Production Schedules are vital to the success of any production. They provide everyone with an
“at a glance” view of the entire production. Despite the temptation to do so in smaller companies,
Production Schedules and Rehearsal Schedules should not be economized into the same
document, as this tends to be confusing for actors who may be unfamiliar with production terms
(hey, I’ve seen it happen).
The Production Manager should review a rough draft of the schedule with the director and stage
manager before work begins so as to avoid any surprises. Stage Managers working on Equity
shows are required to notify the Production Manager if the schedule will create the possibility of
overtime for any Equity Artists working on the show, but irregardless the PM should always be
as compassionate as possible when making the production schedule, especially during tech week.
Outlined below are two production schedules for our production of “The Constant Lover” by St.
John Hankin. In the first example it is assumed that the play is being produced by a small to mid-
sized community theatre, and in the second by a stock professional theatre. Please bear in mind
that the tasks outlined below are ONLY those of the technical areas of the production, and it does
not take into consideration the rest of the duties involved in mounting a show on this scale.
Example #1: Community Theatre
Soon after the play is selected:
• Producer and Stage Manager are chosen
• Director chooses Design team
• Producer chooses technical staff
• Stage Manager chooses 1 or 2 assistants
• Director and Designers begin creative process
• Producer ensures practical needs of the show are met (venue/rehearsal hall booked, budget
approved, etc)
During July and August:
• On a specific date the set design drawings are due to the Producer, with a copy sent to the
Stage Manager
• All rehearsal props and furniture are delivered to the rehearsal hall, and the Stage Manager
and ASM’s have set up for the first rehearsal
• All outstanding production jobs have been assigned, either to members of the existing team
or assigned to new members
• Any specific rehearsal needs have been met (i.e. water coolers, gym mats, rehearsal sound
system, etc)
• All production team members have gathered for at least one face-to-face meeting to meet
each other and to be given copies of the pre-production information
During the first week of Rehearsals:
• All cast and crew members attend the first rehearsal, to meet the rest of the team and to
hear the initial read-through
• Set construction begins
• Props Gathering begins
• Costume Measurements are taken
• Sound Engineering begins
During the Second Week of Rehearsals:
• A Production Meeting is held to make sure everyone has begun their duties in earnest
During the Third Week of Rehearsals:
• Set Construction is completed, and set painting begins
• Possible props, furniture and dressing has been gathered, and the director has approved or
rejected each item
During the Fourth Week of Rehearsals:
• Another Production Meeting is held
• Preliminary sound choices have been compiled for the director, who selects some or all of
them
• Preliminary costume fittings are held
During the Fifth Week of Rehearsals
• Lighting Designer attends a full run-through of the play
During the Sixth Week of Rehearsals
• Final Production Meeting is held, at which time the Lighting Designer turns over his/her
paperwork
• Lighting Preparation is undertaken
• Final Costume Fittings
• Final Sound Engineering
• Final Props Approval Session
• After the last rehearsal all items are loaded up for transportation to the theatre
Example #2: Stock Professional
Pre-production period
• Play is chosen
• Creative and technical staff are chosen
• Director and Set Designer have begun creative process
• Production Manager has taken steps to meet the practical needs of the show
Two weeks before rehearsals
• Set Design drawings are due to PM, with copies made for SM
• Rehearsal props and furniture due in rehearsal hall
One week before rehearsals
• Stage Manager’s prep week begins
• Preliminary Production Meeting
During the first week of rehearsals
• All cast and crew attend read-through
• Production Notes Daily as given
• Carps start and finish
• Props start
• Measurements
• Preliminary Fittings
• Run for the LX Designer (usually on Saturday)
• Production Meeting to follow Run for LX
During the Second Week of Rehearsals
• Production Notes daily as given
• Final Props Due (usually Monday)
• Final Costumes Due (usually Wednesday)
• Set Painting start and finish
• Rehearsal hall load-out after the last rehearsal
Tech Week
Tech Week (also known as Turnover, Lift-in, Move-in, Get-in, Production Week or Hell Week)
takes place in theory the week before the first public performance, and involves integrating the
lighting, sound and other “theatre-specific” production elements into the show. The financial
realities of modern theatre rental rates have shortened most tech weeks to a few frantic days (and
nights). Effective scheduling, whether in community or professional theatre is crucial to
preventing all-nighters and unsafe working conditions for actors and crew. If you are working
under the CTA or ITA and have Equity Artists under contract you will have additional restraints
to consider in terms of scheduling and working conditions for actors and stage management.
