Production Roles

What happens backstage?

There are many jobs or roles that have to happen 'behind the scenes' for a production to get on stage successfully.

How many can you think of?

THE DIRECTOR

The director oversees the entire process of staging a production, coordinating everything that happens on stage.

A theatre director has responsibility for the overall practical and creative interpretation of a dramatic script or musical score, taking into account the budgetary and physical constraints of production.

Directors work closely with the creative and production teams, the performers and the producer to create a performance which connects with the audience. They therefore need to be able to coordinate effectively across a wide range of disciplines and with artistic vision.

The Director's tasks:

Select a play
Audition and select cast
Devise a rehearsal schedule
Communicate vision with all members of the cast and crew
Block the play
Liaise with all areas of the design team to ensure vision is realised
Conduct workshops to explore and develop characters and relationships between characters

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS will support the director with some of these jobs, especially scene rehearsals, checking in with production roles and deadlines, running lines and recording blocking.

Considering the Director's job of interpreting the script for the stage, eg. How much can the Director change the script from its original setting?

THE SET DESIGNER

The design of the set creates the tone and style of a production letting the audience know where and when the action takes place and whether the play is a comedy, tragedy or some other type of play.

The set design aims to:

Create an environment for the performers and for the performance
Assist in setting mood and atmosphere of the production
Establishes locale and period
Ensure scenic elements are co-ordinated with other design elements
Provide a practical design suitable for the requirements of the production
Create a historical /cultural setting according to the play requirements
Symbolically represent themes explored in the play.

How the set designer works with the director to create the world of the play.

COSTUME AND MAKE UP DESIGNERS

Stage costumes communicate the same information as ordinary clothes with regard to gender, status and occupation, but on stage information is magnified because every element in theatre is in the spotlight.

Costumes provide a variety of functions:

Help establish style of a production
Indicate historical period and locale
Show relationships among characters
Symbolically convey the significance of individual characters or the theme of the play
Designed to be practical so that actors can change quickly if necessary and move according to their character requirements e.g. sword fighting
Be consistent with the production as a whole, especially other visual elements.

The key function of make-up is to help the performer personify and embody a character.

Make up assists in conveying:

Style of the production
Historical period and locale
Character’s age
Character’s status
Naturalistic characters and non-realistic characters.

Creating characters with beautiful and intricate designs that are both functional and aesthetically reveal the world of the play.

PROPS DESIGNER

A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is any object held or used on stage by an actor for use in furthering the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set decoration and a prop is use. If the item is not touched by a performer for any reason it is simply a set decoration. If it is touched by the actor in accordance to script requirements or as deemed by the director, it is a prop.

The Props Designer makes, sources, hires or assembles everything that is required onstage.

They may also need to organise the props according to which side of stage they need to be on (ready for the actors to use) on well-planned and labelled props tables.

THE STAGE MANAGER may also support the props designer by helping set up and maintain the props table.

In professional theatre, Stage Managers also 'call the show', meaning that they are on communication with all the technicians and operators giving the cues for all theatre technologies. They must know the show extremely well, especially in regards to timing. They may support the cast and crew backstage, problem solve and keep everything on schedule (both in rehearsal and performance).

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Lighting in the theatre plays a significant role in creating mood and atmosphere, establishing focus and creating special effects.

Lighting has a number of functions:

Provides visibility
Reveals shapes and forms
Provides a focus onstage and creates visual ‘pictures’
Assists in creating mood and reinforcing style
Helps to assist in establishing time and place
Establish a rhythm of visual movement e.g. abrupt, stark blackouts or slow gradual cross fade

The Lighting Designer for War Horse describes how you create place as well as suggest mood and meaning with the lighting design.

SOUND DESIGNER

Recorded or live sound is an aural stagecraft element that plays a significant role in creating mood and atmosphere.

Sound can:

Establish time of day and location
Assist in establishing historical and cultural context of the play
Provide transitions between scenes
Underscore a scene to enhance the meaning
Occur as a stage effect e.g. gun shot or atmospheric, such as music

There are many different ways a Sound Designer creates the sound for a play.

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