I have decided that because most of my work will be visible on the Performing page, rather than copying materials over and repeating myself, I will keep that page as the main page for evidences and this one is for research specifically on management and any extra notes I need to take.
Purpose of managers
The purpose of managers is the oversee an operation, task, company and a group of people. There are usually many levels in management, starting from the bottom a shift leader, team leader, manager, store manager or in the theatre word; assistant manager, manager, company manager but each department can have their own manager too for example stage manager. A successful manager needs to carry many positive attitudes and able to be leader, organiser, coordinator, motivator, administrator and presenter all at once. A manager needs to be passionate about their work and has to be the person between staff member and the audience/customers. So, while a manager is expected to make sure the team is happy with the expectations, they also have to keep in mind the needs of the people who pay money for the product/service of the company. Being a manager is game of keeping the two sides of the scale balanced.
GOOD VS BAD MANAGER/ BOSS VS LEADER
“good employees leave managers, not companies”
I have about 10 years of work experience and 1,5 year of management/leadership experience so I thought rather than taking examples from websites, I would share my own thoughts and own experience on bad and good management. Instead of naming and shaming individuals and companies, I am going to group the qualities and split them into two groups. I had managers who would never step in to help out, even when I struggled, even when they knew how much I had on my plate. They would go even as far as smoking at the back and video-calling their friends, while I had to run the shop on my own and deal with food preparation, customer service, phone calls, complaints, baking, cashing up, lunch rush and all, for £4 less/hour than they made because I was only 17 years old at the time. I do not appreciate the stigma that young people are strong and they should work as much as the company can squeeze out of them for very little money. Everyone needs to be treated equally, and it is not just about race or sex but age too. So, if we are being shympatic towards someone for being elderly and having certain problems, I believe we have to be symphatic towards young people as well and recognise that they have their own struggles too. Luckily, it is not been long since I was a teenager so I remember how lonely and misunderstood I felt. I have a sister who is 5 years younger than me and we talk on a daily basis and she sees things differently from me in many aspects but she helps m me see a modern way of approach. This is very important to me, not only as a manager but as a student as well because I am older than most students here, in some cases, I am 10 years older.
My bad managers were not approachable. I feared them and while I didn't expect them to be my friend, they weren't friendly either. If I had ideas, they did not get listened to but of course they would sometimes pretend to care but no action or change came out of our conversations, this is how I knew they didn't care and they only served broken promises to me. These managers were just bossing me around and not leading me. It isn't about not hitting their target but how they made me feel: stupid, powerless, lonely, sad, depressed, overworked, not listened to, blamed.
On the other hand, I had some good managers and tutors too. Those who kept a positive approach towards everyone and had the patience to explains things multiple times or changed their way of speaking/teaching tailored to the individuals needs. I was looking forward to working with them because I knew if they are there, I am safe and I will get help when needed without feeling guilty for bothering them. I can especially appreciate a "hands-on manager", who leads by examples, gets involved mentally and physically too. Someone who thinks about their team and recognises when help is needed so they make suggestions , share ideas and someone who is fair and points out good work and good effort but also scolds those aren't "pulling their weight" and holding the team back. I am aiming to be a good manager and I will use my personal experience on becoming the best version of me.
Hierarchy /jobroles
Company manager -marketing, producing, (Felicia M.), Director (Spike H.), Stage Manager (Josh J.), Assistant Stage Manager (Sonia F.), Make-up Designer and applicator (Emily B.), Costume Designer and Stylist (Faith B.), Marketing assistant (Thomas D.), Choreographer (Phoebe P.). And the actors (Mike D., Yana D., Felicia M., Faith B., Thomas D.)
What areas do I manage?
We are the very beginning of our production yet but I know that I will most likely be managing multiple areas at once due to us being a small company. The technical side of the play, such as lighting, sound and stage management will be covered by Sonia, Spike and Josh. I will be focusing on Team wellbeing, keeping contact with our partner (Gloucester Welcomes Refugees), schedules and time management and social media and marketing. This sounds quite a lot but I will be delegating some jobs and use my talented team to help me out. For example, I have already asked Tom to set up a website for our play because I really like the one we had last year and I asked Mike to create a poster/logo for us. We will be revisiting their ideas and progress together once we agree on the style of the play.
