🎭 Working across multiple workstreams on a £5,000 production budget, with a 70-performer roster across 15 pieces and a 12-hour show day, required balancing long-term planning with immediate operational needs. The 2026 production is currently in delivery (show date: 25 July 2026).
At a glanceRole: Co-Producer · Operations Lead · Allocation Designer
Skills: Process design · Data analysis · Stakeholder management · Project management · Documentation
Outcome: Delivered Showcase 001 on time and on budget. Allocation system matched 100+ preference submissions across 15 pieces with zero choreographer escalations. Process documented and iterated for Showcase 002 (July 2026, 70 performers).
By the Numbers
70+ | 15 | 100+ | 2 |
Performers | Pieces | Preference submissions processed | Years running |
2025 → 2026: What Improved
Showcase 001 (2025) | Showcase 002 (2026) | |
Lighting cues per piece | ~15 | 8 (hard cap) |
Submission deadlines | Multiple rolling | 1 consolidated deadline |
Info pack format | Basic | Branded internal + external packs |
Cast allocation | Manual | Structured scoring system |
Problem 1: 100 Performers, 15 Pieces, No Fair System
With 100+ performers submitting preferences across 15 pieces, and choreographers holding their own requirements on group size and experience mix, allocation was the highest-conflict operational problem in the production.
I built a structured allocation system in spreadsheets: collected and scored preference data, mapped choreographer ideal-cast lists against member interest signals, ran an overlap analysis to identify scheduling conflicts early, and produced a final allocation matrix with documented rationale for each decision. The process replaced what had previously been handled informally, reducing revision cycles and giving choreographers a clear, auditable basis for any changes they wanted to make.
What I built: A spreadsheet-based scoring system that cross-referenced performer preferences against choreographer requirements, flagged conflicts, and generated an allocation that was defensible to every stakeholder.
The output:
The allocation process turned a subjective, relationship-based decision into a transparent, documented one. Revisions dropped. Complaints dropped. The final cast was accepted by all parties without escalation.
Problem 2: 10 Stakeholder Groups, No Single Source of Truth
Performers, choreographers, showcase leaders, committee members, venue staff, photographers, videographers, and external suppliers — all with different information needs, different deadlines, and no shared reference point.
What I built: A set of structured information packs: one internal (team-facing), one external (audience-facing), with all key dates, requirements, and contacts consolidated.
Updated for 2026 - Showcase Leaders Pack
The packs reduced repeat questions, standardised communications across the team, and gave every stakeholder a single document to reference rather than a thread of messages.
Problem 3: First-Time Venue, 12-Hour Show Day
The Source, UEL was a new venue for Showcase 002. A 12-hour show day with 70 performers, multiple tech cues, and no institutional memory of how the space runs.
What I managed:
- Venue coordination from booking through to show day logistics
- Timeline and milestone tracking across a 3-month production cycle
- Supporting choreographers throughout piece development, not just at deadline
- Coordinating operational requirements for load-in, tech rehearsal, and performance
Five Things This Taught Me About Operations
- Transparent process beats a fair outcome. People accept a decision they don't love if they understand how it was made. The allocation system's value was as much about trust as allocation quality.
- One deadline beats many. Consolidating to a single submission deadline in 2026 reduced chasing and gave everyone the same expectations.
- Documentation is a leadership tool. A well-structured info pack means you don't have to be physically present to answer every question — the document answers it for you.
- Support during the process matters more than review at the end. Being available to choreographers throughout piece development, not just at deadline, caught problems early.
- The operational work that looks invisible is the work that matters. When an event runs cleanly, nobody notices the process. That's the goal.