All theatre, be it community, professional, educational or anywhere in between, has a
bureaucracy, an imperfect organizational structure that everyone involved in a production must
participate in to some degree in order to do their jobs. Unfortunately job titles and the duties
assigned to them vary wildly from company to company, and of all the jobs listed below, very
few companies are large enough to assign a single person to each one, so quite often the
“Production Manager” is actually the head carpenter, costumer, rigger, ASM and any number of
other things, while still being the Production Manager.
How a Producing Theatre Company is organized:
Funding Level: Producer/Board of Directors
These are the people who oversee all of the theatre’s activities and ensure the money is available
to put on productions.
Executive Level: Artistic Director/General Manager
Answering to the producer or board a company may have an artistic director responsible for the
all creative aspects of the company and a general manager responsible for all administrative
aspects of the company, or they may be combined into one position. The artistic director chooses
all the shows and directors (usually directing one or more shows themselves) and is considered
the head of the company.
Department Heads: Production Manager, Director of Marketing, Director of Operations
These people oversee the technical, marketing and operations departments respectively, and are
responsible for the day-to-day operations of the theatre.
The tech department is responsible for preparing all the technical elements of a show for
production (sets, costumes, lighting, etc) as well as the care and maintenance of the stage, shop
and other technical areas of the building.
The marketing department includes box office staff, publicists, graphic designers, group
salespeople and sponsorship recruiters, among others, and is responsible for promoting the show,
selling the tickets and showcasing the theatre at its best at all times.
The operations team includes the House Manager, volunteer coordinator, ushers, concession
people and janitorial staff, who are responsible for the care and maintenance of the building, as
well as the safety and comfort of patrons during performances.
The Creative Team: Director, Set and Props Designer, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer,
Sound Designer, Stage Manager, Actors
These people are usually not full-time employees of the theatre but are hired on a show-by-show
basis.
bureaucracy, an imperfect organizational structure that everyone involved in a production must
participate in to some degree in order to do their jobs. Unfortunately job titles and the duties
assigned to them vary wildly from company to company, and of all the jobs listed below, very
few companies are large enough to assign a single person to each one, so quite often the
“Production Manager” is actually the head carpenter, costumer, rigger, ASM and any number of
other things, while still being the Production Manager.
How a Producing Theatre Company is organized:
Funding Level: Producer/Board of Directors
These are the people who oversee all of the theatre’s activities and ensure the money is available
to put on productions.
Executive Level: Artistic Director/General Manager
Answering to the producer or board a company may have an artistic director responsible for the
all creative aspects of the company and a general manager responsible for all administrative
aspects of the company, or they may be combined into one position. The artistic director chooses
all the shows and directors (usually directing one or more shows themselves) and is considered
the head of the company.
Department Heads: Production Manager, Director of Marketing, Director of Operations
These people oversee the technical, marketing and operations departments respectively, and are
responsible for the day-to-day operations of the theatre.
The tech department is responsible for preparing all the technical elements of a show for
production (sets, costumes, lighting, etc) as well as the care and maintenance of the stage, shop
and other technical areas of the building.
The marketing department includes box office staff, publicists, graphic designers, group
salespeople and sponsorship recruiters, among others, and is responsible for promoting the show,
selling the tickets and showcasing the theatre at its best at all times.
The operations team includes the House Manager, volunteer coordinator, ushers, concession
people and janitorial staff, who are responsible for the care and maintenance of the building, as
well as the safety and comfort of patrons during performances.
The Creative Team: Director, Set and Props Designer, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer,
Sound Designer, Stage Manager, Actors
These people are usually not full-time employees of the theatre but are hired on a show-by-show
basis.
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| How theatres are organized |