A theater company's organizational structure has foundations in its how it approaches its art.
A theater company must be organized before a play can make it into an actor's eager hands. The organizational structure of a theater company depends on the company's approach to crafting the production. However, most theater companies have similar structural foundations.
Features
Features of a theater company include an artistic director, who represents the vision of the company while the executive director manages the business end of the company. A theater company must have a board of directors to be recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The ensemble is the core group of actors who work with the company. The company may also have a managing director who organizes finances.
Function
A production usually begins in the imagination of the artistic director. The artistic director reads a play and wants to produce it. The play is brought to the executive director and the board of directors, or for smaller theaters the entire company. The artistic director and managing director choose a time frame for the production and start scheduling auditions, production meetings, rehearsals and performances. The executive director and managing director begin planning marketing, fundraising and budgeting.
Types
Theater companies structure their organizations differently based on their needs; for example, a small company and a Broadway production have different needs and thus structure their organizations differently. A standard theater company structure begins with a directorial head: an artistic director, producing director or executive director. The middle rung of the company's organization is balanced with business functionaries such as a managing director, marketing director or financial director, who work closely with the artistic staff on funding for a production. Below the second rung of decision makers are educational directors and production managers and finally the actors, resident directors, designers and stage managers. When a production is in rehearsal production managers, directors and stage managers take on major leadership roles.
