How can you manage production challenges without sacrificing performance?

1 Plan ahead

One of the best ways to avoid production challenges is to plan ahead and anticipate potential risks and scenarios. Start by defining your vision, goals, and scope for your production, and then create a realistic timeline, budget, and contingency plan. Communicate clearly and frequently with your team, collaborators, and stakeholders, and assign roles and responsibilities accordingly. Use tools and resources that can help you organize, track, and document your progress, such as project management software, spreadsheets, checklists, and contracts.

2 Be flexible

Even with careful planning, you may encounter unexpected changes or obstacles that require you to adapt and improvise. Be flexible and open-minded, and don't let minor setbacks or errors ruin your morale or creativity. Instead, use them as opportunities to learn, improve, and innovate. For example, if you lose a key actor or technician, you can look for a replacement, adjust the script or staging, or use a creative solution, such as a puppet, a projection, or a voice-over. If you face a technical glitch, you can use humor, audience interaction, or a backup plan to keep the show going.

3 Collaborate effectively

Theatrical production is a collaborative endeavor that involves many people with different skills, perspectives, and personalities. To manage production challenges without sacrificing performance, you need to collaborate effectively with your team and partners. This means respecting each other's opinions and expertise, listening and giving feedback constructively, resolving conflicts diplomatically, and supporting each other's strengths and weaknesses. You also need to establish clear and consistent communication channels, such as meetings, emails, phone calls, or online platforms, and keep everyone updated and informed about the status and changes of the production.

4 Prioritize quality

While you may have to compromise or adjust some aspects of your production due to challenges, you should never compromise on the quality and integrity of your performance. Quality means delivering a performance that meets or exceeds your standards and expectations, as well as those of your audience and critics. To achieve quality, you need to prioritize the most important and essential elements of your production, such as the script, the direction, the acting, the design, and the technical aspects. You also need to invest time and resources in rehearsing, testing, refining, and polishing your performance until you are satisfied and confident.

5 Evaluate and improve

After you have completed your production, you should evaluate and improve your performance and process. This means collecting and analyzing feedback from your audience, critics, team, and partners, and identifying what worked well and what didn't. You should also reflect on your own experience and performance, and acknowledge your achievements and challenges. By evaluating and improving your production, you can learn from your mistakes, celebrate your successes, and apply your insights and skills to your future projects.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?