How to Define Creative Roles in a Multinational Theatre Team

Defining creative roles in a multinational theatre team begins with the production model, not a borrowed organisation chart. Before contracts or the first rehearsal, the artistic lead and producer should agree what the production must decide, make, translate, present and document; then turn those needs into role cards that set out decision rights, deliverables, reporting lines, language expectations, availability and credit. A skills audit makes gaps and overlaps visible, and a written role map lets partners in different countries use the same reference point. The aim is not to flatten local differences but to make them legible enough to work with. The International Co-Production Manual treats international collaboration as a negotiated relationship across partners and venues, not merely a task list [1], while practical guidance on theatre companies stresses defining responsibilities, auditing skills and recognising what each collaborator offers [2].

Start with the production, not the title

Job titles travel badly. An artistic director in one company may be the chief executive and board-facing leader; in another, the artistic director may share leadership with an executive producer. A producer may be a curator, a fundraiser, a tour manager or all three. A stage manager may run rehearsals in one theatre culture and coordinate technical cues in another. The Ausdance Queensland table on theatre production roles describes roles through responsibilities and reporting lines — for example, an artistic director overseeing artistic vision and reporting to a board where applicable — rather than assuming that the title alone explains the job [3]. That is the right starting point for a multinational team: describe the work, the authority and the relationship.

First, clarify the production model. Is this a single company touring with a fixed creative team, a co-production between institutions in two or more countries, a festival commission with a local partner, or a remote-first collaboration? Is the working language a shared lingua franca, or will rehearsal and production meetings be interpreted? Is the production multilingual on stage, or multilingual only in the office? These distinctions matter. A multinational team is not automatically intercultural in its artistic method, and an intercultural production is not always multilingual in rehearsal. Define the specific practitioners, languages, places and contractual partners involved rather than treating “international” as a single category.

Build a role map and a decision-rights matrix

A role map is a one-page view of who is in the room and who sits outside it: the creative team, the production team, each co-producing partner, the local host venue, the translator or interpreter, the access team, and any community or cultural advisers. It should show reporting lines and interfaces, but it should not pretend that all teams use the same hierarchy. Ask each partner to explain its local reporting and labour conventions, then record the working arrangement for this production.

A decision-rights matrix is the companion document. For each recurring decision, name who has the final say, who recommends, who must be consulted and who is informed. Useful areas include artistic concept, text and translation, casting, design, budget, schedule, marketing, access, touring, documentation and credit. The matrix can be simple: a table with decision areas down the side and roles across the top, marked D for decide, R for recommend, C for consult and I for inform. It prevents two common failures in multinational teams: the assumption that the most senior-sounding title decides, and the assumption that consensus means no one is accountable.

An illustrative allocation, to be adapted to the production:

Write role cards that work across borders

Once the map is agreed, write a role card for every contracted creative and production role. A role card is shorter than a conventional job description but more precise about the things that cause friction across borders. It should state the purpose of the role; what the role owns and does not own; where the role decides, recommends or escalates; the deliverables and deadlines; the people and partners the role works with; the working language and any interpretation, translation or access support; availability, travel and time-zone expectations; fee, rights and credit; and when the role will be reviewed. This follows the practical emphasis in roles-and-responsibilities guidance on defining who does what, identifying skills gaps and recognising what each collaborator contributes [2].

This is especially important for directing roles. UK Equity guidance distinguishes assistant, associate and resident directors, and describes the assistant director as supporting the director through rehearsal and preview until opening or press night, or until the show is locked [4]. Those titles are not interchangeable across countries, and even within one country they can mean different things. A multinational production should specify the phase of work, the duties, the decision authority and the credit in the contract, rather than relying on the label alone.

A skills audit supports this work. List the skills, languages, local knowledge and relationships the production needs, then compare them with what the team already has. The point is not to rank people but to identify gaps, overlaps and single points of failure: Who can chair a meeting in the shared language? Who understands the source text well enough to advise on cuts? Who can liaise with the local venue? Who can run surtitles? Who can step in if a key collaborator cannot travel? The chapter on roles and responsibilities in theatre companies recommends a skills audit and an honest look at gaps in knowledge, alongside reflection on how to share practice and recognise what each collaborator offers [2].

Make language and translation roles visible

In multilingual teams, language work is often treated as invisible support rather than a creative role. It should be named, budgeted and credited. A translator works on written text and may produce a literal translation, a performable translation, a singing translation or an adaptation. An interpreter works with spoken or signed language in meetings, rehearsals or performances. A dramaturg may work on structure, text and context, but the role varies widely between companies and countries. A language coach works on accent, idiom or dialect. A surtitle or caption operator prepares and cues audience-facing text. These are different jobs, and one person should not be assumed to cover all of them without agreement.

Define who approves the translation, who can change it in rehearsal, how revisions are recorded, and how the translator is credited in programmes and publicity. If the production translates a copyrighted play, the rights holder and the relevant jurisdiction will affect permissions, fees and approval; check with the rights holder and local professional advice rather than assuming that a rehearsal draft is cleared for performance. The same principle applies to devised text, lyrics, compositions and creative input: agree in writing whether the contribution is a work-for-hire, a licence or jointly owned material, and how credit appears across formats and tour dates.

Rehearse the roles, then revise them

Role definitions are tested in practice. The first week of rehearsal reveals whether decisions are being made where the matrix says they should be; the first production meeting reveals whether the production manager has the information they need; the first tech reveals whether language support is fast enough; the first tour reveals whether local partners understand their handover. Build short reviews into the schedule: at the end of the first rehearsal week, after the first preview or opening, and before any transfer. Ask three questions. Are decisions landing in the agreed place? Are any roles overloaded or invisible? What needs to change in the written documents?

Documentation should be living rather than ceremonial. Keep the role map, decision-rights matrix, contact sheet, production schedule, glossary of specialist terms, translation notes and credit schedule in a shared location that all partners can access. Version them with dates, and say who can approve changes. The International Co-Production Manual’s emphasis on relationships, partners and touring contexts is a reminder that co-production is not only a legal structure but a continuing working relationship that has to be maintained [1].

Common problems and practical fixes

• Title mismatch. Two people with the same title may have different authority. Fix: describe responsibilities and reporting lines, not just labels.
• Accidental overlap. Two roles may both feel responsible for text, casting or design. Fix: name the overlap in the matrix and decide who has final say.
• Invisible translation. Translation and interpretation may be treated as administration. Fix: contract it as creative labour, budget time for it, and credit it.
• Assumed hierarchy. Partners may use different labour conventions. Fix: ask each partner to explain local practice and record the production-specific arrangement.
• Credit disputes. Credit may be agreed late. Fix: approve a credit schedule before marketing and reconcile it across programmes, websites and tour materials.
• Unclear handover. Local crew may be expected to absorb responsibilities informally. Fix: name the local production contact, the handover point and the documents that transfer.

A practical checklist

1. State the production model, countries, languages and partner organisations.
2. Draft a one-page role map with reporting lines and interfaces.
3. Complete a decision-rights matrix for artistic, textual, financial, technical, access and credit decisions.
4. Run a skills and language audit; mark gaps, overlaps and single points of failure.
5. Write a role card for every contracted creative and production role.
6. Name translation, interpretation, dramaturgical and access roles explicitly.
7. Agree credit, rights and approval in writing before publicity.
8. Review the documents after the first rehearsal week, opening and before transfer.

The test of a role definition is not whether it looks tidy on an organisation chart. It is whether a director, a translator, a stage manager and a co-producer in different countries can use it to make the same decision, ask the right person for help and credit the work fairly. That is the practical meaning of defining creative roles in a multinational theatre team.