The Manager
You love theatre, but parts of the artist’s lifestyle might not be right for you. That’s okay—you might just be a Manager! Many people who study the arts discover that they want more job stability, or find out they have a talent for the management or administrative side of theatre. There are many different jobs within theatre management, from marketing to teaching to running a large theatre like the ones at Center Theatre Group.
Many jobs in theatre management are full-time and offer benefits such as health insurance. Some management jobs require lots of evening and weekend work, but some are more like traditional jobs; many of the people who work full-time at Center Theatre Group have a 10am–6pm schedule, Monday through Friday, with most weekends, evenings, and holidays off.
Managers support the process of making theatre but might not be as involved creatively. For example, a literary manager at a theatre is someone who loves to read and talk about plays and may have thought about becoming a playwright. Their job is to read plays submitted to the theatre and then help the theatre’s artistic team decide which plays to produce and why. Instead of creating the work, they are championing it and working with artists to make each production a success.
It is certainly possible to have a full-time job at a theatre (or elsewhere!) and still be a practicing artist. In fact, many of the people who work full-time at organizations like Center Theatre Group consider themselves to be theatre artists, and may go from a full day at work to rehearsal or a production meeting in the evening.
Most full-time jobs in the arts (and many part-time jobs) require an undergraduate education, usually a BA (bachelor of arts) or BFA (bachelor of fine arts). Some people choose to double major to demonstrate their interest in the intersection of theatre and business. For example, people who want to have a career in marketing or publicity for the arts might choose to major in both marketing and theatre. There are graduate degrees that might be helpful if you’re considering going into theatre management, including master of arts management programs.
Interested in one of the bold areas of theatre below? Check out related job options you might enjoy as a Manager!
Acting
Directing
Playwriting
Design
- Design Tech (Wardrobe, Sound and Lighting Engineers)
- Carpentry/Electrics
Technical Theatre
Theatre Management
What's Your Theatre Career Path?
If you’re curious about careers in theatre and wondering which ones might be right for you, we’ve created a quick quiz to help you think about the type of job you might want within the arts and what kind of lifestyle and education that career path requires.
Take the Quiz