Name_________________________________________
Drama 1 Unit 3 Notes
The Play Production Process
 The production of a play has two
main parts
◦ Performing
◦ Technical
 In the end they will come together to
make one performance
The Producer
 The “Boss”
 Pays the bills
 In charge of hiring and firing
 Works with director to choose
the plays
The Director
 The “visionary”
 Works with producer to pick the
play
 Develops the overall artistic
concept
 Has final say in decisions with
production team
The Stage Manager
 The “Go-Between”
 Helps run rehearsals
 Keeps communication clear
between all teams
 In charge of actors/running
crew during performances
The Designers
 The “experts”
 A specialist in a specific design
area, e.g. a costume designer
 As a team, refines the
production concept
 Plans out the specific design
area
The Technical Director
 In charge of the shop
 Oversees the construction of all
the design areas
 The designer is like the architect
and the TD is like the
construction overseer
The Running Crew
 Works with the TD to build things
 Runs the various technical jobs
during the performance
The 5 AREAS of Technical Design
 Costumes: clothing, make-up,
etc.
 Set: furniture, landscapes, etc.
 Props: objects used by actors
 Lights: the lighting…
 Sound: music, sound effects,
etc.
The 4 FUNCTIONS of Technical Design
 Establish Setting
◦ Where, when,
mood/atmosphere
 Establish Plot
◦ What happens on or
offstage
 Establish Character
◦ Personality traits,
social status,
relationships
 Establish Theme
◦ The author’s
message/point being
made
AREA = WHAT IT IS
FUNCTION = WHAT IT DOES
Guided Tech Tour of the Auditorium
I. Tech Booth
1) Light Board
 The light board is full of sliders that are connected to the lights in the theatre—
“channels.”
 The grand master controls all of the lights.
 Changes in the lights can be recorded and saved in the board as cues or “Q”s. That
way you don’t have to keep working with the sliders every time you perform.
 You can record special effects, like slow fades, in the light board.
 In our theatre, channel 81 turns on the main house lights. It is backwards, though, so
you must turn it off for the lights to turn on.
 The light board is one of several ways to turn lights on and off in the theatre.
2) Sound Board
 The sound board is where you control the volume and mix of the sound effects
and/or music for the play.
 The sound board can be used with the CD/tape players to its left, with microphones,
or by plugging it directly into an iPod or laptop.
 The master slider controls the overall volume of the sound board.
3) Spotlight
 The spotlight is a moving light, most often used in musicals.
 The spotlight requires a separate running crew member than the light board
operator.
II. House
1) House Lights
 The lights for the audience are called house lights.
 These lights can be controlled in the tech booth or by using the small black box
switches at the entrances to the auditorium.
 The bright fluorescent house lights can only be controlled in the tech booth.
2) Front of House Electric
 The big metal structure that stage lights hang from is called an electric.
 The lights hanging on the electric are called stage lights.
 You control these lights in the tech booth and backstage.
III. Stage
1) Proscenium
 Our theatre has a proscenium stage. That means the audience is only on one side of
the stage and that there is a wall “framing” the stage.
 The wall framing the stage is called the proscenium wall.
 The line on the floor of the stage that aligns with the proscenium wall is called the
proscenium line.
 The area of stage in front of the proscenium wall is called the apron.
2) Curtains
 The curtain that is with the proscenium wall is called the grand drape.
 The short curtains that define the wings are called legs.
 The short curtain at the top of the proscenium wall is called the border.
 The white curtain in the back is called the cyc, short for cyclorama.
 The black curtain in the back is called the rear traveler or back curtain.
 The grand drape and rear traveler are moved using a pulley system.
3) Electrics
 The stage lights hang from electrics that you can raise and lower.
 The fluorescent lights that we usually have on are called work lights.
 The big square lights on the back electric are called cyc lights. They are for putting a
wash of color on the cyclorama.