# Who's in charge?



## Grog12 (Jul 16, 2007)

Allright here's a question that stems from my former place of employment. 
Who's in charge?

If you were to created a flow chart for a production and who makes creative/technical decisions what would it look like.

I don't want to hear about what it is like, I want to know what you think it should be like.

The list should include all major positions in theatre.


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## RiffRaff54 (Jul 16, 2007)

I always thought it was the producer at the top, followed by the director and TD. Then you have the designers, then the people who execute their designs. Then running crew.


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## jwl868 (Jul 16, 2007)

If you search this forum for "organization" you'll find a couple threads with tables of organization. And a funny thing is that they are all different. Whoever has the money makes the decisions, although at the professional level, AEA, LORT, and local union contracts will define who is "in charge".

My opinion is that the director should be in charge: then its a function of style, communication, and "chain-of-command" of the show.

Joe


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## Grog12 (Jul 16, 2007)

jwl868 said:


> If you search this forum for "organization" you'll find a couple threads with tables of organization. And a funny thing is that they are all different. Whoever has the money makes the decisions, although at the professional level, AEA, LORT, and local union contracts will define who is "in charge".
> My opinion is that the director should be in charge: then its a function of style, communication, and "chain-of-command" of the show.
> Joe



That's fair. I'm not looking for real world though I'm looking for opinions.


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## Footer (Jul 16, 2007)

Grog12 said:


> That's fair. I'm not looking for real world though I'm looking for opinions.


http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3861&highlight=flow+chart

The artistic director who works for the board of the theatre is in charge, and beyond that whoever gives the biggest lump of money to the theatre has a large say in things. Whoever signs your contract hiring you is in charge, and whoever can get rid of you in less then 3 hours is in charge.


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## Grog12 (Jul 16, 2007)

Like I said before...Not interested in how it is. I of course know about the lump sum of money ectera....I'm asking how you think it should be all things equal.


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## Van (Jul 16, 2007)

How 'Bout this?


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## icewolf08 (Jul 16, 2007)

I have a chart too!


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## Grog12 (Jul 16, 2007)

Van said:


> How 'Bout this?



That how you would have it Van?
If so I find it interesting that the Costume Designer and Sound all together are missing.


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## Van (Jul 16, 2007)

Grog12 said:


> That how you would have it Van?
> If so I find it interesting that the Costume Designer and Sound all together are missing.


oops, My bad.
 I just threw that together while someone was yammering in my ear. I'll have to re-do it now.


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## jonhirsh (Jul 16, 2007)

Van i think you missed the shows director as well. 

JH


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## Logos (Jul 17, 2007)

For me

First Level Artistic Director and Money
Second Production Manager and Show director if it's not the Artistic Director
Below that The design team must work with each of the PM and Director
But the Production Manager must have some power of veto due to expense. difficulty, or stupidity.
Below that the TD is in charge of lighting, sound, flies and ancillary
and so on.


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## gafftaper (Jul 18, 2007)

Grog12 said:


> That how you would have it Van?
> If so I find it interesting that the Costume Designer and Sound all together are missing.



That's no accident. Van's a scenic guy... he doesn't care what directors, sound, or costumes do.


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## gafftaper (Jul 18, 2007)

How's this for crazy... at a nearby community theater, every season ticket holder is able to be elected as a board memeber. The board members select a group of ticket holders who read plays and present a group of shows to the board as their proposed next season. The board says yes, hires directors and designers... often from within the board or ticket holders. There is a full time managing director and a half time costumer. Beyond that it's all volunteer and incredibly democratic as everything get's voted on. 

As for me, I'm very happy with the typical chain of command where someone with money/theater director chooses a show, hires designers and director to create the show, T.D. and other departments heads create the design, and the Stage manager takes over and runs the show. It seems to me that this traditional structure, when operating correctly, really allows people to do what they are best at and create their piece of the art.


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## Logos (Jul 19, 2007)

I think that's pretty much what I was trying to say in my post above. I was operating through a fog of childrens theatre that I had production managed and designed at that point. (I think the entire cast thought they were the director and she didn't argue with them. Don't you hate that.)


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## Grog12 (Jul 19, 2007)

So here's why I ask this question...

I always find two things interesting....Where the TD is put in the chain of command and secondly...the actors. Which with one exception wasn't really mentioned.

Both are equally important do the creative proscess.

I've seen TD put above everyone except the Artistic Dir and board I've seen them dropped to the point where they're really a glorified MC.

The actors on the other hand are something we really don't think about in this proscess. Which is funny because they're the reason we're here, yes we've got applicable skills that keep us from waiting tables, but **** I'd rather be in the theatre. 

Having worked with several actors from Broadway and Hollywood and various theatre companys, I've learned that sometimes their imput is just as valuable as the other directors and designers.

Don't get me wrong I've worked with my fair share of diva's as well who made unreasonable demands for no other reason than...meh they could.

But honestly its something to think about during the design proscess. Especially if you can get a good repor going with the actor. If they're missing their spike on stage for that ever so crucial special and you've been a jerk to them...well they're gonna keep missing it. If you've gotten a repor going with them they're more likely to want to hit it.

Anyway..I'm off my soap box now...


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## gafftaper (Jul 20, 2007)

When I teach the structure of how a theater operates. I put up a fairly typical flow chart that breaks it down. After explaining all the jobs, The point I always stress is this... Every theater has all these jobs. However who does those jobs is different in every theater. In a large professional theater there is at least one person for every job. In high school often one person does every job. So there's a ton of variety out there. The weird part are those moderate size theaters out there. Where there is an insane variety of what one person does. Which, a lot of that I think just varies based on how much work they can or can't squeeze out of each person in their organization.


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