Theatre jobs booklet

1.  Usher
 Director
 Runner
 Producer
 Light technician
 Sound technician
 Stage manager
 Assistant stage manager
 Costume designer
 Set designer
 Marketing manager
 Actor
 Swing
 Musician
 Crew
 Security
 Writer
 Light + sound designer
 Bartender
 Ticket checking
 Choreographer
 Conductor
Introduction
For this piece of course work, we were tasked with researching jobs within theatre, using a lot of in-depth
information. The following project includes three different roles. These are Actor, Marketing manager and
Director.
Logbook of job descriptions
Marketing manager
What their role entails:
 “putting together estimates and budgets for marketing campaigns”. You need a decent
understanding of the business of a theatre production
 Preparing sales and advertisement contract
 Contact advertisement agencies1
 Directing social media opportunities. This would be important to reach an online audience, to
make more people aware of an upcoming show
 Using several techniques to promote the theatre production (video, poster). Also reaches further
audiences
Person specification
 Artistic
 Enterprising
 Spontaneous
1www.careerexplorer.com/careers/marketing-manager

2.  Outgoing
 Gregarious
 Adaptable
Actor
What their role entails:
 Learning scripts. As an actor, you must have the ability to read and understand scripts provided,
with the capability of performing it
 Being able to provide ideas, either in rehearsals or suggest changes to a devised script
 Act on a stage in front of however many people
 Turning up to rehearsals prepared
 In many circumstances, the actor must get physically prepared for a role or change their
appearance in some form to fit a character (E.G changing hairstyle)
 Travel around to perform in different places
 Audition for different roles
 Work with a cast or follow directions by the directing
 Photoshoots or adverts to market the film
 In some cases, sing or dance
Person specification
 Cooperative
 Supportive
 Dedicated
 Spontaneous
 Outgoing
 Creative
 Adaptable
Director
What their role entails:
 Turn up to rehearsals to direct the cast. This can include one on one classes, or blocking scenes
 Work alongside the sound/light technicians in designing their section of the performance
 Work with the costume/set designers in preparation for the performance
 Lead a read through at the start of rehearsals
 The director should produce the creative vision of a performance
 The director is expected to cast a performance. S/he will lead auditions and then pick a cast from
there
 In charge of directing assistant stage managers cues
Person specification
 Cooperative
 Supportive
 Dedicated
 Spontaneous
 Outgoing
 Creative
 Adaptable

3.  Unique
 Enthusiastic
 Motivated
 Organisation skills
Profile of a Director
Theatre Director
A theatre director is responsible for providing the creative concept behind a performance, along with
directing the cast to perform the director's idea. The director’s job is vital as without it, there would be
no performance. Along with directing the cast and producing the creative idea, the director leads
rehearsals, works with the sound and lighting technicians to create the perfect atmosphere. They also
work alongside the costume and set designers, as the stage must be organised to fit the director’s
creative concept. The director is responsible for contacting everyone necessary, as the aim is to
produce the director’s vision.
Often, a director will come up with an idea, and contact the right people to make it happen. There are
also occasions where an idea will be shared with a director and the production will be carried out from
there. This can be in the form of a text/script; however, the director must put his own. unique spin on
it, or at least an aim to make it different than other previous productions. They direct the actors,
offering guidance on character interpretation and dictating the pace, flow and subtlety of their
performance.2
To become a theatre director, you do not need a specific degree or qualification, however studying a
degree, foundation degree or a higher national diploma in a subject related to drama, then that will
give you higher chances of becoming a theatre director.
As a theatre director, it is unlikely you will experience a standard day, working from 9-5. You must be
available to work late evenings, early mornings or even national holidays. As there are many people
contributing to a production, you must organise meeting points to include as many people as
possible. The director brings the energy to a rehearsal therefore no matter what time or day it is, the
director must contribute all their effort into it. Directors also travel with the cast, therefore must be
available to do so.
2 https://www.allaboutcareers.com/careers/job-profile/theatre-director