While the timeline tends to vary based on how much time is available, the work involved in a
Tech week generally has to happen in the same order every time. In some theatres it is possible
for two sets of jobs to be done at the same time (such as loading in the set while the lights are
being hung), but it’s the Production Manager’s job to make sure nobody dies, so be sure your
time-saving ideas are safe before you unleash a bunch of stressed-out crew members on a load-in.
Assuming a start with a bare stage, lighting grid and wings, and assuming all prep work has been
properly done up to this point, what follows is rough breakdown of the order in which things
should occur.
Phase 1: Load-in
1. Lighting load-in and lighting hang.
2. Set load-in and fit-up (including any paint notes).
3. Sound load-in, set-up and EQing if necessary.
4. Props, Set Elements and Set Dressing Load-in and set-up in wings and onstage.
5. Costume load-in and set-up in dressing rooms, set up quick change in wings if necessary.
6. General clean-up of theatre space, notes and safety inspection.
Phase 2: Focus and Levels
1. Scene Change Rehearsal with Crew, if necessary.
2. Lighting focus.
3. Lighting levels setting.
4. Sound levels setting.
5. Notes as necessary.
Phase 3: Cue to Cue
1. Safety walk-through with actors onstage.
2. Cue to Cue rehearsal.
3. Notes as necessary.
Phase 4: Technical Rehearsals
1. Technical Rehearsal
2. Notes as necessary
Phase 5: Dress Rehearsal
1. Dress Rehearsal
2. Notes as necessary
“at a glance” view of the entire production. Despite the temptation to do so in smaller companies,
Production Schedules and Rehearsal Schedules should not be economized into the same
document, as this tends to be confusing for actors who may be unfamiliar with production terms
(hey, I’ve seen it happen).
The Production Manager should review a rough draft of the schedule with the director and stage
manager before work begins so as to avoid any surprises. Stage Managers working on Equity
shows are required to notify the Production Manager if the schedule will create the possibility of
overtime for any Equity Artists working on the show, but irregardless the PM should always be
as compassionate as possible when making the production schedule, especially during tech week.
Outlined below are two production schedules for our production of “The Constant Lover” by St.
John Hankin. In the first example it is assumed that the play is being produced by a small to mid-
sized community theatre, and in the second by a stock professional theatre. Please bear in mind
that the tasks outlined below are ONLY those of the technical areas of the production, and it does
not take into consideration the rest of the duties involved in mounting a show on this scale.
