The REP Department Making Theatrical Magic Happen

Our Production Department at The REP can be divided into 6 – Production Management, Company Management, Technical Direction, Lighting, Sound, and Costumes. The department can swell to as many as 20-25 people depending on the size and scope of a production, including young professionals in our fellowship program. We are so thankful for all of their hard work, talent, and expertise that is directly responsible for making theatrical magic come alive for REP audiences! Keep reading to learn more about all they do….

Production Management 
Production oversees almost all of the creative aspects of a production, and the entire Production Department. The job is creating calendars, budgets and organizing staff to make sure The REP can get a project done. The Production Manager is the bridge between artistic and the final product. They help say when things are feasible or out of our league for a production. They also help coordinate the other teams as they work with designers to bring the project to life. They also oversee the fellowship program which employees approx. 7 young professionals. The REP’s Production Manager, Chelsea, has been at the REP since 2005 where she started in the stage management portion of our fellowship program.  

Company Management
Company Management, in its most basic form, is all about the people. Our Company Manager works closely with actors and other departments to help coordinate designers, actors and musicians, from contracts to housing to events. Sometimes that means driving people to the hospital but most of the time it is all about making people welcome at The REP during their temporary stay for a production. Our Company Manager, Sarah (pictured left), has been at The REP just shy of two years.

Technical Direction 
The job of a Technical Director (TD) is all about providing technical support for various productions and events. The ultimate goal is to make sure all technical aspects of the production work smoothly and safely by coordinating the practical with the artistic and technical department specificities. One of the most visible things the TD works on is supervising and assisting with the construction of the set and getting it on our stage. The TD also has the super fun job of tracking the budget for the department and making calls when alterations or method modifications need to be made in order to stay in budget targets. The TD role is a lone position but oversees several others. They directly supervise the master carpenter, carpenter, scenic painter, props manager and the fellows who belong to those departments. It traditionally is 6 people being supervised by the TD. The REP’s TD, Sammy (pictured right), has been at The REP for about a year and came to us with over 10 years of TD experience.

Lighting
The Lighting (LX) Department makes show lighting designers dreams come true. They take the designer’s lighting plots and designs and turn them into reality. You can’t have a fear of heights and work as an theatre electrician - they regularly spend time in the catwalks and the lighting grid which is approx. 24+ feet above the ground. They work with all the lighting fixtures, servicing them as well as doing hang and focus. They also get to make custom LED projects for some additional theatre lighting effects. Currently The REP has two people in the LX department. Normally, they are supplemented from our fellowship program with a lighting fellow. Ash McFall, our REP Master Electrician, has been with the REP since February 2019 and Evan B. Rayder, our Lyceum Master Electrician, has been with the REP since November 2019.​ IMAGE - Evan, Ashley, and Ashley's dog Bonnie. 
 
Sound