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Date of Award

Spring 2012

Document Type

Restricted Thesis: Campus only access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Theatre Arts

First Advisor

Dr. Walter Schoen

Abstract

Look at the “Playbill” of a major Broadway production. Go to the very last page" "in the booklet. Skim through the long list of names, titles, and positions until find" "Company Manager. This is often the first and only time when audience members see that" "this is a position held within a theatre company. Even though an audience member may" "see this title written, it does not mean that they have any concept of what that position is" "or the responsibilities it has. So what is company management? The answer is" "unfortunately not simple. The position has changed a great deal in the last 10 years." "Responsibilities have been added and removed, and the position is still taking time to" "form and evolve. There is very little knowledge out there for the public about company" "management. It is an industry term that carries little meaning outside of the theatre word." "Even within the industry the position is somewhat shrouded in mystery. Every theatre has" "different expectations of their company manager, it they even have one, and so there is no" "clear job description. Also there is a very limited amount of literature written on the" "subject. Very few arts management books predating 2000 even call the position by its" "current name, but rather refer to it as artist services, or have it rolled in within a" "production, general, or touring management. Recently it has begun to establish itself, but" "now the question becomes why? The most compelling argument is the changing" "landscape of the theatre world. The financial situation in the United States has impacted" "the theatre in alarming and ever-changing way. Fundraising is significantly more" "difficult, and theatre companies are forcing to cut back and discover what is truly" "important to them. But how does this affect company management? In the past ten years" "theatre has not only been affected by the financial crisis, but the growing interconnectedness of the world and shift in the way people spend their day-to-day lives." "Email, cell phones, new health care policies, a trend in restructuring the theatrical" "management model, and much more has dramatically transformed theatre organizations" "in ways that have driven them to use company management as method of streamlining their management structure.

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