Production Team
A production team is the group of technical staff who produce the show. A team generally consists of the following roles but it may differ from show to show.
Finding a Production Team
To find production team, create your show on Camdram. After the show got approved, go to the show page and click Edit/renew technical team advert or Edit producer/director advert. Let your funding society knows if you have trouble filling production team roles. And if it's an ADC/corpus show, talk to the production manager for more help.
Common Roles
Director
Cambridge Theatre offers unique opportunities in directing. You can be given the resources to stage whatever your mind might conjure. Make the most of it! Directors are the initial driving force behind almost every show in Cambridge, the people who pitch the ideas that become performances. The director's function is to ensure the quality and completeness of theatre production and to lead the members of the creative team into realizing their artistic vision for it.
Producer
Producers are responsible for making sure that a show gets to the stage, and for managing the production team throughout that process. There is never a dull day for a producer: one day you will be liaising with actors to create rehearsal schedules, another day you will be ordering and distributing publicity materials. A producer needs to be organised, with good people skills and the ability to think on their feet.
Writer
Technical Director
The Technical Director is responsible for co-ordinating all technical aspects of the production, up to and including running the get-in and get-out for the show. This will include liaising with the theatre to ensure that everything is being planned in accordance with the theatre's rules, and that all necessary paperwork and risk assessments are completed.
Generally a show at ADC Theatre, especially the mainshow, will have a Technical Director. However, most shows at corpus playroom don't need a Technical Director. It's helpful to have a Master Carpenter for shows with a huge set to help building the set, or to have many set builders and set painters involved casually.
Stage Manager
The Stage Manager is responsible for co-ordinating scene changes and other technical effects that are controlled from the stage during all performances. On complex shows they may have any number of Assistant Stage Managers and a large team of Stage Crew who will actually execute the scene changes and effects, and the Stage Manager should plan not be doing anything themselves, but just to oversee this team of people, ready to step in should anything go wrong. On smaller shows, it may be appropriate for the Stage Manager to do some or all of this work themselves.
Large shows such as Panto and LTM may have Head of Props to help sourcing the props so that the Stage Manager can focus on risk assessment and the fluent running of the show
Deputy Stage Manager
The Deputy Stage Manager will sit at the stage manager's desk during the show (and technical and dress rehearsals), following the script and calling every technical cue, ensuring that all other crew members perform the correct technical effects at the correct time, and that effects only happen if it is safe to do so. Shows at Corpus Playroom don't need a deputy stage manager in most cases.
Lighting Designer
Theatre lighting is a tricky art: you need to make an impact while at the same time not overwhelming the action. Lighting Designers work with directors to create a design which is in keeping with the artistic direction of the show. Lighting designers are often assisted by Chief Electrician and Production Electrician whose job it is to make sure that the technical aspects of the lighting design work, such as making sure that lighting changes are programmed into the desk.
Some shows may also have Lighting Operator involved as a separate role to sit at the lighting desk and operate the lighting changes every performance.
Sound Designer
'Sound Designers are responsible for all the sound effects in plays. In musicals this job also includes organising all the mics for the cast and the band and creating the perfect mix. They are often assisted by Mic Runner who organise the care and distribution of fragile face microphones and make sure that they work through every performance.
Set Designer
The set designer is one of the most exciting and creative roles Cambridge theatre has to offer. The set designer’s role is to work with the director and the technical director to turn a vision into a design. The sky really is the limit (even on a relatively low budget). There are so many opportunities to get involved with set design, from the lead role, to assisting, to helping out with painting. You absolutely do not need any prior experience and you will always be part of a production team that will support you along the way.
For ADC mainshow, Technical Director and Set Designer usually split up the job of building the set. For corpus playroom shows and shows at other venue, the Set Designer will be in charge of actually building the set.
Publicity Designer
The Publicity Designer is responsible for designing the poster, flyer and Facebook cover photo, editing the Headshots for a show. For ADC mainshow, the Publicity Designer also design the programme if there's no Programme Designer as a separate role.
Photographer
Every show needs a production photographer. The photos they take form the core of a good publicity campaign: most people want to know what a show will look like before they buy a ticket. Production photographers take photos of rehearsals for release in the weeks before a show, they take headshots of the cast and crew for Facebook, and they take photos of the dress run for use in review articles.
Crew
The crew refers to people generally involved in the production but don't have a specific role. They usually come to the get in to help other members of the production.