Career Opportunities and Work Life

Skills You'll Need

Salary Ranges

The Classroom Experience

Certificate & Degree Options

Director-
The director oversees stage and screen productions. Through a creative and managerial process, it is the director who decides what the finished work will be like and who will be involved in performing it. In their work, directors interact with other staff, producers, cast, designers, and technicians.

Producer-
A producer manages the practical side of stage and screen productions. Though the title may vary between companies and productions, this position manages the "business" side of things including the script, funding, rent, salaries, and other bills.

Casting Director-
Casting directors work with producers and directors to select the cast for a production. Sometimes the casting director also acts as the producer and director. Casting directors compile a list of possible candidates for a role and then set up auditions and interviews. When the cast has been chosen, it is the casting director's job to draw up contracts and negotiate salaries.

Actor-
Actors work in theatre, film, television, and radio. Acting involves interpreting a script and the character played (imagination, intuition, empathy, and technical acting skills are used) to reveal that character to an audience. It can be emotionally demanding and physically exhausting with long hours.

Stage Manager/Assistant Stage Manager-
Stage managers and assistant stage managers are charged with making sure rehearsals and performances run smoothly. Usually attached to a specific theatre or theatre company for a period of time, stage managers supervise and set timetables for rehearsals. They also make sure that all stage preparation in terms of set, lighting, props, and costumes are going according to plan.

Theatre Manager/House Manager-
It is the responsibility of the house manager to make sure that tickets are sold and books balanced. They also oversee the building itself, making sure that it is run properly and is well maintained.

Designer-
The designer is the one who will bring the visual ideas to reality for the director. A theatre designer may specialize in sets or costumes or both.

Theatre Technicians-
The theatre technical staff can specialize in either lighting or sound.

• Lighting: the amount of staff responsible for lighting may range from a single electrician to a whole team. For each production a lighting plan must be drawn up, from which the rigging up of the lights and their operation will be established.
• Sound: productions of music, off-stage sound cues and atmospheric sound effects. These are produced by sound technicians and coordinated similar to lightning.

Production Staff-
The production staff builds sets and makes props. While smaller companies may borrow needed props, larger theatre companies and television/film companies have specialist workshops that deal with separate areas of production. These workshops include staffs with special skills in art, carpentry, metal work, painting, upholstery, and construction.

Wardrobe, Hair, Make-Up-
The wardrobe department is responsible for bringing together clothing and accessories to bring the production to life and add authenticity to the performance. Actors often apply their own stage make-up, but sometimes when special make-up, like latex, is used, they require the help of a professional make-up artist. Make-up artists are more widely employed in film and television companies because the camera looks much more closely at an actor's face than a theatre audience does.

Press Officer-
A press officer promotes a production to build an audience. Promotion can include distributing free tickets to critics and journalists and encourage them to interview directors and actors. The press officer organizes publicity photos and is responsible for promotional materials such as posters and programs.

Education Officer-
Some theatre companies employ education officers, similar to college drama instructors. Both are concerned to help children/young adults become more expressive, self-confident and coordinated. The education officer sets up links with schools and organizes workshops and other events such as backstage visits and seminars.

Source: Career-Portal Online Career Service www.careers-portal.co.uk