A Day in the Life of an Off Broadway Production Manager | brokeGIRLrich
After all that jetsetting through my twenties, I recently transitioned to a pretty normal job. Now I work as a Production Manager for an Off-Broadway theater. It’s sort of a step away from Stage Management, but uses a lot of the same skills. If, for some crazy reason, this was a path you were thinking of following here’s what 24 hours in my day looks like – a busier day (because the days I go in and work on my blog and update Facebook for 8 hours are not nearly as interesting… although it’s been known to happen once or twice).
8:30 AM – Wake up.
9:00 AM – Subway to midtown.
9:45 AM – Walk to the theater. Try to ignore the 3 Starbucks I pass in two and a half blocks.
10:00 AM – Boot up computer and check emails.
10:30 AM – Check in with the Wardrobe department. Make sure they have everything they need. Make sure the next few shows are fully staffed.
11:00 AM – Print large signs to glue onto set pieces using our plotter. Deliver them to the carpenters and/or props department.
11:30 AM – Work on paperwork for fire inspections for any upcoming shows using an open flame.
12:00 PM – Department Meeting
12:45 PM – Eat my lunch that I hopefully remembered to pack from home. If not, run across the street and indulge my latest food obsession – Chop’t.
1:00 PM – Rehearsal starts. Double check all the stagehands are here. Try to help keep conflicts between our house crew and the show’s crew to a minimum.
1:30 PM – Do assorted paperwork while rehearsal is happening.
3:00 PM – Check in with Wardrobe again.
3:30 PM – Check in with Props Shopper, make sure he’s aware of any updates from stage management about what props are needed.
4:00 PM – Wander around in the wings, double checking everything that needs to be happening is. Update the production report for the day.
4:30 PM – Attend a production meeting for a different upcoming performance.
5:00 PM – Sort through all the information just gathered at that meeting.
5:30 PM – Work on payroll.
6:00 PM – Freedom!!
6:30 PM – Gym
7:30 PM – Subway back out to the boondocks.
8:30 PM – Dinner. Engage in super important activities like watching The Big Bang Theory and Pretty Little Liar. Catch up on reading other blogs, work on my own.
12:00 AM – Bedtime
Gosh. How boring compared to before. :oP
It’s incredibly weird and awesome to me to work 8 hour days, 5 days a week. Sometimes that doesn’t work out like that when our schedule is super crazy, but most of the time it does. And I love that if I have to work 6 or 7 days a week, that time goes into a bank and when we’re slow I can just up and a take a week or two off without touching my vacation days.
All around, I guess there are some perks for trading adventure for stability… now I’m just waiting to see how long I can stand it before the wanderlust hits again.
It’s funny because I have friends who have performed in Broadway shows, and you always seem to think the “action” happens around show time, but you forget that so much has to happen during the day to keep the show running. And I love Chop’t too, but only “indulge” every few months. It was like a crack habit for me for a while.
Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…Music Mondays – Don’t Fear the Reaper
Ugh. I know. I kind of wish I hadn’t found it AND it’s the closest place to eat to where I work. Literally 3 doors down. Right next to the Starbucks that is 2 doors down. Sorry, wallet.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…A Day in the Life of an Off-Broadway Production Manager
I love these posts. It’s really interesting to see people’s day to day lives. So many things happen before showtime!
Dear Debt recently posted…Life and Debt
I often day dream about working a normal eight hour, five day a week work day 🙂
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life recently posted…Breaking Through Your Own Glass Ceiling
It’s pretty awesome. I think I would go stir crazy if it were that all that time – but it’s a pretty solid 50/50 between regular hours and late,long theater hours. I actually like my schedule a lot.
I love seeing the daily life of other professions. It kind of helps satiate some odd career wanderlust I feel. And I agree, I do love working a regular, scheduled job!
Ryan @ Impersonal Finance recently posted…my career as a job hopper
Hah, I know, right? A dairy farmer commented on one of my other similar posts. I wanted to ask him if he was lost, but then I thought, heck, I’d be interested to know what a day in the life of a dairy farmer is like too. It’s cool seeing all the different things people do a little more in depth.
Your job sounds pretty cool to me. I can’t believe you don’t have to be at work until 10am! Awesome! And you go to bed at midnight? I think if I started work at 10am I’d still be in bed for 10.30pm, I need my sleep!
Hayley @ A Disease Called Debt recently posted…The Emotional Stages of Debt: Triumph
I love not going in to work until 10:00 AM. It’s probably one of my favorite perks. Some days I don’t even go in until 2 or 3 PM, although then I usually work till 10 or midnight.
You must roll out of bed and go straight to work ;)! I have to take some time in the morning as I love drinking my coffee and watching Good Day NY while I browse the interwebs (I multitask).
When I got my first 9-5 job, I loved it. I still love it. Sometimes I wish I worked less hours, but I still love having weekends off.
Tara @ Streets Ahead Living recently posted…You aren’t entitled to anything
I definitely do roll right out of bed and go straight to work. I’m pretty low maintenance to begin with but I also work with a ton of guys doing physical labor, I purposely try not to look too girly so they listen to me.
I always wondering what it was like to be a production manager in theatre (I have a lot of friends in theatre). Cool!
Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses recently posted…Money Quirks & Banking Habits
It’s definitely a little different than most people’s jobs – but not actually as different as lots of people think.
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