Playmates Illawarra has been running for seven years bringing together different theatre groups on the South Coast. To date, it has promoted over nine theatre groups since its inception and given over 100 local actors the challenge of performing improvised scenes in the playmates arena.

 The production is a promotional vehicle for participating theatre groups, with all proceeds of Box Office going to local charity organisations. It is held at Wollongong City Diggers Club at the Owen Theatre and this year will take place on Saturday 9^th of November for one night only.

Black Box Theatre is seeking looking for several roles to assist in staging this year’s production. If you are interested in being involved please email Luke Berman at luke@blackboxtheatre.org.

Production Crew

We are seeking several volunteers who wish to gain experience in the technical side of Playmates. As Playmates is a fund raiser for charity, all roles are voluntary.

We are looking to fill the following roles:

• Production Manager / Front of House Manager
• Stage Manager
• Vision Operator (Projector Operator)
• Lighting Operator
• Follow Spot Operator
• Runners
• Front of House / Box Office

Production Manager

Production Manager will work closely alongside producer Luke Berman in staging this year’s Playmates Illawarra. The production manager position is a volunteer training position with a view of becoming a regular member of Black Box Theatre Illawarra/Sydney.

 Production Manager will provide administration assistance in the lead up to the production and will gain experience in program publication, booking procedures, liaise/network with several independent theatre companies/cast/crew, marketing/promotion and assist in the running of the production and leading front of house.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, open minded individual who is looking to gain experience in event management, theatre production, or arts administration. Production Manager will receive a detailed individual evaluation in post production as well as a professional reference. Strong written and oral communication skills are needed, as well as a friendly and professional attitude.

 
Stage Manager

The Stage Manager of Playmates is a very fun role suitable for someone who is looking for their first crack at stage management. Primarily, the Stage Manager will be responsible for supervising the actors, giving call times, and will be on-call during the show to assist hosts in carrying out rules of the game. For example, several games require a selected actor to leave the stage while the audience provides their team the improvisation challenge. The Stage Manager will escort and ensure that the actor can not hear. Stage Manager may also need to provide assistance with microphones during the show.

This role is very easy and should be a great deal of fun. However, good presentation and friendly supportive “can do” attitude is essential. Actors will need to be treated as VIP’s.

Vision Operator

This is an important role which requires an operator confident in the use of Microsoft Powerpoint as well as good concentration and anticipation of on stage events.

The City Diggers projector will be used with the on stage projector screen and will be used as the games board. This will enable the actors and the audience to see which games are able to be played at any point in time as well as serve as a visual promotion of the theatre companies preshow, interval and after the production.

The Vision Operator will work alongside the Producer and Production Manager in the creation of the power point presentation prior to the production

Box Office/Front of House Volunteers

We require several trustworthy and bubbly individuals to meet & greet audience members and man the Playmates Box Office. Good money handling skills are needed as well as professional presentation. Box Office and Front of House volunteers will report to the Production Manager and will need to ensure that the correct takings are accounted for. Once the show has started, Box Office staff will be able to enjoy the show!

Please don’t hesitate to forward any questions to Luke, or if you think you would like to contribute in any other way we would love to hear from you!

regards,

Luke Berman
Producer – Playmates Illawarra
luke@blackboxtheatre.org