4 Theatre Management

Theatre Management

Working on the management end of theatre comes with its own challenges. Whether you are working towards this area as a career path or not, understanding what is required of those who take on so much responsibility with very little benefit is important.

Basically, when we talk about management we are referring to all those who have to oversee, supervise, coordinate and take responsibility for components of the process. This could be at the theatre company level or for a single production. Regardless the goal is to make sure the best work is done, usually with limited human resources, within a set timeframe and budget.

Activity: Think about managers you have worked with in the past (in theatre or at other jobs you’ve had). Based on this, write out a list of what you feel makes for a good manager. Do you prefer working with someone who treats you as a collaborator or someone who takes charge? Now think about whether you would be a good manager. What skills would you need to develop?

Unlike management in other sectors, theatre comes with a lot of uncertainty. You can’t say for sure how well a show will sell and how much it will earn. You have to juggle the best artistic choices with reality, realize a mission, and consider crucial aspects of representation, equity, and healthy working conditions. In other words, you need to understand both the arts world, the non-profit notion of community benefit, and the business end of things.

In the traditional non-profit model Artistic Directors and General Managers are at the top of the management chain and depending on the size of the company you may have full-time management positions in finance, human resources, as well as a production manager, a front of house manager…the list goes on. The Board also has a management role, but generally at a governance level and not the day to day business.

Power is built into the inherited structure of mainstream theatre and this power means the ability to make decisions, having access to resources, and a platform to influence others. It is a responsibility to manage without doing harm, because there is always the possibility of abuse of power. Historically, Artistic Directors and even Directors were treated as gods. Due to fear, bad behaviour by those in power was often not made public. Thankfully, this issue has been front and centre over the last decade with the #MeToo movement. Due to past harm, conflict resolution is now a part of the job. Institutions going unchecked is not okay, but finding a balance in decision-making, consultation, and still being able to get a show up on time can be a lot for mere humans who choose to lead. Also, as other models of leadership and cultural practices are introduced, due in large part to a new wave of diverse and community-minded leaders, many in leadership roles have begun thinking about how to empower others rather than maintain their own power.

Having run a theatre company and produced a festival for many years, I can attest to how hard it is. There is no end to the work, constant juggling of tasks, trying so hard to do as much as you can on a shoestring while also wanting to keep everyone feeling good about the process. Since it was a small independent company, we often could not pay what I wish we could. I was not paid for the work that I did, which is often the case for those who choose to create their own companies and for many who self-produce. Even when there is money for salaries, those on the management end are putting in a lot of hours above and beyond their pay. I say this just to remind everyone entering the theatre world to consider this reality. It’s not to say you still can’t have opinions about how well management is doing their jobs. However, knowing the workload, pressure, funding restrictions, and large number of regulations that they need to follow, some generosity and gratitude will help to create a relationship that can allow for a constructive feedback loop. It is also important to express gratitude as the theatre sector struggles to retain good managers, who can get paid more and perhaps feel greater appreciation for their work elsewhere.

A few considerations it would be good to keep in mind if you aren’t aware of the management end of the milieu:

• Due to the unstable nature of theatre and the reliance on many external factors (government funding, pandemics, and inflation to name just a few) there is a constant need for flexibility.
• Everyone on the producing end has to do some marketing and regular advocacy for theatre as an art form.
• Artistic Directors often have to take on a lot of company management, especially with smaller theatres. Yet there are no training programs for ADs despite the need for them to understand aspects of admin, human resources, marketing, and conflict resolution.
• Whenever I hired summer students or brought interns into the office workings, they were shocked by the level of administration it took to produce theatre.
• It can be hard to focus on the art when you are working so hard to just pay the bills.
• There is a lot of talk about stability and efficiency, yet most are already working at maximum allowing little time for long-term work. Taking a few hours to re-organize something would likely save a lot of time in the long run, but it’s hard if you don’t have those few hours in the moment.

In his book Theatre Management, Anthony Rhine goes into much greater detail around the theoretical side of management, including outlining the functions of management as Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. Further reading includes Henri Fayol’s principles of management. This theoretical focus can once again provoke debate around business principles being applied to theatre. It is important to recognize that Arts management is a very specific type of management.

