| Table of Contents |
|---|
Overview
The producer is ultimately responsible for all
...
non-artistic
...
show
...
decisions.
...
S/he
...
selects
...
a
...
production
...
staff,
...
facilitates
...
all
...
logistical
...
matters,
...
and
...
runs
...
all
...
production
...
meetings.
...
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
...
the
...
producer
...
uncomfortable
...
for
...
safety
...
or
...
other
...
reasons,
...
s/he
...
may
...
veto
...
it.
...
Additionally,
...
the
...
producer
...
is
...
responsible
...
for
...
handling
...
interpersonal
...
conflicts.
...
It
...
is
...
important
...
that
...
the
...
producer
...
be
...
organized,
...
accounting
...
for
...
all
...
miscellaneous
...
tasks
...
involved
...
in
...
the
...
show.
...
The
...
producer
...
must
...
frequently
...
take
...
initiative
...
and
...
be
...
extremely
...
adaptive.
...
Be
...
prepared
...
to
...
do
...
a
...
lot
...
of
...
work.
...
Pre-Production
...
You
...
should
...
always
...
actively
...
go
...
out
...
and
...
rope
...
people
...
into
...
auditioning,
...
particularly
...
if
...
they
...
are
...
on
...
the
...
fence.
...
Assist
...
the
...
SM
...
team
...
and
...
the
...
director
...
with
...
the
...
audition
...
process.
...
Create
...
and
...
go
...
over
...
actor
...
contracts
...
with
...
all
...
auditionees.
...
Ensure
...
that
...
auditions
...
adhere
...
adhere
...
to
...
the
...
Casting
...
Guidelines
...
stipulated
...
in
...
the
...
Constitution.
...
Before
...
Auditions
...
- Set
...
- up
...
- Callboard
...
- Schedule
...
- Designer
...
- Run
...
- and
...
- Costume
...
- Parade
...
- Contact
...
- The
...
- Tech
...
- and
...
- Technique
...
- early
...
- for
...
- a
...
- review
...
- and
...
- photos
...
Director
...
Prepping
...
- Review
...
- casting
...
- policy
- Review time maximums (15
...
- hours
...
- per
...
- week)
...
- Make
...
- sure
...
- the
...
- director
...
- understands
...
- that
...
- casting
...
- an
...
- actor
...
- with
...
- a
...
- lot
...
- of
...
- conflicts
...
- in
...
- a
...
- lead
...
- role
...
- makes
...
- for
...
- stressful
...
- rehearsal
...
- scheduling
...
- Performance
...
- Space
...
- Constraints
...
- Other
...
- Policies
...
Setting
...
Up
...
Auditions
...
- Schedule
...
- auditions
...
- with
...
- the
...
- director,
...
- SM,
...
- and
...
- Ensemble.
...
- Finalize
...
- audition
...
- forms
...
- and
...
- make
...
- sure
...
- all
...
- dates/requirements
...
- are
...
- correct.
...
- Ensure
...
- that
...
- a
...
- readthrough
...
- has
...
- been
...
- scheduled,
...
- and
...
- that
...
- the
...
- same
...
- room
...
- can
...
- be
...
- used
...
- for
...
- a
...
- prod
...
- meeting,
...
- if
...
- necessary
...
- Set
...
- up
...
- the
...
- online
...
- audition
...
- form
...
- as
...
- soon
...
- as
...
- possible.
...
- See
...
- webmaster
...
- for
...
- details.
...
Running
...
Auditions
...
- Be
...
- at
...
- auditions.
...
- You
...
- sit
...
- in
...
- the
...
- room
...
- with
...
- the
...
- director
...
- and
...
- help
...
- him
...
- or
...
- her
...
- keep
...
- track
...
- of
...
- people
...
- and
...
- make
...
- decisions.
...
- Help
...
- the
...
- director
...
- decide
...
- a
...
- cast
...
- after
...
- auditions/callbacks.
...
- In
...
- addition
...
- to
...
- raw
...
- ability,
...
- you
...
- will
...
- want
...
- to
...
- take
...
- into
...
- account
...
- reliability,
...
- availability
...
- and
...
- whether
...
- said
...
- actor
...
- is
...
- an
...
- Ensemble
...
- member.
...
- Call
...
- people
...
- once
...
- you've
...
- decided
...
- on
...
- a
...
- cast.
...
- Do
...
- this
...
- strategically
...
- in
...
- case
...
- people
...
- reject
...
- roles.
...
- When
...
- you
...
- call
...
- people...
...
- You
...
- can
...
- offer
...
- them
...
- time
...
- to
...
- decide,
...
- offer
...
- them
...
- half-an-hour
...
- unless
...
- they
...
- seem
...
- to
...
- want
...
- more,
...
- remember
...
- the
...
- more
...
- you
...
