CMU School of Drama


Saturday, March 14, 2009

What’s the difference between a project manager and technical director?

Technical Direction Tidbits: "It depends. A few years ago, before choosing to go back to school to get my MFA I saw, or felt that there were two types of TDs, or at least one type on one end, another on the other end, and a lot that combine everything in the middle, but I felt the differences between the two types was diverging not getting closer."

2 comments:

C. Ammerman said...

I felt like the article really focused more on the difference between big and small theaters. It's a give en that in a big theater one TD isn't enough to get everything done, and often he needs people to do work under him so that stuff gets done. I've always been drawn more to the smaller, more hands on angle of TD work, but that's mostly because I find it much easier to problem solve when I can manipulate something with my hands rather then visualize it in my mind. I almost find it a little scary that there are TD's that consider their job done wrong if they have to get involved in the building process.

NatalieMark said...

I can see how these two roles are alike. I think, like Chris that the differences here are a result of a differing size of theater. I don't think that the second kind of TD is less of a problem solver or not involved in the shop. I think that it is just a different way of approaching the build process.