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Production Policy Memo 1

Revised September, 2011

Production Deadlines

The Scene Shop Manager and Costume Shop Supervisor, working with the General Manager for Production, will allocate time and schedule construction dates in their respective shops for all School of Drama productions for the academic year. The considerations for this process will be the needs of the Design Program for projects for student designers; budget; visiting directors; production facility and a collective estimate of production needs and resources by the Design faculty. With the construction schedules as a basis, the following general schedule of deadlines shall govern all pre-, in-rehearsal, and immediate pre-tech director/designer production work. The General Manager sends letters with determined dates to designers and the director, see Attachment A.

The Technical Director referred to is the scene shop staff member assigned to be technical director for a particular show.

Faculty and Student Directors and Designers

  1. As directors and designers determine the design, it will be presented in design studio class, and be shown and explained to appropriate faculty and staff to determine plausibility, possibility, and probability as early as possible before construction starts.
  2. Designs will be adjusted or reworked as necessary and will be finalized during the following weeks.
  3. Three weeks before construction begins the Set and Costume Designers will furnish the Technical Director or Costume Shop Supervisor with preliminary drawings, including major props and accessories. First design meetings between the director and all designers will be organized by the production office in a timely manner. It is advantageous for the group to meet as soon as assignments are announced, and in no case later than six weeks before preliminaries are due.
  4. The Technical Director or Costume Shop Supervisor will use these drawings to make preliminary budget and labor estimates.
  5. At this time there will be a budget meeting with the Designers, Technical Director and Costume Shop Supervisor, Faculty Advisor, and the General Manager for Production to determine if revisions or cuts will be necessary or if the design may proceed as is.
  6. Two weeks before construction begins the Technical Director and Costume Shop Supervisor will be furnished with complete drawings.
  7. The Technical Director's working drawings, final budget and labor estimates are due one week before construction begins.
  8. The first production meeting will have the director and full design presentations.
  9. Construction plans will be revised if necessary, cuts will be made if necessary, and the Technical Director, Designer, Assistants and/or Scenic Artist will meet to coordinate the production/painting schedule during the following week.
  10. Set painting will be completed no later than the day before the first tech is scheduled.
  11. The Property Master will be furnished a preliminary prop list by the Director/Stage Manager and the Designer and any Designer's drawings necessary 5 weeks before first tech. At the same time, an appropriate deadline will be set for final major changes to the prop list. Thereafter, minor changes are negotiated as dictated by the balance of need against the reality of time and money.
  12. Costume Designer will complete bid process with the Costume Shop Manger and staff by the “design due” deadline. All pulling from stock, fabric purchasing and shop organization will be complete by “show in shop” deadline.
  13. The Lighting Designer will furnish the Master Electrician and Electric Shop GSA with a completed light plot and a list of special needs one week prior to load in. The Stage Manager should provide the Master Electrician with a list of needed cue lights, equity lights, music stand lights, etc.
  14. Weekly production meetings will begin one week prior to the first rehearsal and will continue until tech rehearsals begin.

First Built Production(s) of Autumn Quarter

The drawings for the first production(s) of Autumn Quarter will, of necessity, be due prior to the beginning of the quarter usually in late August or early September. If the Director has been identified prior to the end of the previous Spring Quarter, the Designers are strongly encouraged to begin discussions at that time, however the director is often not hired until the summer. If it is a Seattle director meetings can take place in person during the summer. When an out of town director is hired, contact the Production Office for information on the procedures for making telephone calls and faxing information to the director. The School of Drama cannot reimburse you for phone calls or mailing costs made outside the University system.

Visiting Directors

Every effort will be made to establish communication between the Director and Designers before the first visit of the Director in order to accomplish as much pre-planning as possible. If absolutely necessary the schedule can be compressed although it should be understood that this may require simplification of designs in order to meet load in and first tech deadlines.

PM8301/REV6-96

Production Policy Memo No. 1, First established prior to 1985
Subsequent Revisions, 11/83, 10/89, 10/95
Executive Committee Approval: 5/21/96, 9/16/11
Faculty Approval: 6/3/96, 9/20/11

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