A ‘Production Assistant’ in a live theatre production can involve many roles. However, in live theatre production companies a production assistant is often a defined role one in which is focusing on a specific area of `stagecraft’. Stagecraft is a theatrical term used describe the technical aspects of theatre production and can include:

• Set design and building

• Prop design and making

• Costume design and making

• Lighting design, installation and operation

• Sound design, setup and operation

Each of those technical areas of a production requires some level of skills in:

• Carpentry

• Painting

• Metalwork

• Mechanical

• Electrical

• Sewing

• Rigging

• Sound engineering

• Lighting theory

As a production assistant, you would be assisting the stage manager set designer, lighting crew, sound crew, props manager or wardrobe (depending in what technical area your are working in) to make changes, adjustments and/or modifications that arise during the rehearsals.

In most cases, your taking on the role as a ‘production assistant’ would include duties and activities assisting others in some technical area of the production.

In most cases production assistants are brought in in the early stages of set construction, lighting installation and setting up the sound system.

In smaller productions, a production assistant may work with more than one ‘head of department’.

Depending on what technical area you are working as a production assistant will determine the tasks and activities you will be doing in setting up the venue in line with the production requirements.

The first and foremost production requirement is to have the venue set up in time for the start of the rehearsals. So meeting deadlines would be very important and your assistance would be seen as a contribution to meeting those deadlines.

If you are working as a production assistant in the staging such as set building, then your team would be following drawings and layouts of the set designer, Director and stage manager.

You could be asked to assist in marking out the stage for sets, assist in hanging backdrops and curtains.

If you were a production assistant in props and set dressing, you may be asked to set up the prop table backstage using the prop list and then assisting the set designer in dressing the stage.

If you were working in the lighting area, you may be assisting the lighting designer in positioning and focussing lighting instruments. This could include attaching accessories to the fixtures, such as barndoors, gobos and colour gels.

If you were a production assistant in costume, you may be assisting the wardrobe manager setting up the makeup tables, setting up the costumes in the dressing rooms and assisting in the fittings.

Being a production assistant not only means that you are working as a team. It quite often means that you are given instructions and you are expected to perform tasks based on those instructions without any supervision.

When you are given instructions to do some tasks, it is very important that you fully understand those instructions and what is expected of you in both the quality of your work as well as meeting deadlines.

If you are unsure or unclear about those instructions, you must seek clarification by asking questions and carefully listening to the answers until you understand and are clear on the instructions.

With every live theatre production, there will be production documentation for every technical aspect of the production.

These documents are all based on a ‘script’. A script is the text version of a play or musical and in most cases has ’stage directions’ and other notes, both artistic and technical. The script is sometimes referred to as the ‘Book’ or in the case of a musical called the ‘Libretto’, meaning the words that are to be set to music.

It is the Director's responsibility to interpret a script not only from an acting point of view, but also a technical point of view. The Director will recruit set, costume, lighting and sound designers to take his or her interpretation of the script and turn it into a real life stage with sets, props, light, sound affects and performers in costumes.

Once the designs are agreed upon, the design concepts begin to turn into reality. Documents start being developed and these will include:

• Set plans

• Lighting plots and instrument lists

• Sound system requirements, including sound effects

• Prop designs and lists

• Costume lists

It is often at this point production assistants are hired. Depending on your job role, you as a production assistant will likely be provided numerous types of documents.

To start with you would be given a job description document outlining the details that your job entails, what is expected of you, wages and hours to be worked. You would also be handed the theatre company’s policies manual that would include health and safety policies, code of behaviour and other policies that are enforced by the theatre company.

If your job as an assistant required it, you would have access to technical information, designs, drawings and plots.

It most cases, one of the policies that almost all theatre companies would have and strictly enforce is that all documentation relating to the production is confidential and must not be copied, shown or communicated in anyway to anyone outside of the theatre company unless approved.

We look at some of the other common types of documents that are used in a live production.

Crew and management lists - This document is a simple ‘directory’ of all the main management and crew including their name, position and contact details. It may also include any contractors, suppliers, venue details and emergency numbers.

Equipment manuals - In a theatre production, there are numerous types of equipment used such as lighting equipment, sound equipment, equipment used to change stage elements and material handling equipment. For instruction on proper and safe use of the equipment, as well as troubleshooting and maintenance information, most would refer to the manufacturer's user/owner manuals.

Material safety data sheets (MSDS) - There will be materials used in a production that could be deemed hazardous. These could include cleaning chemicals, adhesives, paint and so on. Each product is required to have a MSDS and this document outlines the safe use of the product as well as what to do in the event of an accident.

Production schedules - Once the dates and location of a production are set, the production management team works out the schedule for the production and sets the deadlines for each team member. The schedule tells the set and costume designers, the music, sound and lighting directors/designers, the make-up designer, the actors, singers and musicians (if any) what deadlines they must meet. Based on this ‘master’ schedule, each designer will develop their own schedules.

Venue details - Crew and performers will often be provided with a document that has details about the venue as well as certain polies and procedures put in place by the venue management. Details could include:

• Venue management staff details and contacts

• Access points and access rules

• Venue layout and amenities

• Emergency information including evacuation details Health and safety policies and procedures

As you may now realise the role of production assistant can vary significantly and when taking on the role of a production assistant it is important that you fully understand what the job actually is, your duties, responsibilities and what is expected of you.

Also, as we have shown you earlier, you may be in receipt of a number of types of documents or accessing a variety of information sources that relate to your job as a production assistant.

When it comes to information relating to your job, it is also important that you fully understand the information.

If any part of your job responsibilities and/or if any of the information relating to your job is unclear or not fully understood, then you must take the time and seek clarification.

This would generally be done with the person whom you would be directly reporting to or the person supervising you.

This requires strong questioning and listening skills. It is pointless to ask your supervisor to explain something to you and then not listen carefully to what the answer is. You would want to use active or attentive listen skills. This is when you give your full attention to the person speaking to you; in this case your supervisor explaining some aspect of your job to you.

Strong questioning and listening skills are not only important when clarifying your job requirements at the start, but also when you are given instructions or provided information by your supervisor and others on a daily basis.

Complete the following section of your workbook summarising your work as a Production Assistant.