Diary: Managing the production

In the story of 'The Husband', when the cow falls to the ground it is because the Wife, returning from the fields after her day's work, sees a rope tied to it and leading down the chimney of the house. She doesn't realise that her Husband is at the other end of the rope and cuts it, causing the accident that ends with him stuck head first in the porridge pot. A discussion about how she will cut the rope, and the cost of having to replace it after every performance, is one of many issues discussed at the weekly progress meeting in which Melly, together with the team responsible for staging Beasts and Beauties, come together to highlight problems and, hopefully, find their solutions.

The meeting is chaired by the Bristol Old Vic's Production Manager, Garry Ferguson, and all the relevant heads of department in the theatre attend, including those from wardrobe, lighting, properties, carpentry, metal work, and sound. The production manager's job is the key not only to a successful creative outcome, but also to its financial success, since he is responsible for ensuring on behalf of the theatre that the production stays within its budget (just over £20,000 in the case of Beasts and Beauties). The balance between what directors and designers want and what the budget can stretch to is a fine one, requiring give and take on both sides. Melly Still, as both the production's Designer and Director, followed the usual practice of showing her proposed designs for the production (including a model box enabling her to demonstrate the changes of scenery) to the Production Manager back in November of 2003. At that meeting Garry's job was to assess what the design was likely to cost, how much of it could be made within the Old Vic's workshops, and how much, if any, would entail the more expensive process of contracting out. At this stage the Designer often needs to modify the original design so that it can be realised within budget; in this case, Melly's design was not especially elaborate, so no modification was necessary.