INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL THEATRE

LESSON 1: QUIZ

THEATRE HIERARCHY
The most powerful person in a theatre is the . The producer is responsible for every
phase of a production. In commercial theatre, a producer can decide what to
present, what he or she would like to present it with...and is responsible
for the , how he or she spends the money, and where the money comes from.
A producer decides what problems he or she has and how to solve them. When a producer knows
which problems he or she has to solve, he or she knows what personnel are needed to achieve the
goals of the production. That’s called “ ”, and understanding
those things, the producer then knows how to administer the , and monitors the
spending every step of the way. The producer hires a staff to achieve those goals, understanding
the limitations of the budget, the time he or she has to do it in, available personnel....the producer
starts with a who will express what the producer wants the play to say. The director
then works with the producer, and they hire a team: the sets, costumes, lights,
props. They then support those designers with a , and then the play is cast. Once
the team is in place, rehearsals begin, sets, props, costumes, lights all go into production. When the
producer’s goal is achieved it is on .

The producers in most educational theatre programs are the , who actually puts
up the money for the show, and the , who choose the shows to produce.

The is usually hired by the producer. The most important thing about really good
directors is that they are all very good . It takes lots of people to create a successful
show, and the director is the liaison between all of them. The director works with the Actors, Stage
Manager, the Producer, the Artistic Director, the Costume Designer, the Set Designer, the Lighting
Designer, the Sound Designer, and if it is a musical, the Musical Director and the Choreographer to
create the final product.

The director has the final say-so on matters of the , and it is his
job to openly with everyone involved, and stay on budget.

Directors take and make it come alive. They analyze the text and create a vision
for bringing it to life. This involves the show properly, communicating to all of
the his vision and how together they might make it into a multi-dimensional living
thing.

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It takes collaboration between a lot of creative people to bring a play from the printed words in a
script, to a live production.

The is responsible for any live music in a show. In large

productions, the job may be further divided into the , who works with the singers and
the , who is in charge of all the musicians during a musical.

The is responsible for making up all the dances for the performers in a musical. In
larger productions, the choreographer turns rehearsals over to a kind of assistant choreographer
called the .

The is responsible for keeping the production within budget, spending money, and
bringing money in through various means such as ticket sales and advertisements in programs. The
business manager is also responsible for ticket sellers, ushers, and concessions.

The of a play are responsible for conferring with the director to get the physical
environment on-stage to work with the director’s concept of the play. The designers build models,
do color sketches called renderings, or use computerized drawing programs to give the director an
idea of what the set, lights, costumes, make-up and props can look like. The director has the final ok
on the designs.

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TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & TECHNICAL CREWS
The oversees all the technical crews during the preparation period. He or she is
ultimately responsible for getting everything finished on time, and within the budget allotted.

The or , led by the , are responsible for anything that

looks permanent to the audience. The set crew follows the plans of the set designer.

The , led by the , is responsible for anything to do with light on the

stage.

are different from set because props look movable to the audience, while set
pieces look permanent. The props crew is responsible for two types of props. The first is .
Set props are items that are on stage and look movable when the lights come up.
are anything an actor brings onstage with him or her.

The is responsible for two things. The sounds of a car door slamming, the car
engine starting, and the car driving away are . In large theatres, when actors need to
be miked for the audience to hear them, the sound crew is responsible for .

The is responsible for anything an actor wears on stage. The same item can be a
costume, a hand prop, or a set prop. In Act 1 of a play, if an actor enters carrying a coat over his
arm, it would be a hand prop. In Act 2, if the same actor enters wearing the same coat, it would be a
costume. And in Act 3, if the same coat is hanging on a coat rack, it is a set prop. In Acts 1 and 2, the
actor is responsible for getting the coat. In Act 3, the props crew is responsible for getting the coat
out on stage, hanging on the coat rack.

The is responsible for anything an actor applies to his/her skin or hair. For example,
a fake beard, old age make-up, fake bruises, and gray hair would all be the responsibility of the
make-up crew.

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STAGE MANAGER & RUNNING CREWS
After all the sets are built, the costumes fitted and sewn, the lights hung, focused and plugged, the
props borrowed, bought or made, the sound prepared... then it is time for the Stage Manager and
running crews to take over.

The is with the show from the time it is cast, to the final performance. He or she
sits in on rehearsals to get to know all aspects of the show almost as well as the director. When it
comes time to start technical rehearsals..... rehearsals where the actors start working with the sound,
lights, props, sets, costumes, etc.....the Stage Manager takes over the run of the show. What the
Stage Manager says goes. He or she follows the , a book that has all the cues to
the actors and technicians written into it. The Stage Manager then calls the cues over an intercom
system. If there is an emergency, the Stage Manager is responsible for finding a solution to the
emergency. If a play is like a living person, the set crew might be like an arm... the light crew the
other arm... the props crew one leg and the costumes crew the other leg. But the
is the brain that tells all the other parts what to do.

In educational theatre, the crews often continue their jobs through the performances of the
show. The crews then become the . The main difference is that now their boss
is not the Tech Director, but the Stage Manager. Let’s take a look at what these running crews are
called during technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and performances.

There are two types of technical rehearsals: dry tech, and wet tech. is a technical
rehearsal without the actors present which gives the tech crews time to rehearse their jobs.

adds the actors and can simply be called a .

Technical rehearsals are “ ” rehearsals where the work of actors and technicians are
brought together for the first time. These rehearsals will stop and start as scenery is moved, lights go
up and down and props are set. These rehearsals are often long and tedious.

The people who run the light board during a show are called the , or .
The person who runs a follow spot is called a or a .

Whenever scenery moves on or off stage horizontally from the wings, or offstage areas, this is the
responsibility of the . If scenery moves in and out from above the stage, that is
the responsibility of a .

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 control the sound reinforcement and sound effects during a show from the mix
position in the auditorium.

The makes sure all the hand props are laid out on a table in labeled areas. At that
point, it is the actor’s responsibility to pick up and return hand props. It is also the props crew’s
responsibility to make sure all set props are in position on stage before the audience arrives. In
addition it is their responsibility to change props on stage when necessary.
help performers into their costumes and make sure everything looks good from
all angles.

crew members help the actors get into make-up that reflects their characters.
Many actors do their own make-up, but difficult make-up like old age, beards, and wigs are usually
applied by members of the make-up crew.

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