Strategic Management Assessment of Production Management Patterns in National Theatre of Nigeria

Abstract

Production management forms an aspect of theatre administration that deals with the production packaging process. Studies in the area of theatre administration have hitherto focused largely on the commercial aspects 
and theatre’s impact on its audience and vice versa. Little efforts have been made to underscore the peculiar ways of selecting, rehearsing and producing the performances for the audience. It is often difficult to state where production management starts and ends in the process of play productions mostly due to its integral affinities with other salient aspects of the theatre such as business management, stage management, theatre management, publicity and box office. This is because it is holistic beginning from pre-production to the post-production and focuses on the concord of the various aspects of the production to ensure that the finished work, the production: be it dance, drama, music, or a total theatre is seamlessly produced and meets desired goals. This study through the theory of strategic management and utilizing interviews and content analysis, investigates the production management pattern of the National Theatre of Nigeria (NTN) in the production of Femi Osofisan’s One Legend, Many Seasons. It is observed that the NTN has a structure that conforms to best production management practices and consistency with production output through a detailed production schedule. The research concludes that production management is a holistic process with potent effects on the total quality of production and by extension, the profile of the theatre organization over time.