4. Typically, a theatre director will work on a production-by-production basis.3
Advantages of a theatre director
 Able to travel to new places along with the cast
 Create an idea/vision that they came up with
 Able to meet different people
Disadvantages of a theatre director
 Might work unexpected hours, and must be spontaneous
 Starting salary can be low
 Might work with casts that struggle to understand your creative vision
4
3 https://www.allaboutcareers.com/careers/job-profile/theatre-director
4 https://culture.pl/en/article/from-vyrypaev-to-wilson-foreign-theatre-directors-on-polish-stages

5. 5
Actor
An actor is responsible for producing a w ellthought out performance, demonstrating the director's vision. As an actor, you must
learn scripts, turn up to rehearsals, do you ow n personalresearch, audition and travelaround to performin different theatres. Once
casted for a role, you are also expected to provide your ow n ideas for the production, along w ith working with the director.
Often you might not be granted a big role in a production on your first attempt at an audition. This could be due to nerves, or the
director not being interested in an actor w ith little experience. The most common degree held by actors is Drama, held by 17% of
actors. Other common degrees include Acting, and Drama and Theatre Arts.6 Most actors have some formof education, how ever
45% of them do not. It depends how far you want to go in the industry, as you are likely to go further w ith a better education.
The salaries can vary for actors. According to sources, many actors earning smaller amounts only spend around 20% of their time
w orking. This means that a lot of the time, they must find another means of generating income. According to the Independent
Theatre Council, the minimum pay rates for a theatre director are: £1,305 per w eekfor a full-length play, £903 per w eekfor a short
play and £485 per w eekfor a resident or artistic director.7
Apparently, the upw ard mobility of the subject is below average, the stress levelis below average, and the flexibility is above
average. This means if you are intending to w orkother hours, becoming an actor is beneficial.8
Advantages of becoming an actor
 Flexible hours
 Travel around performing in different productions
 Send messages to different audiences
 Work w ith new people
 There is no limit to how many auditions you are allow ed, therefore howevermuch you w ant to workis up to you
Disadvantages of becoming an actor
 You might need to turn up at unexpected hours
 When close to a performance, the w orkload is a lot more
 Might not cooperate perfectly with anyone in the cast
5 https://culture.pl/en/article/from-vyrypaev-to-wilson-foreign-theatre-directors-on-polish-stages
6 https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/actor/education/
7 https://www.allaboutcareers.com/careers/job-profile/theatre-director
8 https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/actor

6. 9
MarketingManager
A marketing manager is tasked w ith managing the advertisement team, in order to promote a production or a theatre company
as w ellas possible. This could include posting on socialmedia, creating other forms of media like videos or posters. They also
take care of the marketing budget to make sure business is being done properly and efficiently. They must look after any
contracting done w ith other advertisement agencies, or even sponsors.
To become a marketing manager, you alw ays need either a degree in marketing or business administration. This is because
you are involved w ith looking over the company’s budget, therefore you must have know ledge of the industry to understand the
best w ay of dealing w ith it. At minimum, you need a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s degree is often preferred.
Currently, there is a 9% grow th on the occupation. To performw ell, you need strong communication, sales, presentation,
management, and leadership skills; goal-oriented, flexible, and creative under pressure; knowledge of current marketing trends
and multimedia platforms; strong budgeting, Internet, and computer skills.10
The satisfaction seems to be relatively low for a marketing manager. This may be because the majority of w orkdone by this
style of job is behind a desk, therefore less excitement in comparison to the other jobs I am interested in. Apparently, the
occupation does not require an unbelievable amount of know ledge and intelligence.11
The bottom 20% of marketing managers earn $52,109 annually. These are likely to be w orking for a smaller theatre company
or be relatively new to their job. The top 20% of marketing managers earn $192,661. These w illbe managing large companies
and have likely been w orking w ithin the industry for many years, causing themto be w ellexperiences.
9 https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/2017/mat-fraser-all-theatres-should-cast-at-least-one-disabled-actor-a-
year/
10https://study.com/articles/Marketing_Manager_Career_Information_and_Requirements_for_Becoming_a_Mark
eting_Manager.html
11 https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/marketing-manager/demographics/

7. 12
Advantages of being a marketing manager
 High annual pay
 Allows you to explore creativity through advertisement
 Can have flexible hours (depending on when a production is being released)
Disadvantages of being a marketing manager
 Low satisfaction rate
 Could be tedious after sitting at a desk
12 https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/marketing-manager/demographics/