Olivia's Corner - All About Production: Management
Hi everyone! Welcome to Olivia’s Corner! Olivia’s Corner is a short series that showcases student life at Performance at The Creative School through the eyes of students. If you are interested in attending the school, looking for more information about the school or just interested in getting to know more about the school be sure to check out Olivia’s Corner.
This week I am writing about a section of production that is my point of interest which is all about management in the Performance Production program here at Performance at The Creative School. Now and even in my pre-Performance School days management has been my main focus and main interest. I enjoy everything about organization and leadership which are two focuses within management roles in the live entertainment industry.
In the first two years of the Performance Production program everyone gets to try a little bit of everything from each department in live entertainment including (but not limited to) set construction, set design, costume, lighting, sound and of course management. In my first year I was so excited for the management class because I knew that is where I would thrive. This class was taught by none other than Mitchell Marcus the founder and CEO of Musical Stage Company (external link) . It was a great experience to be taught my Mitchell Marcus and to hear his stories about the industry. In the first year management class we learned about overall company management and some of the skills and different jobs that someone in that role would do. In my first year we also had a stage management class taught by another industry professional Crystal Salverda. Stage management is the department that I worked on recreationally before coming to the school so it was awesome to learn what professional stage managers do.
One of my favourite parts about Performance at The Creative School is that students get to learn from industry professionals not only in management classes but other Performance run classes. I think that one of the best ways to learn is to be taught by people who have done that role before and can provide first hand knowledge about the industry. Over my time here at the school I have learned from so many different and amazing professionals and I am grateful that I was able to be taught by them.
I have also taken on some management positions at the school for some of the shows that we have put on. Each semester Production students will get placed on what is called “show call” by staff. Show call is a part of the core THP courses and it is graded. Students take on many different roles during show call such as Production Manager, Lighting Technician, Head of Audio and more. The roles I have taken on include Assistant Stage Manager for Dances 2019, Production Manager for Untamed this past Fall 2021 semester and Co Head of the Design Department for the 2021 Mass Exodus Fashion Show. This hands on experience of getting to work on a show I feel is another amazing way to learn about the industry. I was able to use what I have learned in my classes as well as learn new things from guest artists and Performance staff. Show Call also provides students with experience in roles so that they can feel prepared when they are applying to jobs within the industry.
Overall there is so much to learn and explore in the Performance Production program at Performance at The Creative School even if management is not what you are interested in there are so many opportunities for you here.
Until next time.
-Olivia