SUU Second Studio Production Manager
I have recently been given the position of Production Manager on the SUU Second Studio Theatre Company Board. A Production Manager is the person who holds the position of leading the technical elements to completion within a theatre production. This is in unison with the Technical Director on the board, as well as all designers and technicians of each production. As Production Manager for a company, this means I will hold this position over four different productions through the season. It will require a lot of communication among my fellow students as well as my faculty members. I will be in charge of the Black Box theatre on campus and will conduct all strike and set up of risers, lights, battens, and other set pieces. I will also be responsible for finding designers and crew members for all of our productions. I will work closely with stage managers and directors on the productions in order to supply finished products. I will also be the go to problem solver within the company when it comes to technical elements, which will be done through seeking the correct guidance from faculty members and other students. I am not responsible for having the hands-on technical knowledge in order to run every area, but to know who to talk to and to facilitate all learning and guidance needed for those designing our shows. I will also be responsible for running all technical elements, or finding people to do so, for our monthly SUU Live events, as well as our 24 Hour Theatre events we have once a semester. In addition to all of these purposes, I will be an integral part of the Second Studio board of directors and will attend all meetings and assist in club fairs, promoting our club, and help in other areas as needed.
Goal:
For my EDGE Project, I have held the leadership position of Production Manager for the SUU Second Studio Theatre Company through the 2016-2017 school year.
Objectives & Proof:
Through this project, my limits were pushed within the technical theatre world, in addition to my professional and personal goals being pushed. I ultimately gained a much greater appreciation for technical theatre.
PROOF: The culmination off all of my deliverables and other proof provides proof for this particular objective.
As Production Manager, I had the opportunity to lead within a position that I had never held before. Prior to this experience I had worked very closely with Production Managers within my extensive stage management experience, but with holding this position myself, it helped shed light on a position I had only seen from the surface. I gained further understanding on the position of a Production Manager and I have concluded that with further training, this is a career path I would be interested in pursuing.
PROOF: I am currently taking the Production Management and Safety course offered here at SUU.
Through this position, I was excited to grow my knowledge of technical theatre, specifically when it came to lighting and sound. With being in this position, I can definitely say that I have learned more in regards to these areas and I was put in a lot of opportunities to apply my knowledge in the learning process.
PROOF: I can now setup a lighting and sound board, as I was the leader of setting up all of the equipment in the Black Box.
Through doing this project, I significantly grew my communication and organization skills. I communicated with so many people in different positions in order to appropriately execute my job. I communicated thoroughly with the board of directors, students designing our shows, and many faculty members. I have further established my own personal communication and management styles throughout this project.
PROOF: I have many emails that I have used to correspond with the designers and the faculties. I also have notes from every Second Studio meeting.
Through this project, I had the opportunity to network among my community and faculty. I believe I have further established my position within this department and I have made connections to further my career in theatre.
PROOF: I am sure I have established my position among the faculty and they see my potential. Through recommendation from a faculty member I have received an offer as the Scheduling Stage Manager with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, which uses a lot of the skills I have learned through this position.
Through this position, I have created a new organization system that I hope to pass down to the people who take my position in the future.
PROOF: I have lists of job duties for each designer of our shows, among multiple other documents to further help this position.