Management Spreadsheets

Prop List

The purpose of the Prop List is to provide a record of agreements reached and directions provided about specific props to be used in a show and the status of those props at any point in time prior to or during the show.  It is a management tool that can be used to coordinate with the Assistant Stage Manager, to manage props even when the prop master is unavailable, to record props for the show bible, and for use in the remounts of shows. It is linked to the build plan and bid budget.  (This is a sample from a recent production.)

Build Plan/Labor Bid

The Build Plan has four functions: (1) to create a labor budget for a show; (2) to assign labor to individual artisans; (3) to create a build schedule; and (4) to create to-do lists for individual artisans.  It enables a manager to plan for and track prop shop builds. It is initially linked to the Bid Budget (to provide estimated labor costs) and once construction begins, it is linked to the Run Budget.

Budget/ Bid

The Bid Budget provides an estimate of the total cost for the props of a show based on the Prop List.  It provides a way to document estimated materials costs for individual props while associated labor costs come directly from the Build Plan. It is an essential tool for managing the expectations for a show’s props in order to keep them in line with the available funds. The Bid Budget also collects and records information about vendors and materials that could be useful for for remounts or the same show or for other productions.

Run Budget

The Run Budget consists of the actual prop expenditures related to a show and can be linked to Run Budgets from other shows to provide an overview of all the shows of the season.  The Run Budget can be compared to the Bid Budget. Discrepancies between the two provide feedback for the management of cost overruns and for future budgeting.  The Bid Budget includes all props-- those used in productions and also cut props-- in order to give a complete picture of the prop costs of a show.  

Single-Project Bids

Project bid sheets can be linked to the Bid Budget in order to maintain a record of the vendor, materials, and price quoted.  The consistency of format provides an easy way to compare bids for the same project. (Numbers shown in the example above do not reflect actual costs.)