Journal Entry #2: They can't all have witty titles

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024. 5:48 PM.

Confidence in my career/choice of major: 56%

Song stuck in my head: Turn the Lights Off by Tally Hall

                What is a Director of Production? A whole lot of work, that's what! And also Penny Zaletel and Dianna Angell, they're directors of production. I'm not capitalizing it every time.

                All of my questions were about the responsibilities of a director of production, which were answered in their talk. I also found this job listing from The Public Theatre in New York for a "director of producing," which is pretty close I think. I don't know, you told me to include a link so here it is. There's a huge list of responsibilities, but hey, also a salary of at least 100,000 dollars. That's not bad! And a "robust slate of benefits." How wonderful.

                Here are my big takeaways from Penny and Dianna's talk:

                1.    Immediacy and perfection are the antithesis to art. Art takes time, and art takes compromise. It is always best to give yourself and your team ample time to complete projects, and to make sure they keep everything in perspective. Generally, the big picture is more important in theatre. 

                2.    There is an economy to energy, and it is important to know where to focus and what to prioritize. Be patient with yourself, and with your team. Figure out ways to manage your stress, and do your best to not let your stress negatively impact those around you. Burnout is unavoidable (apparently :/) so figure out how you personally can cope with it.

                3.    Do everything you can to facilitate healthy relationships with the people you work with. A DoP tries to find ways to bring people together, and tries to make sure they leave in a better place professionally than when they joined. Theatre is all about communication, collaboration, and follow-through. 

                4.    It will benefit you to have a diverse wealth of knowledge. Knowing the ins and outs of the front of house, technicians, designers, and performers is advantageous. It's always best to cut out the middle man and facilitate communication.

                5.    NETWORKING. Starting a new job is like going to college. Never burn bridges. Be professional, and always be open to new experiences.

                6. Start saving for retirement AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

                Producing and presenting professional theatre appear to be two very different ways to achieve the same goal of sharing a story with an audience with the intention to make them feel something. The something they're supposed to feel is entirely dependent on the show being performed. I mean, companies also want to make money so they can stay in operation, but hopefully the art is important as well.

                Presenting theatre appears to involve more "hurry up and wait" than producing. There is a lot of preparation that has to happen in a very short amount of time, but once a show is in a theatre, it experiences very few changes. It is there for a period of time, and then it leaves. It seems like a very important factor in choosing shows to present is their popularity. 

                Producing theatre, on the other hand, is more about the creative process. Each show is chosen, developed, cast, costumed, built, and lit with the theatre in mind, and changes are constantly made as new problems arise. Of course the people working on the show want it to be well-liked, but they have more freedom and incentive to take risks.

                My confidence-o-meter was at 56% after this talk, mostly because of how burnt out Dianna seemed, and how accepting she was of that burnout. And also the talk of networking. I've complained enough about networking already, but just know it's always on my mind. Also the thought of saving for retirement so soon scares me so bad. The economy is in shambles. How am I going to make a living without working myself to the bone, I wonder. Surely I'll be fine. SURELY.