Artistic director to performance production manager
An artistic director already meets 55% of what the performance production manager role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.8/ 100
1 How much of what a performance production manager is expected to do is already part of an artistic director’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the performance production manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A performance production manager role treats 19 of its required skills as things an artistic director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- coordinate artistic production
- corporate social responsibility
- cultural projects
- establish daily priorities
- follow company standards
- liaise with cultural partners
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A performance production manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an artistic director background worth leading with.
- already held work with cultural venue specialists communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise cultural events management skills
- already held promote cultural venue events communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held coordinate artistic production management skills
- already held cultural projects social sciences, journalism and information
- already held liaise with cultural partners communication, collaboration and creativity
All 20 carried skills, including the 19 the performance production manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn organise performance space required
- still to learn assess production needs to plan a production schedule required
- still to learn coordinate pre-show checks required
- still to learn coordinate rehearsals required
- still to learn manage artistic project required
- still to learn organise rehearsals required
- still to learn create production schedules required
- still to learn develop cultural activities required
- still to learn plan artistic production activities required
- optional, not held assemble an artistic team optional
- still to learn develop artistic project budgets required
- still to learn draw up artistic production required
- still to learn estimate needs of artistic production required
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- still to learn adapt to artists' creative demands required
- still to learn coordinate with creative departments required
- optional, not held cost management optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held ensure health and safety of visitors optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a performance production manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 organise performance space practise this
- 02 adapt to artists' creative demands practise this
- 03 assess production needs to plan a production schedule practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held coordinate artistic production skill
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held cultural projects knowledge
- already held establish daily priorities skill
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held liaise with cultural partners skill
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage logistics skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held organise cultural events skill
- already held promote cultural venue events skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held represent the organisation skill
- already held set organisational policies skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supervise daily information operations skill
- already held work with cultural venue specialists skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assemble an artistic team optional
- optional, not held cost management optional
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held ensure health and safety of visitors optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
29 held skills the performance production manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advertise an art collection skill
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role approve reports for artistic project skill
- not needed by the target role art history knowledge
- not needed by the target role art-historical values knowledge
- not needed by the target role contribute to the programmer's reflection process skill
- not needed by the target role cope with challenging demands skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic approach skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic vision skill
- not needed by the target role describe artistic experience skill
- not needed by the target role determine context to present the work skill
- not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role develop drama production process skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role direct an artistic team skill
- not needed by the target role find a replacement for stage manager skill
- not needed by the target role help the programmer define an artistic vision skill
- not needed by the target role identify artistic niche skill
- not needed by the target role monitor artistic activities skill
- not needed by the target role museum databases knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise an exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan resource allocation skill
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role provide project information on exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role represent artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role represent company in exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role use intuition in booking projects skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held cost management optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can an artistic director become a performance production manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An artistic director already covers 55% of what a performance production manager is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 19 of which the performance production manager role treats as required.
What skills does an artistic director need to become a performance production manager?
14 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is organise performance space.
How hard is the move from artistic director to performance production manager?
Its learning distance is 55.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.