A Guide to the Position of Production Liaison
The position of production liaison is a critical one to the success of each Scotch 'n' Soda production. The production liaison is the representative of the Board of Directors, serving as the producer for an individual production. On a show-by-show basis, the board will assign a production liaison. This person need not be a board member, though it is preferred.
It is the P.L.'s responsibility to oversee all aspects of production, and to serve as the liaison between the board of directors and the production staff of each show. The P.L. works closely with the directorial staff, following a division of responsibilities that will be discussed in the following paragraphs. He or she also works with various board members as need requires. For example, when filling the various positions involved with a show, it is not the production liaison's responsibility alone to fill all staff positions. He or she will work with the board's Technical Coordinator, Publicity Coordinator and others to fill positions. Also, the P.L. will work with the board's Managing Director when assessing the budget for a production, and when arranging purchases.
Primarily, the production liaison serves as the point of communication. As he or she
maintains a thorough knowledge of a production's needs, requirements, problems, design and
schedule, the P.L. is able to assimilate these areas and direct the production process in
an efficient and cooperative way.
The Responsibilities of the Production Liaison
The P.L. is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the production. He or she should be aware of what is going on with each member of the production staff. This is done in several ways. Of course, there is the production meeting. The P.L. schedules and runs each production meeting. Although it is common for production meetings to occur weekly, they can occur more or less frequently depending on the needs or status of each production at a given time. It is recommended that production meetings occur at least once a week.
The way production meetings are conducted is up to the individual. However, there are a few helpful hints. It's a good idea to come to each meeting with a prepared agenda to be distributed to the staff. This keeps meetings focused and organized, and will also speed things along. It's also recommended that the production liaison establish early on that when a production meeting is scheduled, those attending should arrive on time.
A production meeting is a time for the production staff to get together so that information can be directly shared. Members of the production staff can use the meeting to get up to date on what is going on with other aspects of the production with which they don't normally work. Each member of the production staff should be given the chance to give a report. It is also a time for broad concerns to be addressed. However, it is not a time for the director and the costume designer to discuss details. It is not a time for the choreographer and the lighting designer to discuss a special effect. Any person-to-person concerns should be addressed outside of the production meeting, so that no time is wasted in a meeting. Production staff members should be prepared to relay their problems or progress as it relates to the entire production, but they should not come to a meeting with surprises or questions of a minute detail. Stress with the staff that meetings and discussions outside of the production meeting are encouraged.
A production liaison will:
- keep the production schedule up to date and make sure that it is distributed,
- reserve all rooms for the production
- oversee (normally with the technical director) load-in and strike,
- keep a working knowledge of the budget of the show, and
- perform other administrative duties relating to all non-creative aspects of the show's production.
The Production Liaison and the Director
It is important that the director and the production liaison have a clear idea of the responsibilities and powers of each other from day one. This will avoid problems and confusion. Because of the nature of Scotch 'n' Soda, directors come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some will be very inexperienced, while others will have worked in professional situations. It is important that the director and the P.L. be well-versed in the workings of Scotch 'n' Soda to prevent problems.
The production liaison is responsible for overseeing a production, but all creative decisions are subject to the control of the director. Creative decisions relate to what appears on stage, and how rehearsals are conducted as far as the creative development of the production. All other matters are the prerogative of the P.L. For example, the scheduling of a meeting is the P.L.'s responsibility, while the lighting design is the director's. This situation will be foreign to some. Simply speaking, the production liaison is in charge of business matters, making sure the production is running smoothly and on schedule and that the Scotch 'n' Soda Constitution is being adhered to. All else is up to the director.
It is important that the director and the P.L. know that the production liaison and the
director are both expected to attend weekly board meetings. The P.L. doesn't go in the
place of the director. The P.L. is rather the board's liaison to the production meetings,
and not the director's representative at board meetings.
The Budget
At the outset of each production, the director, the P.L. and the managing director will
negotiate a budget. After taking account of all flat costs (such as royalty fees), the
P.L. will request that the directorial staff submit a low, medium and high estimate of
financial needs. The P.L. and the director will go over the requests and make any requests
or judgements of their own. The final decision is the managing director's, with board
approval. This process is flexible. It may be easiest for the P.L. and the director to go
over things and then for the managing director to meet with the P.L. It may be easier for
all three to meet at once. This is flexible.
Scotch'n'Soda Theatre Documents Collection
This document originally written by 1994-96 Board Members For more information, email sns+@andrew.cmu.edu