Theatre People

What are the tasks and responsibilities of those who work in theatre? While job descriptions may vary from company to company, use the menu at right for information on basic expectations and activities common to a list of key positions.

Because community theatres vary so widely in size, composition, resources and offerings, it's difficult to specify exactly the responsibilities of any one person in a particular position. Sometimes a person may need to fill more than one responsibility, or--due to the nature of the theatre or the production--may have to add layers to their job that might not be true in other theatre companies.  That said, the most important issue is to make sure that each person's job is well defined, so that there's little chance for confusion about their area of responsibility, or what they are expected to accomplish.

How to Use These Pages

These pages provide a broad perspective on the duties and responsibilities of each position.  Because theatres vary greatly, it is not possible to provide a single job description that can be used in all cases.  If you are writing or revising a job description for your theatre company, use the information provided here to help clarify what your theatre requires. In some cases, we have provided links to actual job descriptions (although we have removed the original theatre company's name, and substituted the name "Poorhouse Players."

More Resources

• Sample Contracts.  A contract need not be complicated. It may be enough to list basic responsibilities, as can be seen in these downloadable contracts, provided in MS Word format by an AACT-member theatre.
• Further Reading: What We Do - Working in the Theatre, by Bo Metzler
• Job Listings: AACT's list of current employment opportunities posted by theatres around the country.

Theatre Folk job descriptions