Technical Director - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 13

The technical director is the person that supervises all of the technicians and craftspersons that are involved with a show. This person has an extremely important job during rehearsals, during the show, and after the show.

During the rehearsal period, the technical director will evaluate and the drawings and models of the designer. If he or she feels that the technical and design crews can manage this design, both of them consult with the director. Once a final decision is made, the technical director makes the necessary purchases in order to carry out the design.

The technical director also draws up drafts and may be in charge of selecting the tech and lighting crews. He or she will come up with the schedules for set building and be certain to supervise all set building and clean up done after set building. He or she also runs technical rehearsal if the director is okay with that. However, all aesthetic decisions are given to the correct designer. The technical director carries out the wishes of the designers (who ultimately carry out the wishes of the director).

During the performance, the technical director gives the stage manager the "go" signal for when all technical and lighting crew are ready to start the show. He or she is also responsible for all of the backstage crew and will be present at performance in case anything goes wrong with the design or if there is an emergency.

After the performance, the technical director will supervise all dismantling of the set. He or she will make sure that the strike of the set goes safely. Then, he or she will also make sure that the area where the strike happened in thoroughly cleaned. The technical director will also be certain to be present at the post mortem (post show evaluation) in order to give input about how the set building went and if it stayed stable during the performances.

Update: The information I have provided in this blog post comes from current job position descriptions in theatres and college theatres. However, there are some people that say that the technical director is not in charge of supervising others. However, he or she is still in charge of drafting and building the set.

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