After once again consulting professor Google, these were my results.
These are another two jobs that are whatever you make them. Depending on the scale of production there may be a different amount of people doing the producers job, and the small productions an director can find themselves as the producer. The two jobs can be very interlinked or very separate.
When looking at both roles, it is worth considering whether the producer and director are both independent or attached to a particular theater or company. This can significantly change what they need to do, for example a producer who is attached to a theater doesn't need to hunt around for ticket sellers and such like as there is a good chance they are all ready attached to the theater as well.
There are also differences in roles depending on what kind of production is being put on. A small touring company may find that their producer is very much part of the crew, where as a big west end production may find that their producer is mainly an investor and their are actually different administrative roles with which they come face to face.
Let us define them both roughly.
Theater Producer- They can find the play and possibly where it would be staged, negotiate the rights and other legal issues, hire the director and the production team, market the show, set the schedule, overlooks the production team to make sure they are meeting the directors vision, find the materials needed for the production such as wigs and props, hire the in house staff such as the ticket sellers, once the show is running replace things that wear out and take care of contracts.
Theater Director- Works with the writer on the script, interpreters the script, researches relevant information, considers physical restraints while working with creative and production teams, ties together all the different ideas in the production to create an overall piece.
There are different styles of direction which can in turn influence the type of production. The main styles are the dictator, the negotiator, the creative artist and the conversationalist. A dictator-ish type of direction may work better when the producer is a very separate entity which has a harsh schedule, where as a negotiator really needs a producer who is more flexible and involved.
We can sum up the differences quite broadly as the producers concerns being more practical while the directors are more creative. The producer is also on the project longer, as the director has generally been considered as having done their job after opening night, after which time keeping everything together falls to the stage manager who has the 'bible' which contains the script with all cues and directions.
Let me illustrate their different jobs with parallel timelines.
Producer Director
Develops idea
Raises Money
Budgets, Vague schedule
Hires Director and Production team Possible input into hiring production team
Marketing the show, Schedules rehearsals Works on script, interprets
Casting , Casting
Oversee design team Rehearsals
Previews
Opening night Opening Night
Replace and continue to watch over Production
What you have here is just a possibility, there will be crews with a wildly different template. As you can see the Producer stays with the project much longer, and is the primary diving force. What I find amusing is that marketing is done before casting, which would explain discrepancies between the adverts and the show in some shows.
As you can see int this example from the crucible theater, the marketed photo of the daughter in law in the show of the same name bears distinct differences from the actress who portrayed said daughter in law.
Another difference between the producer and the director is that, as with film, the producer has some financial risk when creating a play. They have got the money that they hope to pay back and have sometimes contributed their own money. They have to have a lot of conviction that the play is going to come off. The director has no such risk, as they will get paid come hell or high tide. The only thing they have at stake is their reputation.
Production Manager- Oversees technical aspects such as materials needed, wardrobe, lighting etc.
House Manager- Works on ticket sales, Ushering of Patrons, maintaining the building within which the play is taking place, looking after the in house staff
Stage Manager- Makes sure directors ideas are carried out. Compiles and looks after the 'bible' script containing all the stage directions and cues
Most productions will have a separate stage manager as it is quite time consuming. The production and house manager sometimes are one person in smaller productions. In really big production even these can have sub divisions.
Overall the producer initiates the project, then makes sure it is carried through in the correct manner, while the director is hired to create the dramatic piece, often overseeing it in its entirety.
I am no expert on this, all has been gleaned from internet research. If there are any mistakes, please do say. I found this easier to research than Film producers and directors differences, mainly because in theater the producer seems to have less potential to be involved in the creative aspects, so the roles are more easily defined. There is still a lot of overlap though.
Thank you for reading.
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