by Miles River Willow

What is the difference between a General Manager and an Executive Producer, as the terms are customarily understood in the commercial theater industry? The definition of an Executive Producer (i.e., an “EP”) is a party who helps the Lead Producer make strategic decisions, but who does not share the rights and responsibilities of a general partner in the commercial producing entity of the applicable production. In essence, the EP is a consigliere to the Lead Producer. As such, I can think of no one more knowledgeable than Joey Monda of Sing Out, Louise! Productions, who has served as both General Manager (i.e., a “GM”) and EP in the Off-Broadway space in connection with countless productions.

“The reason why there is confusion between the role of Executive Producer and the role of General Manager is because there is actually substantial crossover,” said Joey, when I recently connected with him.

But what is the driving force behind the overlap of these two roles?

Before we can properly distinguish between EPs and GMs, it is helpful to first distinguish the role of a Lead Producer from the role of a GM. While the Lead Producer is responsible for generating the funds necessary to produce the production, as well as making the relevant executive decisions, the GM handles the financial forecasting, box office reporting, and day-to-day operational decisions, among other responsibilities. In the event that a Lead Producer wants additional perspective to help guide decision-making, the Lead Producer might engage an EP. While there are individuals and teams who serve only as EPs without being GMs themselves, the ever-increasing financial pressure on the theater industry has created the “GM as EP” model.

This is supported by a couple of different trends:

  • Lead producers are forced by economic constraints to take on a greater volume of productions, creating a need for EPs to provide specific attention to their growing stable of developing and running productions.
  • For their part, GMs are incentivized by the same rising costs to offer EP services as part of their business model, allowing them to better serve the production while generating additional revenue streams during a production’s run.

With the cost of producing a commercial production now higher than ever, Lead Producers are compelled to assume a greater volume of productions in order to diversify their portfolios, mitigate the risk of failure and maximize the potential for profitability. Maintaining a steady flow of productions allows Lead Producers to increase their chances of having a blockbuster hit on their hands. As the competition for audience attention has intensified, in order to remain competitive, Lead Producers are compelled to constantly refresh the theater landscape with new offerings. With a larger stable of productions, even experienced Lead Producers can find themselves overwhelmed when trying to give each production the attention that it deserves.

“Bringing in an experienced General Manager that can serve as another decision-maker in the role of Executive Producer allows for the producer to delegate the operational responsibility and keep all of the plates spinning amongst their increased roster of shows,” said Joey.

When newer, less experienced producers enter the commercial producing industry, they will often engage an EP in order to highlight the seriousness of their endeavor. They need an EP with cachet to open doors and utilize existing relationships to elevate the profile of the anticipated production. Even in the case of a Lead Producer financing the entire run of a production, without the necessary connections in our insular industry, this Lead Producer might not get very far. A  savvy EP can make informed choices and access pre-established relationships with theater owners, co-producers, investors, and other industry insiders helpful to the development a production. And as these Lead Producers sometimes lack the connections and deep industry knowledge of their advisors, they are often more than happy to engage their GM to provide EP services and thereby guide the producer through the pitfalls of development and production.

 “In these instances, it means that the producer has a gap of information because they’ve found success in another industry,” said Joey.  “So they’re paying for the EP to effectively operate as the lead producer from a decision-making standpoint, without the responsibility of raising the capital.”

The commercial theater industry is at a turning point, with Lead Producers today requiring the expertise that only EPs can provide. In this environment, it is only natural for the resourceful and experienced GM to provide the support their Lead Producers need by offering EP services.

We now return to the original question: “What is the difference between a GM and an EP?” The answer is that it often depends on the production in question. But more simply, it’s usually about the cast of characters behind the stage.