Although not all administrative roles in theatre are management, each area does require someone to either oversee or coordinate. You need to make informed decisions, take into consideration both internal and external factors, all while trying to achieve outlined goals. Good art does generally need a level of freedom from constraints. Therefore, good managers take care of what is needed for the artists to be free to create art. This includes being a bit of a psychic, gauging what might happen in the future. With experience it is easy to start foreseeing possible challenges or opportunities.

Activity: Why would someone choose theatre administration when they could be paid more to likely do less work in the corporate world? Write out the selling points you might use to convince someone to do the important work of arts management.

Certainly those who go into arts management feel compelled to work in the arts. Perhaps for the collaborative spirit, creative nature, and opportunity to affect other human beings.

Planning

There are many types of plans and planning processes at play. Many companies will have a business plan or a strategic plan, created with the Board of Directors and staff. Often with input from community and stakeholders. Since the goal of a non-profit is serving an identified community through programming, the plan is about this aim but will also grapple with the challenging reality of needing money to pay staff and artists.

I’ve been involved in many strategic planning processes as someone managing a theatre company, but also as someone who has sat on several Boards for other non-profits. It can be a productive way to look at what you are doing and what you want to be doing. It can help to get staff and Board on the same page, particularly if there is input from community or stakeholders who see things very differently from the internal players. Often the plan will include an assessment of where you are right now. This might be a traditional SWOT analysis (exploring strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats).

SWOT ANALYSISI’ve also worked with creative facilitators who brought together an amazing group of artists, audience, volunteers, and community partners to discuss how they see the work of the organization. Then from there, a dream or vision for the future is created with specific actions that outline a process to achieve the goals. The standard used to be a 5-year strategic plan, but due to how economic and social factors are changing so quickly, many moved to a 2 or 3-year plan.

Activity: Go to the website of large theatres in your region and see if you can find their strategic plan. If this is an area of interest, there is also a lot of great information on strategic planning readily available on-line.

Unfortunately, the reality is that often times a lot of effort is put into a strategic plan (you can even get special funding to undertake the process), but once it is complete it sits on a shelf. Once you have the plan there is a need to go back to it regularly, implement the actions, assess the progress, and update it with any shifts of direction. The day to day pressure of producing and managing a theatre often results in not having the time to do this follow-up.

As always there are pros and cons to using a business model for strat plans. Regardless, managers do need to find a way to assess potential problems, regularly assess both their own work but also what is happening in an organization or on a show, and keep looking for ways to improve. The problem is that long-term planning, like so many tasks, is added on the side of a very full plate.

Ask yourself: Where do you want to work?

1. Would their Strategic Plan matter to you?
2. Would the management style of those in leadership affect your decision?

As noted, simultaneous to implementing bigger picture plans, managers deal with day to day.  They also need to be risk managers, since theatre generally requires contingency planning (a reality when so much revenue cannot be relied on year in year out and unexpected emergencies can completely derail a production). It is standard to build a contingency amount in to your budget for example.

Leadership

Managers ultimately have to take on some leadership tasks, but there are other skills needed to be a good leader. Again it is this balance between managing the now and guiding a vision that inspires everyone towards a future direction. It is about building relationships, understanding the needs of different personalities, effective delegation, and building a team who are committed to the same goal.

Activity: Describe a time when you had to take a leadership role. Were you successful? If so, why? If not, why?

Good management and good leadership can be subjective as each of us might respond differently to different styles, but in general a few things to consider that were offered by past students:

Do:

• • • • Give instructions thinking about who you are speaking to and how they receive information
      • Ensure appropriate training and resources to complete all tasks you delegate
      • Set goals and expected results as well as a timeline
      • Trust your team
      • Listen without judgement or ego
      • Empower
      • Respect

Don’t:

• • • • Criticize someone on the team in front of other team members
      • Use what power you have to serve your own agenda
      • Exclude
      • Ridicule
      • Overreact
      • Dismiss ideas, other ways of doing things, or people’s feelings

There are amazing folks out there who have been leading beautifully. Many learned from those before them and are now mentoring the next generation. This is crucial due to the special needs of management in the arts and a lack of really dedicated training programs. Most learn on the job and through experience.