Description
The Assistant Technical Director is responsible for assisting the technical director in their role. Specific duties and tasks will be decided based on the abilities of the assistant and the needs of the show. What follows is a generalized list of responsibilities.
Expectations
- Meet with the technical director so that you fully understand the rules, regulations, and protocol to follow during the build of your show. This is an important step to ensure everyone’s safety.
- Meet with the technical director to receive and discuss designer drawings, budget information, and any other special considerations that your show or the shop may need.
- Attend all production meetings. Meet with the technical director before each meeting to discuss progress and challenges.
- Attend the design presentation. This will help you understand the scope of the project as you build.
- Assist in working through the drawings and help create a scenic component breakdown. After you have isolated the components of the show assist the technical director in compiling a list of all materials.
- Meet with the technical director, paint charge, and props master and discuss building a schedule. This schedule will include scenery or properties start, finish, paint, and complete dates. This schedule should only include properties that will need shop assistants to accomplish. It is important that all shops are on the same page and continue to communicate as things often get behind and sometimes get ahead.
- Assist the technical director in creating a build and load in schedule.
- Review working drawings with the technical director and verify that individual projects are ready to be started.
- Before each work shift begins, coordinate with the technical director distribution of shop labor and job assignments. Make sure that team leaders understand and are building to working drawings. Oversee work teams during the workday.
- Coordinate with all production team members to discuss potential challenges associated with the build and load-in. Remember that unlike many other theaters, the Valborg and I.G. Greer are used as classrooms and rehearsal spaces each day, and as such the theaters and scene shop must be “hardware-proof” at the end of each workday.
- Assist with build and load in. Remember to remain flexible, as things will come up, and do not get frustrated.
- Attend crew watch night (usually the Thursday before the first tech rehearsal) with the technical director to perform a walk-through with stage management and the cast. During this walk–through you will give them the “cans and can nots” of the set. Be specific and point out everything they should watch for.
- Attend ALL tech and dress rehearsals, and assist in taking specific and detailed notes during the rehearsal. Stay close to the technical director.
- At the end of each tech rehearsal there will be a production meeting to discuss the needs of every department. This will allow the production team to gauge the schedule for the next workday. Record the schedule that is decided.
- After this meeting, attend the meeting between the scenic designer and technical director to verify notes and then prioritize. Remember all actor impedance and safety notes must go to the top of the list. Ensure that they are organized in a way that you can take care of the designer’s priorities as well.
- Discuss the next workday with the technical director.
- Discuss notes for the next workday with the departmental technical director. Take time to discuss every note in detail so that it may be accomplished during the limited workday. Be specific.
- Once the build is complete, meet with the technical director to discuss strike. Decide what will be saved and what will be thrown away, along with specific storage needs.
- Assist the technical director in meeting with production team members to create a strike schedule that will allow for everyone’s needs. Depending on the production calendar you may need to include members of the next production as well.
- Assist in supervising the strike of the set. Strike is complete once the technical director approves the space.
Online application for this position.