- offer,
...
- the
...
- longer
...
- you
...
- will
...
- be
...
- stuck
...
- there
...
- waiting
...
- for
...
- them
...
- to
...
- call
...
- you
...
- back.
...
- Once
...
- they
...
- accept,
...
- tell
...
- them
...
- when
...
- readthrough
...
- is,
...
- and
...
- to
...
- not
...
- share
...
- their
...
- role
...
- on
...
- social
...
- media
...
- until
...
- a
...
- final
...
- cast
...
- list
...
- is
...
- sent
...
- out.
...
- Double-check
...
- that
...
- they
...
- don't
...
- have
...
- conflicts
...
- with
...
- show
...
- dates
...
- (especially
...
- first
...
- day
...
- of
...
- spring
...
- break,
...
- for
...
- the
...
- spring
...
- show).
...
Actor Management
- At readthrough, remind actors about tech week and strike, and get them to check for conflicts.
- Get actors out of any show conflicts (tests during tech week).
- Replace actors should they decline their parts.
Production Staff
Finding a good production staff is the most important thing you will do as Producer. Email town-crier, then spam campus. Think very carefully about your decisions. If you want advice, speak to the officers. A good production staff makes a stress-free show. When working with new dartes, you may will either need to assign them as assistants or give them a full position with a mentor. If they show motivation and willingness, you should definitely give them the full position. Meet with all production staff - be sure they understand the calendar and what is expected of them. Go over the contract with all members of the production team at the first meeting.
Finding Staff
- Find an SM by auditions
- TD, SD, and ASMs are high priority
- Lights, Costumes, Sound, Props, Publicity are all important
- In some cases, you may need to design audition posters, yourself
Contracts
Old production staff contracts can be found in the ensemble locker: /mit/ensemble/Private/Contracts/Current.
...
Edit
...
the
...
due
...
dates
...
as
...
necessary.
...
Newer
...
production
...
staff
...
contracts
...
(one
...
contract
...
for
...
everyone)
...
can
...
be
...
obtained
...
by
...
emailing
...
Mark
...
(marvel@mit.edu).
...
They
...
will
...
soon
...
be
...
put
...
in
...
the
...
locker.
...
Deadlines
It is a good idea to try to make designers stick to their deadlines, it makes for smoother sailing.
Things to keep in mind include:
- Dates of Designer Runs and Costume and Props parade should be decided upon early
- Lights final deadline should be after both Sets final deadline and the Designer Run
- Costumes and Props final deadline should be near Costume and Props parade
Production Staff Issues
It is important to check in regularly with production staff to make sure that everyone is doing their jobs. If anyone is not on top of things, consider monitoring them more closely. If they are unorganized, help them get organized. If they are unsure how to something should be done, explain it to them or have them talk to a more experienced ensemble member. If they are slacking, meet them in person and create a more stringent work schedule. If they are unresponsive to email, call them. If they are unresponsive to calls, try reaching them through one of their friends. If all else fails, pay them a personal visit. Not everyone responds to email regularly: it is your job to adapt to their preferred means of communication, not visa versa.
First Production Meeting
The following key words should feature prominently in the first production meeting: contracts, calendar, deadlines, budget, schedule, read-through, designer run, prod hours, parade, put-in, paper-tech, q2q, tech week, vision. It helps to have production meetings scheduled at a regular time (Sundays after rehearsal, for example).
Rehearsal Period
First Readthrough (IMPORTANT!)
At the first readthrough, you should make several announcements, including
- Introduce Producer, SMs, Officers (+ Phone Numbers)
- Review Performance Dates
- Upcoming Events, Office Access
- Callboard
- Key Dates (Off Book, Designer Run)
- 15 Hour Policy
- Conflicts: Alert SMs, Test Conflicts
- No Lateness, No Unexcused Absences
- Requirements: build hours, booth hours, put-in, strike
- Make clear that designers are in charge of things being done, they should not be doing everything themselves
- Schedule Overview, Tech Week
- Group Introductions
- Director Vision
If an actor leaves after casting
If an actor decides to leave the show during the rehearsal process, email him/her once to ask "are you absolutely sure?", noting in the message that if so, you will immediately begin working to re-cast the part, and the actor will not be allowed to change his/her mind again. Remember that actors who leave shows during the rehearsal period are often under extreme stress — be as gentle and helpful as possible, while still being firm in your intent.
Post-prod meeting
Scheduling
Try to schedule it before Thanksgiving for the Fall show and on the week back from Spring break for the Spring show.
People that should be there, in order of importance
- Director
- Producer
- New designers
- Officers
- Old designers
- Actors
What to talk about
...
With the director in the room
...
