My time as the OTC Company Management Apprentice is coming to an end. I am low key sad but also stoked to venture out into the world with all that I have learned in the past year
A lot of people ask me- what even is Company Management? To me it means taking care of the company of a theatre (actors, designers, staff) so that they can have the best experience creating their art. This can range from logistics of travel and housing to payroll and hospitality. What makes Olney special is: not only are we taking care of the cast/crew of the shows we produce, we also take care of the 16 Apprentices and 10 National Players living at the Crawford House. If you haven’t visited Olney, I recommend it. We call it a “campus” because it is vast and full of growth (and there are several confusing buildings so it is easy to get lost at first). The Crawford House is one of my favorites, the first floor being the offices/communal areas and then two floors of bedrooms. There are 19 bedrooms in total that we manage. This includes guest artist housing at our offsite house (The Treadway House).
Lots of calendars - kitchen cleaning, bathroom cleaning, metro pickups, space reservations
Lots of budgeting and finances - processing receipts, reimbursements, tracking purchases
Lots of problem solving - emergency situations, housing accommodations, car fixes
Lots of contract work - making contracts, mailing out packets, keeping records and filing confidential information
For my CoMa Capstone, I have been the lead Company Manager on Tiger Style!, which has been nothing short of amazing. The cast and crew of this show are not only incredibly talented, but also incredibly kind. I have gotten a full experience and continue to solve obstacles as they come up. Funny enough, my last official day will be Sunday, August 18th, which is also closing for Tiger Style!. So I am very thankful I get to see this brilliant show all the way through to the end.
Beyond all the hard work, I have so many favorite moments and memories made. Office cantaloupe and fresh vegetables brought in by Josiane, stressed coffee escapes with Samantha, cooking rumbledethumps with Jason Loewith for Mary Stuart tech dinner, learning how to jump start a car (and many other skills) from Mike our Facilities Manager, solving the kitchen leak epidemic, throwing parties on the Porch with Taylor, setting up a hair salon in my bedroom, chatting with Senior Staff members as they microwave their lunch, opening night cheese, the Tuesday shuffle to the lobby as our offices are vacuumed, saying WAR EAGLE every chance I get to Fred T. Paul, getting to learn from JKJ and laugh a lot in Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors rehearsals when I assistant directed, the daily visits from Kristina and everyone else who ventures into the Production Office for a mint, hitting happy hours together after a rough day, and meeting so many amazing theatre artists, local and from out of town, that have encouraged and inspired me. (Ok, now I am HIGH KEY sad. This is the condensed list, I promise.)
So whats next, you ask? I have been hired as the Company Manager at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC and will move in with two fellow graduating apprentices. I am beyond excited to start working for a company that I have admired for so long and look forward to growing into the DC theatre community. I’m glad I am not going too far and look forward to coming back to visit the “family” that I have found in Olney Theatre Center.
