structure, and receive their pay cheques from the same Company.

UNIONIZED MODEL

Just as there can be no one standard model of organizational structure that fits every work place, there can be no union contract that will work everywhere. What unionized workplaces share, however, is a codified list of negotiated working conditions that must be followed by both union members and management.

In the Industry, there are various unions and associations whose members mount theatrical productions. The working conditions and terms enforced at the School, on shows produced with a unionized structure for the stage hands and crafts people, are drawn from different sources and are not meant to resemble those of any particular union or local. However, elements are taken from both road house formats (such as Meridian Hall and the Royal Alex) and company formats (the Shaw or Stratford Festivals). RISE, SPRINGWORKS, and any Main Stage Acting show will be run under a union structure.

For these shows, just prior to the production period, the Local Business Agent meets with the Production and Operations Manager of the School. Together they “negotiate” the working conditions and rules to be followed by the technicians during that production.

After the ratification, the resulting “contract” will be circulated to the production staff and posted in all work locations.

Although there are similarities, particularly with regard to department breakdown, between the Traditional Hierarchy model and the unionized one, the specific differences are immediately apparent:

• The HEAD STAGE CARPENTER, THE HEAD ELECTRICIAN AND HEAD OF PROPS are assigned to the venue as “HOUSE HEADS” and do not report to the production; they receive the production information and work WITH, not FOR, the TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, in order to mount the show
• The Carpentry Shop operates according to unionized rules under the HEAD SCENIC CARPENTER
• HEADS OF DEPARTMENT FOR PAINT, PROPS, AND WARDROBE, together with their respective staffs, and FOH/Box Office are also required to work under the unionized structure as  outlined in the union contact
• Depending on the show requirements, the HEAD OF SOUND may be assigned to the venue as a HOUSE HEAD or as an ASSISTANT HEAD ELECTRICIAN
• The FLYMAN is the ASSISTANT HEAD CARPENTER
• One of the HEADS is in charge of the deck and he/she must have input into all labour and scheduling issues surrounding the production (this HEAD is negotiated prior to the load-in)
• The estimation of crew requirements for every call is the responsibility of each HEAD OF DEPARTMENT, in consultation with the PM and TD; crew members are organized and called by the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT, after discussions with the HEAD, PM and TD
• The LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT convenes a member tribunal to deal with any discipline issues
• The staffing function of the PRODUCTION MANAGER will be shared with the LOCAL BUSINESS AGENT: the PM will call all non-unionized help, the LBA the unionized labour

The real difference in this labour format is the reporting structure and who controls the power to make decisions.

Show Categories for Contractual Fees