This section documents some of the common positions held in Walterdale productions. Not all of these positions will be in every production and some productions will have additional, specialized roles to suit their unique needs. It is also worth noting that a production member may fill more than one of these roles in a production (e.g. Set Designer acting as Master Builder or Master Painter, Costume Designer acting as Costume Supervisor, Running Crew acting as Dresser).
Directing and Performance
Director
Interprets the production and stages the play; determines the style of production and the nature of the rehearsal process; charged with approval of all major aesthetic decisions; collaborates with playwright and all designers.
Assistant Director
Assists Director in his or her duties, including scheduling, research, rehearsals, casting.
Choreographer, Movement Coach, or Fight Choreographer
Stages the movements of actors and dancers; composes dances to advance a storyline, interpret emotion, and enliven a production; serves as advisor for period and style dance, movement, and gesture; choreographs stage combat sequences and teaches sequences to actors; considered a collaborator with the Director.
Vocal Coach
Assists actors in developing personal and company warm-ups, dialects, and vocal production and speech problems.
Design
Set Designer
Interprets the production and designs the physical visual elements of both stage and settings; collaborates with Director and other designers.
Costume Designer
Interprets the production and designs the clothing worn by actors; collaborates with Director and other designers.
Lighting Designer
Interprets the production and designs the lighting; collaborates with Director and other designers; prepares and records all lighting cues.
Sound Designer
Interprets the production and designs all sound including live and taped effects and recorded music; collaborates with Director and other designers; prepares and records all sound effects and musical cues.
Properties Designer
Interprets the production and designs properties; works in close collaboration with Set Designer; collaborates with Director and other designers.
Production and Stage Management
Production Manager
Co-ordinates all production activities throughout a production season; co-ordinates activities of all Stage Managers; involved in all scheduling and staffing; oversees production financials.
Stage Manager
Liaises among all departments of a production; responsible for scheduling, information exchange, and the smooth operation of all rehearsals; calls cues in dress rehearsals and performances; oversees technical crew on the production; collaborates closely with Director.
Assistant Stage Manager
Assists Stage Manager; often assigned to specific responsibilities such as preparation of rehearsal rooms, prompting, rehearsal properties, etc.
Media Liaison
Co-ordinates all publicity and media for the production, including arranging media nights and complimentary tickets for media.
Technical Departments
Technical Director
Responsible for co-ordination of all technical areas; efficiency expert on the technical elements of running a production; acts as resource for technical knowledge and expertise. This is a Board of Directors position at Walterdale, rather than a production person for each show.
Technical Advisor
Every show or event at Walterdale will have a Technical Advisor. This person is a member of the technical department who will oversee all technical and stage safety aspects of the show as well as work with the team to ensure all of the technical requirements of the show are met.
The Technical Advisor needs to review and/or bring forward set designs to the Technical Director to ensure the sets conform to Walterdale spacing and safety standards (documented in the Technical Director’s guide). If a set design is deemed unsafe for the cast, crew or audience, the advisor and/or the Technical Director may require changes to bring the set into proper accordance.
Hint: Try to get the advisor into your early set design meetings so they are able to make these observations before a set design gets too far along.
Costume Supervisor
Oversees the building and/or acquisition of all costumes; supervises the operation of the wardrobe; orders all costume materials; maintains costumes throughout the production period.
Properties Master
Area Head in charge of the purchasing, borrowing, and building of all properties.
Master Builder/Carpenter
Area Head in charge of the building of all scenic elements; responsible for ordering building materials and maintaining the shop during production; oversees builders and carpenters.
Master Painter
Area Head in charge of the painting of all scenic elements; responsible for securing paint and painting equipment and materials; oversees set painters.
Builder/Carpenter
Involved in the construction of scenic elements.
Set Painter
Assists in the painting and finishing of all scenic elements.
Lighting Board Operator
Runs the lighting control board during Technical Week and performance.
Sound Operator
Operates the sound console and all reproduction equipment during Technical Week and performance.
Running Crew
Assists in production elements during the running of the show in Technical Week and performance, including set changes, properties tracking, etc.
Dresser
Assists actors in quick or involved costume changes during Technical Week and performance.
Front-of-House
Front-of-House Manager
In charge of the operation of the audience areas of all performances; responsible for the comfort and safety of the audience; co-ordinates performance timing with the production Stage Manager; evacuates the audience in case of an emergency.
Box Office Manager
In charge of ticket tracking and sales at the door, prior to performance.
Coffee Bar Server
Serves customers beverages at the coffee bar. Required to have ProServe certification to serve alcohol as of January 2010.
Usher
Seats audience members, takes ticket stubs and maintains order. Often these duties are performed by the Front-of-House Manager and a Coffee Bar Server.