Lesson 7 - Production Manager - Unchecked

The Production Manager
The production manager liaisons with all other departments to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that no problems arise. They assist in the making of decisions regarding costume, budget, casting, lighting and other aspects of a theatrical production. They look into the rates of pay, maintain the budget, book tours and ensure that health & guidelines are being followed. In addition to this, they will check in on rehearsals and generally make sure that the theatrical ship sails smoothly. The production manager may be responsible for publicity but there is often a seperate role to handle this.
Production Meetings
During the pre production meeting the production manager will set the agenda, time, location and attendance.
Each production meeting will run through:
Department Reports - Design, Costume, Props, Construction, LX/ sound
Each department will go through any problems that have come up, discuss deadlines and the progress they have made.
Discussions, Questions, Concerns - Rehearsal schedule, future meetings, site visits, site access and transport
Budget - This is a general discussion about the distribution of the budget. The production manager would mention any changes to the budget that may have occurred. For example, in the production meeting I attended for the third year mainhouse production of 'The Elephant Man,' it was revealed that the construction budget had been increased to £700 while the props budget had been reduced to £200.
Publicity - Press, posters, tickets, program, box office split
Production Schedule - This segment handles the schedule for the production. It includes dates for the fit up, get in, rehearsals, tech rehearsals, press nights and the first show.
Any other business - This is a chance for anyone to raise any additional matters relating to the production that are not covered by the other sections.

The ideal production meeting last an hour, with one and a half hours being the absolute maximum.