Student Production Companies
What is a Student Production Company?
A Student Production Company a simple but essential part of doing theatre in OUDS and is (basically) comprised of: a Director, a Producer, and a joint bank account. If you’re thinking of staging your own shows (rather than joining ones which are being run by someone else), you’ll need to start your own production company, or join an extant one, usually run by someone you already know.
The Director and Producer both have to be OUDS members, but aside from that it doesn’t really matter who they are, as long as you’re able to work well together. Their respective roles can include, but are not limited to:
Director: making artistic choices about the Company, directing shows the Company produces, or programming shows the Company produces.
Producer: managing the Company’s expenditure, keeping Company accounts, managing budgets for shows the Company produces, and functioning as a Production Manager on shows the Company produces.
A Student Production Company can exist for as long as it has Directors and Producers who are current Oxford students. This means that Production Companies can be passed down when its Director and Producer graduate, as long as graduating members relinquish full control of the Company account to its new Director and Producer. If a Production Company is not being handed down, any funds remaining in the bank account must be returned to OUDS by the end of the Director and Producers’ degrees, to provide support for other students to have the same opportunities they have.
Why Is It Important To Have One?
Without a Student Production Company, you can’t apply for OUDS funding – it’s as simple as that. Having a Company also makes it infinitely easier to bid for venues, market your shows, recruit cast and crew, and develop an artistic identity! They’re a well-recognised institution in Oxford Drama, and having one is your key to easily and efficiently putting on productions.
How to Set Up a Student Production Company
Find the other half of your Company leadership: if you’re the Director, find yourself a Producer, and vice versa.
Set up a bank account. OUDS recommends you use an online bank such as Monzo, as these are easy to set up, shut down, and have multiple people logged into. High street banks such as Lloyds are often much more difficult to work with.
Set up a Company email address. Most Companies use Gmail as this is very easy to set up and have multiple people logged into.
Read and sign the OUDS Production Companies Contract (linked below). Make sure you’ve taken in all the information in the Contract, and will be able to follow it. Don’t worry about the section at the end for signatures from OUDS and OUTTS representatives - that’s for us.
Fill in the form at the end of this page, make sure to upload your signed Contract.
Congrats! You’re ready to go. You can now apply for funding, bid for venues, and start working on your next show!