Production Manager

Job Duties

Like a stage manager or a company manager, a production manager is a familiar face around the rehearsal hall and theatre, responsible for a long list of varying duties that make a production run smoothly.

Production managers are typically involved from day one of a show, working closely with the general manager or artistic director to confirm the details of the timeline for a production. Scheduling auditions and/or interviews is one of the first major tasks for the production manager, followed by the detailed scheduling of individual rehearsals, fittings and meetings. As a result, production managers need to be very deadline oriented, with a knack for keeping people on time and on task.

Once the creative team is in place, the production manager’s focus shifts, and they become the liaison between the general manager, the creative team, and the technical team. Production managers have a generalized knowledge of what is and is not technically possible in a given venue, and know how to communicate the needs of the production to technicians and union personnel on the ground. A salaried production manager retained full-time by a theatre may also be responsible for general maintenance of the venue and equipment.

Depending on the scale and type of production, the duties of the production manager may be mixed with those of the company manager or technical director. In some cases, the role is more administrative, while in others it is more focussed on technical skills. In either case, the production manager’s job entails a wide variety of different tasks and responsibilities that change from production to production.

Terminology

• AFTRA: The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
• Backstage: The area of the theatre not accessible or visible to the audience.
• IATSE: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, also called Local One, is the union for stage employees.