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Director/Producer relationship?

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=4016
Printed Date: 5/03/25 at 11:55pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Director/Producer relationship?
Posted By: jayzehr
Subject: Director/Producer relationship?
Date Posted: 5/08/09 at 5:08pm
Does anyone here have things set-up so that the producer or perhaps the board or Artistic Director have the final authority over what happens with a production?



Replies:
Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 5/09/09 at 2:46pm
I guess it depends on the situation but for us the show's director has final say, but within guidelines like reality and budget.


Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 5/10/09 at 8:26am
Our show's director has final say over what happens with a production.

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In a world of margarine, be butter!


Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 5/10/09 at 3:52pm
Thanks. That's how we've been doing it as well. Just wanted to see if there were other arrangements that were successful for folks.


Posted By: PWProducer
Date Posted: 5/10/09 at 9:51pm
Well, the way we have it set up is that ultimately the Producers do have the final say.  But we have only used that authority maybe once or twice and it had to do with a cast member acting/doing something that in our opinion was totally out of line and endangered our reputation.  When it comes to the artistic vision of the show and casting it always is the directors decision.  


Posted By: KEB54
Date Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:51am
The show's director has final say for 99% of things.  However, the Producer always has the right and duty to insist on changes if something is going to hurt the company or an individual.
 
Mostly the Producer will give non-artistic advice to help the decission-making of the director, such as remind him of budget constraints.


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KEB


Posted By: dboris
Date Posted: 5/14/09 at 12:57pm

In my theatre the Producer would have final say on some decisions especially those that would impact budget, theatre policies or operating procedures. For example the Directory might make a creative decision that he wants certain costumes for the show, but if this would push the show over budget then it's the Producer's responsibility to challenge that decision.

Fortunately in my group the Directors and Producers normally work well together so it shouldn't ever come down to the Producer having to absolutely forbid something, some sort of comprimise would be worked out.

 



Posted By: John Luzaich
Date Posted: 5/15/09 at 5:53pm

It's my experience that many good theatres are run by benchmarking, by looking at "best practices" and then trying to fit things to our own situation, our own needs.  If you look at professional theatre of producing a Broadway play and then take what we can and make it our own, use some of the principles for our own needs.  In a Broadway show, the producer is the boss.  Without getting too grandiose with exagerated examples with multi-million dollar budgets and many producers and associate producers, etc.  But, for basic purposes to keep it simple: the producer is the general partner that raises all of the money.  The producer gets 50% and is called the general partner of the corporation.  All of the investors split the other 50% (depending on their investment) and they become the limited partners.  The producer is the boss and starts the process.  He or she buys the option of producing the play from the author(s) and the producer hires everyone: director, designers, stage manager, ad agency, negotiates deal with theatre, the producer is the overall boss.  Some times the producer fires the director and brings in someone else, but the producer has final say over everything.

Now, go to a school produced play example: the director is the boss and whatever he or she says goes because they run everything and there usually is no producer.  The conflict with community theatres is there is no right or wrong example because we live somewhere in between those two situations.  Some of us have a producer and for other community theatres, the theatre organization and board and committee, etc are the producer.  I think for many organizations, the problem lies in setting the expectation clearly from the beginning of who is responsible for what.  We've had some newer directors that are very good at directing and blocking and working with actors, but they are used to more control over everything, that includes marketing, etc.  The friction starts when they want more say or more control over areas that traditionally are not under a director domain. 
 
It's an interesting process and we need to constantly re-evaluate and change and have things agreed upon and written down and clearly communicated before the process starts anew.  Sometimes that's difficult because many people are overworked and going from one thing to another and are time short.
 
John


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



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