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Production

PRODUCTION APPRENTICESHIPS

Through KIDSTAGE productions, TAP provides training for young people in a professional theatre environment. This is an excellent opportunity for students ready to expand their skills and understanding of the theatrical process by working with a professional production team.

This training can lead to future education and careers in:
Management: Stage management, production management, and technical direction
Direction: Direction, choreography, and musical direction
Design: Sets, lights, sound, costumes, and props
Technical Theatre: Carpentry, painting, prop construction, costume construction, electrics, audio, and running crew.

Tuition: Varies by location and production.

Openings exist for Entry, Intermediate, and Senior Apprentice Positions, depending on location and production.
See our Get Involved Page for more information.

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Production: Management

Stage Management: Stage Managers are responsible for coordinating all aspects of rehearsals and performances. They organize people and paperwork, take general, blocking and line notes during rehearsals, help organize costume fittings, prop lists, and other pertinent show data and run both rehearsals and performances. Stage managers are highly organized, leaders, detail oriented, proficient with Microsoft Office, and calm under pressure.

Production Management: Production Managers oversee the entire production from hiring of the production team to striking the show. They collect and gather important paperwork, run production meetings, coordinate parent and student volunteers, organize and distribute marketing materials, and assist with flow of communication between production team members. Production managers are highly organized, knowledgeable about a wide range of theatre disciplines, proficient with Microsoft Office, and capable of seeing the big picture without missing the details.

Technical Director: Technical Directors coordinate the design team and technical staff to achieve artistic goals on time and on budget. They work with carpenters, painters, and designers to execute a scenic design, create detailed technical drawings of scenery in Autocad, oversee a scenic materials budget, and help engineer scenery. Technical directors are attentive to detail, knowledgeable about all areas of technical theatre, capable schedulers, strong negotiators, and like to work with a variety of people.

Production: Direction

Direction: Directors are responsible for the artistic rendering of the show. They collaborate with the artistic team and designers to tell a cohesive story. They create stage pictures, do dramaturgical research, communicate their concept to visual designers, and coach actors in scenes. Directors are creative, patient, team players, skilled compromisers, and natural leaders.

Choreography: Choreographers create the dance and movement to tell the story of the show. They create original choreography, teach and notate dance steps and formations, clean dance combinations, teach students techniques and dance steps, and run daily fitness conditioning warm-ups with actors. Choreographers are experienced dancers, patient teachers, clear communicators, and able to visualize stage pictures and movement.

Music Direction: Music Directors are responsible for the musical rendering of the show, by integrating vocal and orchestral elements into a production. They manage both singers and musicians, working with performers to teach/rehearse music, harmonies, parts, and to clean vocal and orchestral performances. Music directors are knowledgeable about vocal technique and instrumentation, patient teachers, clear communicators, natural leaders, and able to balance the needs of vocalists and instrumentalists.

Production: Design

Designers work collaboratively with the director and each other to fulfill the vision/concept of the production through their own particular areas.

Scenic: Scenic Designers fulfill the vision or concept of the production both conceptually and physically. They create an exciting, safe, and visually interesting performance space for the show. They generate a floor plan, front and rear elevations, color renderings, a 3-D model, and collaborate with the technical director to produce the final set. Scenic designers are visual communicators, good at spatial relationships, collaborative, and enjoy interpreting the director’s concept visually.

Lighting: Lighting Designers use different lighting instruments and colors of light to appropriately illuminate the performance space. They mimic different lighting conditions (daylight, nighttime, indoors, outdoors, etc.), as well as enhance the mood of a scene. They also create a light plot, hang and focus instruments, and program cues. Lighting designers are collaborators, understand appropriate use of color and angles of light, and are adept at programming a light board.

Audio: Sound Designers work collaboratively with the director, music director and other designers to create the way the show sounds. They oversee the audio dynamics of the performance space, microphone and speaker placement, balancing levels of all sound sources for all areas of the audience, cabling, and pulling/creating environmental sound effects. They run the soundboard during sound checks and performances. Sound designers are collaborative, inventive, proactive, able to process opinions and feedback from multiple listeners, multi-taskers, and have a good ear.

Costumes: Costume Designers create costumes befitting the characters, story, and actor needs. They produce sketches and color renderings of designs, as well as choose appropriate fabrics for the performance space and actor movement used in the show. They build, pull, or requisition costume pieces, including shoes and accessories. Costume designers are experienced sewers, attentive to detail, visual communicators, collaborative, enjoy working with and leading a team, and enjoy interpreting the director’s concept in clothing.

Properties: Propmasters create handheld props and furniture that complete the performance space and the actor’s performance. They research different environments (time periods or fantastical places), and different construction techniques, to produce items that appear authentic, can stand up to performance use, and help inform the overall story. Propmasters are attentive to detail, collaborative, inventive, resourceful, and persistent.

Production: Technical Theatre

Lighting Technician: Electricians hang, circuit, and focus lights. Sometimes, depending on the show needs, they also operate spotlights or work as light crew during the run of a show. Electricians are comfortable with ladders/heights and electricity, able to follow instructions and cues, and attentive to detail.

Carpenter: Carpenters build and install scenery from detailed technical drawings. Depending on design, duties may include basic rigging, welding, and other advanced carpentry techniques. Carpenters and stage hands ensure the safe and efficient operation of scenery and properties back-stage during performance, operating motors, and counter-weight fly systems. Carpenters follow directions well, are motivated, and have a working knowledge of power tools.

Scenic Painter: Scenic Artists mix colors, use a grid to layout artwork, and utilize different paint techniques. They use and maintain various types of brushes, rollers, sprayers, and other paint equipment to accurately draw and paint from designer renderings and/or model pieces. Scenic artists are attentive to detail, capable artists, good with their hands, and enjoy meticulous tasks.

Costume Assistant: Costume Assistants take a design from concept drawings to finished product by borrowing, pulling pieces from stock, or constructing new garments. Depending on production needs, they will often assist with actor measurements and fittings, organize and track costumes for a full cast, and could potentially work as wardrobe/dressing crew during the run of a show. Costume assistants are calm individuals who are attentive to detail, organized, and know how to sew.

Properties Assistant: Prop crew are master craftspeople. They fill the performance space with period appropriate hand-held props, furniture, and other scenic dressing. Depending on production needs, they may assist with shopping, borrowing, pulling from stock, constructing new pieces, organizing and tracking, and could potentially work as props crew during the run of a show. Properties assistants are organized, creative, attentive to detail, and enjoy a variety of crafts.

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