- Traditional questions:
- What went badly
- What could we have done to solve that issue
- What was the most unexpected thing
- What did you think of the way we do:
- interviews
- prod meetings
- rehearsals
- tech week
- anything else new that you tried for this show
- What went badly
- Ask the director for more general feedback to the Ensemble
- Ask actors/designers to give the director feedback
Then ask the director to leave (there might be excessive hugging)
...
Without the director in the room
...
- Any issues that arose
- Ask new designers how it went, what they wish we'd told them before they started...
- Any suggestions for future years
- Some cool/crazy ideas might come from this - let it flow, some of them have panned out into something great!
Things that you need to do
Not in actual order
- Schedule Production meetings
- Make sure the Set Designer and TD meet with Chris Nayler
- Register the Show with SAO and with the city of Cambridge (this can be done as early as you want)
- Make sure theArts@MIT have your show on their calendar
- Make sure ticket reservations open around the time of the first posters appearing on campus
- Order tickets (see Box Office Manager page for how to)
- Contact Technique and the Tech about photographers coming to final dress, and the Tech about a reviewer coming during the first weekend.
- Recruit:
- Board ops as needed
- Run crew as needed
- Ushers, one per night
- Box office manager + assistant(s)
- Someone to film the show (coordinate with Memory Master)
- Make sure the pre-show announcement exists (it can be pre-recorded or given by one of the actors). It should contain:
- Duration, and intermission duration
- Emergency exits
- No flash photography
- No smoking
- Strobe warning if applicable
- …?
- Schedule runtime jobs (or get the SM or TD to do it)
- Buy director gift, buy cast&crew gifts and come up with cast&crew awards
- Help run
- papertech
- cue-to-cue
- Come up with a plan (with your box office manager) with respect to selling out, if you think this is likely to happen
- Make sure one of the Tech or Technique takes a group picture
- Schedule
- Alumni reception
- Brush-up
- Post-prod
- Ensure all borrowed items are returned
Just generally be around and help with anything that needs help.
Miscellaneous
Interpersonal Stuff
You get to deal with all of the drama that might effect the show, lucky you. From conflicts between designers to angry actors to broken up couples to the inevitable conflagration between the SM and the director, you need to get the parties back into a state where they can work together and fulfill their responsibilities. Remember, especially as the show approaches, everyone is hosed, everyone is tired, everyone is looking for an excuse to start screaming, and much of the time squabbles are born more of general frustration than of real interpersonal problems. You should make it very clear to the actors, prod staff, and director at read through/the first prod meeting/routinely throughout the production that you are there to be a shoulder to cry on, to mediate, and to make sure no one dies or kills anyone until after strike.
Mailing lists to update
ensemble-current
ensemble-tickets
Buying/Renting Weapons
For Romeo and Juliet in Spring 2011 we required the use of Rapiers. The ensemble owns both bastard swords and foil-type swords, neither of which was perfect. We therefore rented rapiers from [[http://www.weaponsofchoicetheatrical.com/
...
|Weapons
...
of
...
Choice
...
]
...
].
...
If
...
they
...
are
...
no
...
longer
...
around,
...
contacting
...
either
...
MIT
...
theatre
...
arts
...
or
...
perhaps
...
Ted
...
Eaton
...
(our
...
R&J
...
director)
...
to
...
find
...
another
...
place.
...
Prices
...
can
...
get
...
expensive
...
-
...
it's
...
probably
...
around
...
$30
...
to
...
$40
...
for
...
each
...
weapon
...
for
...
the
...
run
...
of
...
the
...
show,
...
but
...
that
...
have
...
a
...
quite
...
good
...
selection.
...
For
...
R&J
...
our
...
director
...
found
...
a
...
contact
...
who
...
gave
...
us
...
money
...
to
...
pay
...
for
...
the
...
renting,
...
but
...
if
...
we
...
were
...
willing
...
to
...
skimp
...
on
...
other
...
areas
...
we
...
should
...
be
...
able
...
to
...
rent
...
2
...
or
...
3
...
ourselves.
...
Shipping
...
will
...
take
...
about
...
5
...
days,
...
so
...
rent
...
them
...
a
...
bit
...
before
...
you
...
want
...
them
...
to
...
show
...
up.
...
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.
...
...
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
...
...
Spreadsheet
...
that
...
only
...
the
...
producer
...
can
...
edit,
...
shared
...
with
...
the
...
cast
...
and
...
crew
...
by
...
a
...
link
...
from
...
Callboard.
...
Things
...
You
...
Should
...
Make
...
Sure
...
Happen
...
- Auditions
- Read Through
- Designer Run(s)
...
- Costume
...
- and
...
- Props
...
- Parade
...
- Papertech
...
- (SM)
...
- Q2Q
...
- (SM)
...
- Put-in
...
- and
...
- Strike
...
- (TD)
...
Other Topics
- Keep Interactions with the Director Positive
- If Transitions are difficult, have a Transition Call