Foundations: The Floor

The chain of command

Live production runs on a clear hierarchy whose titles shift by vertical but whose shape holds. The Producer owns the budget and the client and says yes or no to money; the Production Manager (PM) runs the logistics — labor, gear, trucking, schedule, budget — and hires the crew and vendors; the Technical Director (TD) owns technical execution across all departments and is the single point of technical accountability. Under them sit department heads (A1 lead audio, L1/LD lighting, V1 video, head carpenter, rigger, electrician), the stagehands who rig, push, build, and strike, and the Stage Manager or show caller who runs the show once it is built. The mental model to memorize: the PM hires and pays, the TD builds, the SM/show caller runs the show — and on small gigs one person wears several of these hats.