CityMetric: It’s highly likely that you recognise the building in the picture at the top of this page. The Sydney Opera House is, after all, one of the most famous structures in the world. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, it attracts over 8m visitors a year and provides a massive boost to the Australian economy. Opened 45 years ago in October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II, its iconic design of enormous precast concrete shells has won numerous prizes and UNESCO World Heritage site status.
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Before arriving at CMU, I had not understood the massive responsibility of being a project manager. Even after a semester and a close reading of this article, there are still various details of the job that I am unfamiliar with. But one feature that stands out to me is the variety of skills required to be successful in this position. Just like many jobs in theatre, the foundation of technical knowledge must be present in addition to the intangible skills of collaboration, communication, and problem solving. An ability to see the big picture is just as important as focusing on the task or issue at hand. I often wonder to what extent can these soft skills be taught, or must they be inherent in the individual. Are people naturally inclined to lead, motivate, collaborate with others? If they are not, isn’t theatre a practice that can develop those skills? Despite the fact that this article is addressing architecture specifically, the insight can be equally applicable in the context of theatre.
This article takes a really interesting approach to presenting it’s reader with why we should appreciate project managers. In Production Resource Management, there was a really interesting statement made about how theatre operates differently than most other businesses due to the fact that our deadline is harder than most other professions. When a show goes up, it goes up and we have to do the work to the best of its completion within the time frame were provided. Architecture and construction has no consequence for being late, other than the investors will go over budget. A good Project manager is one that makes sure the project stays on schedule and on budget, while having a strong technical understanding of all elements involved in the project. Just like the article says, project management is a “herculean task.” Large scale projects present many more regulations than the average theatrical work, however, the task at its base level is the same.
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