Running Your Theater: What does a producer do?

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What does a producer do?

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Running Your Theater
Forum Discription: General questions about how to make it work
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2669
Printed Date: 4/26/24 at 8:21am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: What does a producer do?

Posted By: natdreamer
Subject: What does a producer do?
Date Posted: 9/16/07 at 12:11am

I have been a director/producer for years? I am trying to turn over the producing duties to another individual. I am having difficulty taking the directing stuff out of the producing...any suggestions?

Replies:

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/16/07 at 12:49am

Not that we bother with a Producer here, as it is the actual Group who produces, not an individual as such.
Anyhow I heard, I think it was Henry Winkler or some one else, that explaned the Producers position.
They are the one who organises & gets the 'Sand pit', for the Director to orginise the performance, for the actors to play gamrs in the sand.
I don't know if that helps?

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Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

Posted By: Kibitzer
Date Posted: 9/24/07 at 11:54am

Many community theatres have the position of "producer" but the nature and responsibilities of this position may be as diverse as the number of theatres that have one. The only consistency is the name. That means, you have an opportunity to split one position into two in anyway that makes sense for you. In one community theatre that I was involved in, as one measure of bolstering the artistic quality of our productions, we decided that we had to reduce the administrative burdens on the director so s/he could just really focus on the artistic needs of the production. A useful split that we made was for the director to deal with all the artistic issues while the producer would deal with all the business/administrative issues. This doesn't mean that the two entities work independent of one another. Quite the contrary. For this to work, they have to be on the same page and in consistent communication. Sure there will be classic conflicts: the director "needs" this or that to make the show as good as it can be while the producer tells the director that there aren't the resources (money, materials, or human) to accomplish this or that. But if each party maintains the integrity of the relationship and a respect for each other's responsibilities, such conflicts will merely become another aspect of the creative process: problem solving.

Here's what I would suggest you try: list all the current duties, tasks, and responsibilities of the "director/producer". Make three columns with the following headings: Artistic, Business, and Either/or. Split all the duties among these three columns. Avoid the temptation of putting most of the items on your list in the either/or column - that's a cop-out! If you just can't decide, make a commitment. At this point, you're making the rules so you can make them any way you want them.

There are some things that will be "artistic business" and some that will be the other way around. For example, rehearsal schedule. This is an administrative duty that the director - the artistic leader - just must do. However, finding rehearsal space at the needed time slots might fall under the producer. If there is just no time slot available when the director needs it, then there exists a problem to be solved by both.

I don't know the structure of your organization, so I don't know what bureaucracies are in place that will enable you to address your problem or that will hinder a solution. This suggestion may be off the mark because of such a bureaucracy. If so, then separating the duties of a director/producer may be the least of your worries!

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"Security is a kind of death." - Tennessee Williams

Posted By: natdreamer
Date Posted: 9/24/07 at 3:00pm

Thank you very much. This is helpful.

Posted By: John Luzaich
Date Posted: 3/12/08 at 5:10pm

Comments on this post are correct. Some community theatres have a producer and some do not. But, to keep it simple, pattern it after professional theatre. In high school theatre, the director is the boss. In professional theatre, the producer is the boss. The producer is the one that makes all of the deals and decisions to hire all of the creative people to put the show together. In other words, the producer hires the director.

In community theatre I think you need to have the positions described so people know what's expected of them. If a director has never directed in your theatre or with your group before, they might not know what's expected. (other than the obvious of casting, blocking, etc.) But, a director might tell you what they want on the poster, or have an idea about tickets, or tell you about an ad they'd like to see. You need to let that director know that is part of someone else's job, not theirs. I think it's easy to cross lines if it's not clear who's responsible for what right from the beginning. Technically, the producer is the boss. It's just that in some community theatres, the producer is a group of people responsible for different areas.

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John
cfct@cfu.net
http://www.osterregent.org
http://www.facebook.com/osterregent

Posted By: Carol
Date Posted: 3/18/08 at 5:54pm

Theatre Ontario puts out many great reference materials, which can either be ordered in hardcopy ($) or downloaded for free. If you check out their "Guide to Producing in Community Theatre" it address many of these issues. ( It can be downloaded for free from their web page/publications link)

http://theatreontario.org/content/publications.htm - http://theatreontario.org/content/publications.htm

Carol