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The producer is to the production as the chair is to the Ensemble. The producer is responsible for all non-artistic decisions for the production. More specifically, s/he selects a production staff according to Ensemble guidelines, facilitates all logistical matters, and runs all production meetings. The producer can be thought of as the "last line of defence"; if a production team member becomes unable to complete their position, the producer must either replace them or complete the position him/herself. The producer is also the final authority on the production- if something makes you the producer uncomfortable for safety or other reasons, you are s/he is well within your is right to veto it. Additionally, you are the producer is responsible for handling interpersonal conflicts between anyone involved in the production.
General Comments
Define people's jobs. Make sure people are doing their jobs. Get them to do their jobs. This does not mean that you should be doing the work for them when they slack.
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With the SM, finalise audition form and make sure dates/requirements are correct.
Schedule auditions with both the director, SM, and Ensemble.
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With the SM, finalize audition form and make sure dates/requirements are correct. Make sure the director has scheduled a readthrough.
Finding Finding and Keeping Prod Staff
SM is the highest priority. The SM MUST be found by auditions and hopefully at least several weeks before this. TD, Set Designer and ASMs also very high priority, followed by other major designers (Lighting, Costumes, Sound, Props, Publicity). It is useful to have a publicity designer and/or manager to be able to audition publicity. Meet with all production staff (this can be the first prod meeting) - be sure they understand the calendar and what is expected of them. Go over contract with each member of the production team.
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Create and go over contract with Director. Go over casting policy and rehearsal time maximums maximums with Director. Make sure the director has scheduled a read-through. It can be very useful to meet with the director before the first prod meeting (even very soon after they hired) to familiarize them with various ensemble practices (e.g. what prod positions we have, how prod meetings work, the timeline for prod/auditions etc, lines of responsibility between director/producer/SM etc). The first director check should be delivered at the first prod meeting.
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Obtain entertainment licenses from Cambridge city hall. Register the event with CAC. Remember, we only have 99 guests. On an unrelated note, shows with 100 or more people need a police detail. Remember that the entertainment license costs a large cum sum of money- make sure you have your $240 (or whatever sum) in cash or money order when you go to city hall.
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A couple general notes about renting weapons:
Keep the packing material around so you can pack them up neatly for the return trip.
Take care of them. They aren't ours and we don't want to be on the hook if they break.
Keep them safe. Make sure they stay in the office and people don't play with them. This can't be emphasised enough.
Make sure to rent one more than you need. Weapons do have a way of breaking we you least want them to.
If you're renting them for spring semester, the buffer for returning them can creep up fast. Either do it before leaving for spring break or right after you get back.
Organization
Organization is good. Keep a calendar of all deadlines. Email out upcoming deadlines before every prod meeting, and keep in touch with designers regarding progress and likelihood of missing deadlines. If designers are behind, help them create action plans for getting the job done, or point them toward mentors/obi-wans/Rinaldi/assistance. Request and update a spreadsheet that has at minimum the following information for each scene: each actor in it and who they are playing, props needed, set, time/day, and any special effects (projection, blood). This helps figure out where quickchanges, set changes, or other technical elements may become problematic. An idea is to do this as a Google Spreadsheet that only the producer can edit, shared with the cast and crew by a link from Callboard.