Example #1: Community Theatre
Soon after the play is selected:
• Producer and Stage Manager are chosen
• Director chooses Design team
• Producer chooses technical staff
• Stage Manager chooses 1 or 2 assistants
• Director and Designers begin creative process
• Producer ensures practical needs of the show are met (venue/rehearsal hall booked, budget
approved, etc)
During July and August:
• On a specific date the set design drawings are due to the Producer, with a copy sent to the
Stage Manager
• All rehearsal props and furniture are delivered to the rehearsal hall, and the Stage Manager
and ASM’s have set up for the first rehearsal
• All outstanding production jobs have been assigned, either to members of the existing team
or assigned to new members
• Any specific rehearsal needs have been met (i.e. water coolers, gym mats, rehearsal sound
system, etc)
• All production team members have gathered for at least one face-to-face meeting to meet
each other and to be given copies of the pre-production information
During the first week of Rehearsals:
• All cast and crew members attend the first rehearsal, to meet the rest of the team and to
hear the initial read-through
• Set construction begins
• Props Gathering begins
• Costume Measurements are taken
• Sound Engineering begins
During the Second Week of Rehearsals:
• A Production Meeting is held to make sure everyone has begun their duties in earnest
During the Third Week of Rehearsals:
• Set Construction is completed, and set painting begins
• Possible props, furniture and dressing has been gathered, and the director has approved or
rejected each item
During the Fourth Week of Rehearsals:
• Another Production Meeting is held
• Preliminary sound choices have been compiled for the director, who selects some or all of
them
• Preliminary costume fittings are held
During the Fifth Week of Rehearsals
• Lighting Designer attends a full run-through of the play
During the Sixth Week of Rehearsals
• Final Production Meeting is held, at which time the Lighting Designer turns over his/her
paperwork
• Lighting Preparation is undertaken
• Final Costume Fittings
• Final Sound Engineering
• Final Props Approval Session
• After the last rehearsal all items are loaded up for transportation to the theatre
Example #2: Stock Professional
Pre-production period
• Play is chosen
• Creative and technical staff are chosen
• Director and Set Designer have begun creative process
• Production Manager has taken steps to meet the practical needs of the show
Two weeks before rehearsals
• Set Design drawings are due to PM, with copies made for SM
• Rehearsal props and furniture due in rehearsal hall
One week before rehearsals
• Stage Manager’s prep week begins
• Preliminary Production Meeting
During the first week of rehearsals
• All cast and crew attend read-through
• Production Notes Daily as given
• Carps start and finish
• Props start
• Measurements
• Preliminary Fittings
• Run for the LX Designer (usually on Saturday)
• Production Meeting to follow Run for LX
During the Second Week of Rehearsals
• Production Notes daily as given
• Final Props Due (usually Monday)
• Final Costumes Due (usually Wednesday)
• Set Painting start and finish
• Rehearsal hall load-out after the last rehearsal
Tech Week
Tech Week (also known as Turnover, Lift-in, Move-in, Get-in, Production Week or Hell Week)
takes place in theory the week before the first public performance, and involves integrating the
lighting, sound and other “theatre-specific” production elements into the show. The financial
realities of modern theatre rental rates have shortened most tech weeks to a few frantic days (and
nights). Effective scheduling, whether in community or professional theatre is crucial to
preventing all-nighters and unsafe working conditions for actors and crew. If you are working
under the CTA or ITA and have Equity Artists under contract you will have additional restraints
to consider in terms of scheduling and working conditions for actors and stage management.
While the timeline tends to vary based on how much time is available, the work involved in a
Tech week generally has to happen in the same order every time. In some theatres it is possible
for two sets of jobs to be done at the same time (such as loading in the set while the lights are
being hung), but it’s the Production Manager’s job to make sure nobody dies, so be sure your
time-saving ideas are safe before you unleash a bunch of stressed-out crew members on a load-in.
Assuming a start with a bare stage, lighting grid and wings, and assuming all prep work has been
properly done up to this point, what follows is rough breakdown of the order in which things
should occur.
Phase 1: Load-in
1. Lighting load-in and lighting hang.
2. Set load-in and fit-up (including any paint notes).
3. Sound load-in, set-up and EQing if necessary.
4. Props, Set Elements and Set Dressing Load-in and set-up in wings and onstage.
5. Costume load-in and set-up in dressing rooms, set up quick change in wings if necessary.
6. General clean-up of theatre space, notes and safety inspection.
Phase 2: Focus and Levels
1. Scene Change Rehearsal with Crew, if necessary.
2. Lighting focus.
3. Lighting levels setting.
4. Sound levels setting.
5. Notes as necessary.
Phase 3: Cue to Cue
1. Safety walk-through with actors onstage.
2. Cue to Cue rehearsal.
3. Notes as necessary.
Phase 4: Technical Rehearsals
1. Technical Rehearsal
2. Notes as necessary
Phase 5: Dress Rehearsal
1. Dress Rehearsal
2. Notes as necessary
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| The Production Schedule |