Management & Marketing

Careers in the Offices

Non-Profit Theatre

• Mission Statement– Work must fit within mission

• Tax Exempt Status (fed then state)

• Board

• Does not mean no profit

• Fundraising includes individual, corporate, grants, government, crowdsourcing

• Charitable Status

Non-Profit Theatre Jobs

• Managing Director/General Manager• Company Manager• Education• Marketing• Fundraising/Development• Box Office• House Management• Board of Trustees

For Profit Theatre

• Goal is to make money

• Does not preclude artistic integrity

• Sometimes non-profits and for profits work together. For profits contribute money to non-profit productions with the hopes they will move.

• Difference isn’t always cut and dry

For Profit Theatre Jobs

• Producer• General Manager• Company Manager• House Manager• Ushers, Doormen• Box Office• Marketing—including press and

advertising

Management in Theater

• Management

• Marketing

• Development

• Finance, Budget, Accounting

• Education

• Box Office/House Management, Front of House Operations

• Facility/Operations Management

Levels of Management

•Managing Director

•General Manager

•Company Manager

*in larger organizations all three may exist, each with different levels of responsibility

Managing Director

• Holds position of authority and responsibility equal to the Artistic Director, directly reports to the Board of Trustees

• Shares in creation and determination of programming, scheduling, funding, hiring of artistic and production staff

• Oversees long-term goals of organization: planning of new facilities, capital campaigns, strategic initiatives

• Supervise General and Company managers; in the absence of General Manager and Company Manager, performs those tasks too

• Managing directors tend to exist at the regional non-profit theatre level

General Manager

• Create contracts and agreements

• Secure rights & negotiates royalties

• Interview and hire staff positions

• Supervise company manager, production manager, business manager/accountant, marketing director, house manager, development director, box office

• Creates annual budgets

General Manager

• Perform various Human Resource duties

• Provide a safe work environment for the staff and audience

• Maintain theatre facility

• In the absence of a Company Manager, perform all of those duties as well

• Reports to the Managing Director

Company Manager

• Manage the company: actors, technicians, crew, musicians

• Work with support agencies: press agent, publicist, advertising agency

• Provide information about housing, transportation, medical resources

• Do payroll, accounts payable (bills), arrange tickets (company seats)

Company Manager

• Comply with various theatrical unions work rules and guidelines

• In resident companies, may also serve other functions, like act as a house mgr

• On the ‘road’ (on tour), CMs work with the box office of theatre they are playing and do weekly ‘settlements’

• Compute and pay royalties to the creative team (author, director, designers)

• Company managers report typically to General Managers• Charged with fulfilling the contracts that General Manager

has executed

Development

Solicit funding from:• Individuals (memberships, legacy planning)• Corporations (money, sponsorship)• Foundations• Government Grants (National Endowment

for the Arts, e.g.)• ‘In-kind’ donations (services or goods in

lieu of monetary payment)

Finance, Budget, Accounting

• Maintain accounts and cash flow• Accounts payable (bills), accounts receivable

(people who owe you money)• Manages debt and debt structure• Payroll, reporting, tax payments, etc.• Adhere to established budget numbers• Complies with GAAP (Generally Accepted

Accounting Principles), prepares for annual audit

Education

• Community outreach

• Subsidized ticket programs

• Ancillary programming (post-show discussions, lectures, forums)

• Youth programs/theater education classes or master classes

• In-school programs

Box Office & Front of House

• Single ticket sales, group sales, subscriptions and renewals

• Report of sales figures to management

• Reconcile and deposit money to accounts

• House management: insure public safety, compliance with building codes, problem-solving at a performance, troubleshoot, crisis management

Facility/Operations Management

• Maintain facility on a daily basis: cleaning, repairs, trash removal, safety aspects, HVAC, etc.

• Identify long-term needs for the facility

• Supervise vendors who support facility (concessions, cleaning companies for example)

• Create strategy to rent/fill the facility

Types of Marketing

• Institutional– Helps “brand” a company– Helps company stand out– Creates a level of expectation– Fundraising tools

• Production– Show specific– Works with institutional marketing– Goal—audiences for a specific run

Marketing

• 4 P’s of Marketing– Product, Price, Placement, Promotion

• 4 C’s of Marketing (more niche, consumer oriented)– Consumer, Cost, Communication,

Convienence

Marketing– Everything you do to make people aware of your

company and/or show

– Advertising• Posters, Newspapers, Radio, TB, Billboards, T placards,

Flyers, Cars with tutus

– Press & Media Relations

– Sponsorship

– Audience Development

– Promotions

– Market Research

– Social Media (more than marketing)

Marketing

• Responsible for selling the organization and or ‘product’ (show)

• Create a ‘brand’ that distinguishes the organization from others.– Creating a consistent ‘look’ to all marketing

materials including logo, brochures, web sites, advertisements, posters, billboards

– Ensure that the organization’s message is consistent and adheres to the core values established

Marketing on a Budget

• Posters– Include Dates, Times, Venue, Ticket information,

websites. Do not hide the information!

• Social Media– One voice, positive. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

• Box office– Front line, representing the organization. Gathers

information (“how did you hear?”, price resistance)– More than ticket sellers

• Web site—keep current

Social Media

• Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn

• Show Up• Be careful about your message:

– If you wouldn’t say it on a loudspeaker, don’t write it down

– Tone doesn’t read– Remember, this is how people may know you

• Be your best you

Resources

• American Theatre Wing– http://americantheatrewing.org/

• Are you a fan of Emerson Stage?

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David Colfer

Emerson Stage @EmersonStage

David_Colfer@emerson.edu

Julie Hennrikus @JulieHennrikus

StageSource @StageSourceBos

jhennrikus@stagesource.org or

Julie_Hennrikus@emerson.edu