With the major productions of each school year, (Competition shows, musicals, and plays), the work isn’t just the director giving the cast directions of their roles and then giving the techies the blueprints of the set, and badaboom we have a show. No way. There is so much more work that goes into that! Stage managing, costume design, hair & makeup design, props design, painting, and set dressing. Each year, any student could sign up to become a production manager for one of the productions mentioned above! A great opportunity to collaborate with other designers and minion techies to dabble in different jobs!

Production Manager Positions:

•Stage Manager

o Co-Manager 1

o Co-Manager 2

•Costume Designer

o Lead Costume Designer

o Assistant Costume Designer (Musical & Winter Play only)

•Hair & Makeup

•Props Designer

•Paint Master (Musical & Winter Play only)

•Set Dresser

o Set Dresser 1 (Musical & Winter Play only)

o Set Dresser 2 (Musical only)

Stage Manager –

To describe it briefly, a Stage Manager (SM) in a high school theatre serves as the director’s extra hand. They stick around from the beginning of auditions, all the way to closing night likely calling cues or running tech depending on the show. Stage Managers serve as the tie of communication between the crew & designers, and the director & cast. They track the cast’s blocking, ensuring that it remains accurate, and they keep track of their lines. Stage managers also keep track of technical requirements, and designer requirements from given circumstances from the show’s script. They also maintain the stage, set, and tech booths as needed.

Each show requires two Stage Managers.

Costume Designer –

A Costume Designer in a high school theatre setting works extremely hard to research and find time-accurate and practical costume pieces. Costumers typically use sketches and collages to record their research. Costume designers and other production managers will have to collaborate to prevent technical errors (Ex. Costume designer checks with paint master to ensure an actress in a blue dress doesn’t disappear in front of a blue-painted wall and blue lights). They also fit costumes on cast members and adjust if required.

Musicals and Winter Plays require two costumers, but competition pieces only need one.

Hair & Makeup –

This kind of designer researches different techniques used in theatrical hair & makeup to ensure it is visible to the audience, age-accurate, and may do some basic special effects makeup (SFX), but they also maintain the needed products (makeup, pins, sponges, etc.) for the cast’s use. They teach the cast how to do their hair & makeup for their roles and assist them as needed.

Each show requires one Hair & Makeup designer.

Props Designer –

Besides designing and producing research, Prop designers oversee searching for useful items in our prop inventories (potentially making some alterations), searching for props online, and even prop materials to make simple props (Scroll, paper rain, etc.). Props get a lot of wear throughout shows, so maintenance and repairs will be needed, especially in musicals.

Each show requires one Props designer.

Paint Master –

A Paint Master in a high school theatre figures out a color palate they want to use for the set of a show taking their own research and discussions with other designers into consideration to ensure they don’t run into coloring issues (especially common with paint & lights). This designer learns different painting techniques to emulate different materials (stone, wood, carpet, etc.).

Musicals and Winter Plays require one Paint Master.

Set Dresser –

A Set Dresser’s job is to spruce up the set and, in specific terms, decorate it. The set is their blank canvas, and set dressing is what brings the set to life. They search the prop facilities to find anything of use. Just like props, alterations are likely to happen to make the set feel like a real setting instead of something built for a high school theatrical production.

Musicals may require two Set Dressers, but Winter Plays need one.

If the prospect of getting overloaded with work scares you, don’t worry. With the existence of multiple Stage Tech classes, minions from those classes will highly likely be assigned to help with your work if you require any help.