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- Review casting policy. Make sure they're aware that the audition pool could be small.
- 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
- Review overall rehearsal scheduling policies with the Director and SM; make sure each individual's role and responsibility is clear
- Performance Space Constraints
- Other Policies
- Ensemble DEI Policy (on website under Administrivia)
- Ensemble Member priority
- Make sure the director has signed a Director Contract (should be done around director choice/play choice)
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It helps to have production meetings scheduled at a regular time (Sundays after rehearsal, for example). The first and last prod meetings are typically 60 minutes long and include the full prod staff. All other meetings can be split in two by departments (see prod contract). Prod staff members (except the Producer, TD, and SM) are only required when their department is called. Usually, however, it tends to be easier to call everyone and try to arrange the meeting to accommodate those who have to leave.
Note post JC 2023: If any prodstaff member, especially department heads/designers are not able to attend the meetings, ask that they fill out an updates form/report before the meeting. This should include what they worked on over the past week, any issues they ran into, and any questions they have for the Director/Producer. Make sure this requirement is outlined in the prodstaff contract.
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Having an Assistant Producer is a great way to involve underclassmen/people new to theater in dirstaff-and it also takes some of the load off you! It's very useful to get a second opinion on any show-related decisions you're making, though the ultimate responsibility falls on you. It 's always can be difficult to split up tasks between assistant and lead roles; I would recommend having a shared to-do list and asking them to fill out any tasks they particularly would like to help out with. It is good also nice to ask Assistant Producers to help out at the beginning of the show timeline, when there is a lot of producing work to be done: they can help out with sending prodstaff offers, and with auditions if they are not auditioning. Make sure they are kept up to date on all show business( cc them on any emails you send/make a shared mailing list), and if they're new to prodstaff/the ensemble, make sure they get an intro into what producing is all about! By the end of the show, they should ideally know everything producing entails, and may even want to produce a future show!
To Act or Not To Act
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- Take care of yourself. Be positive. Keep calm and produce on.
- Be prepared to be available 24/7, when someone in the production needs you, you need to be ready to respond and help or direct them quickly to ensure the show continues forward forward
- Keep Interactions with the Director Positive
- If Transitions are difficult, have a Transition Call.
- If you find yourself stuck on unsure of what to do, ask the Officers for help. You can also call on former producers for advice.