So what exactly is it you do?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

‘So what exactly do you do?’ Rukus asked me on Friday night. It’s not the first time that someone has tried to figure it out. As well as mentoring Rukus on My Place Or Yours, I am Associate Producer at the National Theatre of Scotland. The role of the producer is pretty mysterious – and I promise that it is not because we don’t actually do anything. It’s because we do lots of things (or get other people to do them!). Theatre producing obviously differs hugely from television, radio and film so I won’t go into that. The main difference is that theatre producers get paid a lot less.

The title ‘producer’ is used quite widely at the moment, from working as a general manager to artistic director of a venue, like at the Arches, Glasgow or the Battersea Arts Centre, London. Fundamentally, the role of the producer is to facilitate good artistic practise and process. A good producer can play all of the following roles:

The Matchmaker
This is when a producer brings together, artists, designers, actors and so on. They know who will work well together, and who will be able to support and challenge the project further. They will be able to see where the project is lacking in structure, and can suggest the input of a choreographer or a writer for instance.

The Flirt
The most talented producers I know are charmers. They are brilliant at getting stakeholders attached to their projects, wheedling money from them and getting venues and other producers to like them. They also know how to get things for free, and know everyone on the circuit.

The Accountant
Producers can usually add up very fast. I’m pretty weak on this front. They can usually do crazy stuff on excel and this allows them to tell people off for going over budget. Also, if there’s money left over they can make the most of the resources to hand.

The Outside Eye
The good producer can walk into a rehearsal run and be able to spot the cracks in the plot. They can pick up on whether the sound and the lights aren’t working for the piece. They can tell the director if the piece is too long or short, and help the director to reach their deadline.

The Project Manager
The producer has planned the deadlines. They are responsible for putting them into place. It’s their job to ensure that everyone is clear about what needs to happen and are communicating with each other to get the information that they need. That all of the merchandise, fliers, posters, marketing campaign, press campaign is suitable for the show. And crucially, that everyone is working to budget.

The Provocateur
The ultimate producer knows how to provoke and facilitate artistic practise. What I mean is that whilst creating a ‘safe’ working environment for their artists, they are constantly questioning and challenging them when it is appropriate. They allow artists to take risk but also know when to reign them in. The artist should be able to trust a producer to listen to their ideas and to be able to bounce off them. An astute producer knows instinctively when to step in, and when to back off.

The Referee
Occasionally there are theatre fights. These can be detrimental to the project. The producer needs to make sure everyone is cool. That if the 1 star review comes in that the company aren’t going to fall apart. That when a name gets misprinted that people don’t start yelling. This is when their charm comes in handy.

The Oracle
The most brilliant producers I know, and now I’ll have to name check them, Kate McGrath (Fuel), Neil Murray (NTS), Geraldine Collinge (Apples & Snakes), seem to know everything. They know every play, show, designer and director. Every piece of music, every film reference, everything on the news, and they feed all of this information through to add spark and layers to work. I’m still working on this.

I hope this answers your question Rukus!

I’m sure that there elements that I’ve missed out. Do comment and add to this very simple guide.

Angie

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ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Angie Bual

I'm living in Glasgow, working at the National Theatre of Scotland as Associate Producer. I used to work at Apples & Snakes before moving to the Lyric Hammersmith where I worked with people like Charlie Dark and Lemn Sissay as well as with some physical and devised companies. The lowest point of my career to date is breaking my thumb whilst trying to breakdance (Molly Naylor's fault)

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Charlie
August 11th, 2009

Knackering just reading all this! Good question from Rukus – and now I know. Hope you enjoyed the rest of the Chill, see you soon:)x

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Tony Walsh
August 11th, 2009

Hi Angie

It was nice to see you (albeit it briefly!) at The Big Chill. Hope you enjoyed it? And have now recovered?

Thanks for this post – really interesting.

I wonder what you’ve studied for this type of role? What has been your career path? Where have you learned the most?

And what do you think of (some) poetry morphing into “live literature” and being staged in more theatrical spaces?

Cheers

Tony

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Angie Bual
August 12th, 2009

Hi Tony – big questions. The quick answer is that I love morphing. I’m really intrigued by cross art form. I’m also keen to question who gets to make theatre, and what we consider theatre to be. I think that any artist who works for an immediate audience in a live setting is a theatre maker. They can be painters, film makers, computer programmers and even poets! It’s the live context that is the underlying factor or ‘rule’ that I would use to distinguish it.

With regards to the career path, I think that the best way to learn how to produce is on the job. I studied creative writing and got involved with the spoken word scene, and then started to assistant produce on lots of theatre shows. I worked for a venue (Lyric Hammersmith) for a couple of years which gave me a wealth of experience, including of programming and producing for lots of theatre companies. It was a perfect place to get lots of knowledge. And, as I said, I’m still learning.

Good to see you too by the way – you went down really well! x

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Nick Hennegan
August 12th, 2009

I know it sounds like a bit of a plug, but this post and the replies is why I set up a one day seminar called ‘An Introduction to Creative Producing’. When I started in 1994 there was NO help available and very litlle internet! So these one day workshops are aimed at how I was. There is, sadly, a charge, but its really just to cover expenses. Find our more at http://www.mavericktheatre.co.uk/107015.html and if you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch.

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Angie Bual
August 12th, 2009

Hi Nick

Thanks for this. I looked at your site. Just wondered what you think the difference is between a creative and a ‘normal’ producer? It mentions this is part of the course, but I didn’t really know that there was one.

Angie

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Nick Hennegan Reply:
August 13th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Hi Angie,
Thanks for checking out the site. ‘Creative’ Producer is a term that has come about over the last few years. I’m just finishing an MA in Creative Producing for Theatre and Live Performance at Birkbeck in London and one of the course tutors, Julius Green, producer with Bill Kenwright, dislikes the term Creative Producer and rightly points out that by definition every Producer has to be creative. The act of producing is a creative act. But the term or title Creative Producer seems to have its roots in the funding system. There are now Creative Producers running subsidised operations in place of the traditional Artistic Director. Then you get people like David Lan at the Young Vic who, like me, came from a background of writing and directing and although officially the Artistic Director (and CEO) describes himself as a Producer. I’m sure you’ve seen http://www.the-producers.org/. I hope you’re having a good time with NTOS. Lucky you! Please give my bestest to Neil Murray.

Nick.

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annamaria
August 13th, 2009

a producer makes it happen!
annamaria

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