Production Operations — MoU, Roles, Scheduling

Operations

A single production-support brief covering the internal scaffolding of an independent theatre production.

This is the document that gets written before rehearsals start — the one that defines who does what, how meetings happen, where files live, and what the cadence of the production is.

It is purely internal-facing. Outbound communications (audience, critics, sponsors) are in the Outreach category.

Production Operations Brief — $120

The internal working scaffolding for the company.

Intake

• Confirmed company — cast and creatives
• Confirmed venue
• Key dates — first rehearsal, tech, previews, opening, closing

Process

Delivered within 1 week of intake completion.

The brief is a working document the production can edit. Names and dates are filled in collaboratively in the intake meeting.

Deliverables

• memorandum-of-understanding — template for company sign-off; the production fills in names
• role-definitions — producer, director, stage manager, assistant stage manager, marketing lead, technical lead
• decision-rights-grid (optional) — who decides what; who is consulted
• scheduling-system — Calendly or equivalent, set up with company availability
• rehearsal-report-template — standardised across the team
• production-meeting-cadence — biweekly, with agenda template
• shared-drive-structure — folder taxonomy, naming conventions

Out of scope

• Legal advice — we are not a law firm; productions needing legal advice should engage a lawyer directly
• Insurance placement — we are not a broker
• Line producing, production management, company management
• Banking, payroll, tax
• Stage management — we provide the rehearsal report template; the stage manager fills it in
• Intimacy coordinators, fight directors, accessibility consultants — referrals available

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