Interview with Josh Jarvis, stage manager
I am looking at many ways to research what management and leader roles are about and I, of course, look up to my teachers, so I always pay attention to what they are doing and how they handle situations. Next to this, I thought it would be beneficial for me to talk to an ex student at my college, who is qualified in Technical Arts and worked as a stage manager a few times now. I had the opportunity to work with Josh last year and I found that it is very easy to get on with him, so of course, I had to interview him , hoping I would learn from him. We talked about the responsibilities and struggles managers face in the industry and he had some good advices for me as well. This was beneficial because I realised that I am not alone and he struggled as well when first started out and every production can bring surprises and difficulties. This conversation deepened our professional relationship , it is important that we understand and trust each other because we will be working together closely in the next few months. Please, listen to the audio to find out more.
Communication channels
(Delegating jobs and writing professional emails)
We use a mix of Teams and Whatsapp as our communication channel. We post all updates and important information regarding the production on Teams, so our teachers can be up to date as well and use Whatsapp nowadays for more of informal communication. This is where members would private message me to ask me about the production or to help them with their units.
To communicate with the audience, we us our professional Instagram account HEPA (means Higher Education Performing Arts) , currently handled by me, our personal websites and the website I created for our show but it has not been launched yet as we haven't officially announced the play we are about to perform.
Instagram account
Christmas play website
1 to 1 wellbeing meeting
I had a productions in the past where we had a strict director and there was a lot of frustration within the team because they wouldn't consider our ideas. So, I thought it was essential that I had a meeting with the team, where they can express their feelings on how the show is going, whether they are being listened to and if they had any concerns. We have been working together now for over a month and we shouldn't leave sadness or dissatisfaction brew inside people. These sessions were private and confidential so there are no video recordings but I will include the questions here. The general thoughts were however that people feel like they are being listened to and not afraid to speak up. I scheduled a meeting before we perform as well because for the show, I would like everyone to be happy with what they are doing and what they achieved. No one should perform with thinking they are not ready for various reasons e.g. not sure in the script, there is a scene they cant understand or there is someone they are struggling to connect with on stage. This should help us to address any last-minute concerns so everyone can step on stage feeling confident in themselves and their colleagues.
Questions
1. How does being back to college makes you feel?
2. Do you feel comfortable talking to your teachers and colleagues (classmates)?
3. Who is your go to person?
4. Is your workload manageable?
5. Have you got all the tools you need to do your job?
6. Are there any work-related factors causing you stress or anxiety?
7. What parts of the job is the most engaging/ interesting for you?
8. Do you feel like you are being listened to and your ideas are considered?
9. What is one thing you would like to improve here?
10. Do you feel like you get enough compliment/ recognition/ positive feedback from me and others?
11. Is there anything or anyone you really struggle to get on with?
12. Is there anything you would like to ask your teachers but you are too shy to do so and you would like me to ask them for you?
13. Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
NOTE: Next meeting is before production to confirm that everyone is happy with their role and how the show is going to be presented.
My encouragement speech before the show
I wanted to make sure I spoke with everyone before the show to find out how they were feeling. I wrote a nice little thank-you note for everyone (I won't share it here because I wanted to keep it personal), tailoring it to the work and help they provided. I wanted everyone to know that, as a company manager, I have noticed and appreciate everything they have done. I was also hoping this would give them a sense of positivity and encourage them to feel good about themselves.
The second part of my speech (attached above) was a "to-do list" and a reminder to look out for each other on stage and behind the scenes. The show went really well. We performed better than ever. A media student who came to film the documentary / behind-the-scenes videos of us also attended to see the live performance, and he said the same thing, that he thought it was the best practice we have ever done. I hope that all the rehearsals and my speech made everyone comfortable and gave them a sense of a safe space.
Feedback
Health and safety
Please click the picture to open the Taylor Theatre's risk assessment file.
Spending and savings
This was a very cost-effective show, which was important to me. In real-life as well, I find it important to reuse and recycle. The only things we had to buy was the orange (30 pence), wine gums (1 pound) and the curtain pole (5 pounds). Everything else, we or the college already owned. We also swapped around a lot of clothes for costumes between us, or found them in the costume cupboard. Makeup and hair products we already owned at home or at college as we just recently purchased brandnew of everything.
So, if I think about it, the whole show came to 6 pounds and 30 pence, which I didn't claim for because I thought, this was my gift to the charity.
At the end, we handed over 95 pounds to the charity, which is less than I hoped for but with doing only one show that was based on donations, this is what we received and we are grateful for everyone who donated and hoping it will help the charity one way or another.