A Day in the Life...of the Executive Director

 

A Day in the Life… of the Executive Director

From spreadsheets to stage lights: the daily work behind the magic of live theater.

People sometimes ask what the Executive Director of a community theater actually does all day. I can only speak for Hamilton Players, but the short answer is: a little bit of everything. The longer answer? Well… imagine opening the theater in the morning before anyone else arrives. The stage is quiet, the lights are off, and the day’s to-do list is already longer than you’d like. Hamilton Players is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community theater, and while we are largely volunteer-run (and incredibly grateful for those volunteers), a small staff helps keep the day-to-day operations moving. One of those roles is the Executive Director.

On paper, the position is full-time. In practice, it usually lands somewhere between 55 and 70 hours a week, depending on what’s happening in the theater at the time. On any given day, the Executive Director might be acting as artistic director, grant writer, development director, education coordinator, facility manager, marketing assistant, and occasionally the HR and IT departments. Some days involve budgets and spreadsheets. Other days involve painting sets, building props, or troubleshooting a sound system five minutes before rehearsal begins. In other words, no two days ever look exactly the same.

While I’ve left out a few minor details (yes, I did answer the phone a couple of times, and yes, I did take a bathroom break), the chart below shows the general breakdown of two consecutive workdays in 15-minute increments. Spoiler alert: there are very few quiet moments.

Time	Task Day 1	Task Day 2
9:15 AM	-	Print & review info for donor  meeting
9:30 AM	-	Print & review info for donor  meeting
10:00 AM	Arrive at Playhouse, unlock door, turn on lights	Donor meeting over coffee
10:15 AM	Sanitize & clean public spaces	Donor meeting over coffee
10:30 AM	Check and reply to emails	Donor meeting over coffee
10:45 AM	Check “to do” list and arrange priorities	Donor meeting over coffee
11:00 AM	Graphic design – social media marketing	Donor meeting over coffee
11:15 AM	Graphic design – social media marketing	Arrive at Playhouse, unlock door, turn on lights, bring in packages
11:30 AM	Social media marketing tasks	Make notes on action items from donor meeting.
11:45 AM	Email newsletter	Open delivered packages.
12:00 PM	Email newsletter	Sanitize & clean public spaces
12:15 PM	Email newsletter	Check and reply to emails
12:30 PM	Refine & upload new newsletter subscriptions	Check “to do” list and arrange priorities
12:45 PM	Check and reply to emails	Graphic design – social media marketing
1:00 PM	Reply to donation requests	Graphic design – social media marketing
1:15 PM	Update Tix.com with new events	Social media marketing tasks
1:30 PM	Update Tix.com with new events	Blog research
1:45 PM	Update Tix.com with new events	Graphic design – social media marketing
2:00 PM	Eat lunch at desk, online grant research	Blog research
2:15 PM	Online grant research	Write blog post
2:30 PM	Online grant research & design	Check online reviews & respond      to new ones.
2:45 PM	Prepare grant budgets	Check and reply to emails
3:00 PM	Prepare grant budgets	Work on blog post
3:15 PM	Prepare grant narrative	Edit & refine grant narratives
3:30 PM	Prepare grant narrative	Edit & refine grant narratives
3:45 PM	Research arts education outcomes for grant	Design new program assessment  tools & metrics
4:00 PM	Research arts education outcomes for grant	Design new program assessment  tools & metrics
4:15 PM	Check and reply to emails/cover box office	Eat lunch at desk; Check and      reply  to emails
4:30 PM	Check and reply to emails/cover box office	Design and create newspaper ad      for upcoming show
4:45 PM	Create show program/cover box office	Design and create newspaper ad      for upcoming show
5:00 PM	Create show program/cover box office	Design and create newspaper ad      for upcoming show
5:15 PM	Create show program/cover box office	Meet with upcoming director
5:30 PM	Create show program/cover box office	Meet with upcoming director
5:45 PM	Generate sponsor invoice	Meet with upcoming director           &  tech consultant
6:00 PM	Generate and assess financial report for quarterly donor update	Meet with tech consultant
6:15 PM	Prepare quarterly donor update	Write up meeting notes, set        follow up dates
6:30 PM	Sprinkle deicer outside, turn on all lights, check bathrooms for TP and paper towels to prepare for evening rehearsals	Sprinkle deicer outside, turn on       all lights, check bathrooms for        TP and paper towels to prepare       for evening rehearsals
6:45 PM	Prepare quarterly donor update	Consolidate notes about director       & tech meeting
7:00 PM	Print and sign quarterly donor updates	Work on show program
7:15 PM	Snack at desk. Check on licensing statuses	Work on show program
7:30 PM	Assess new release titles, order perusals. Check and reply to emails	Work on show program
7:45 PM	Bookkeeping and QuickBooks	Work on show program
8:00 PM	Bookkeeping and QuickBooks	Work on show program.
8:15 PM	Bookkeeping and QuickBooks	Snack at desk. Check and reply        to emails
8:30 PM	Bookkeeping and QuickBooks	Shut down office, touch base with director and Stage manager        before leaving. Go home.
8:45 PM	Bookkeeping and QuickBooks	-
9:00 PM	Shut down office, touch base with director and Stage manager before leaving. Go home.	-

Some days involve running errands around town. Other days require working around appointments. Some are 9-5; some are…not. But most days are simply a steady mix of tasks, constantly shifting to keep the most important priorities moving forward. And the schedule above only captures part of the picture.

A typical week might also include teaching youth programs, designing curriculum, writing press releases, completing grant reports, ordering supplies for upcoming productions, maintaining costumes, planning events, paying bills, running the box office, giving public presentations, and meeting with directors, board members, donors, volunteers, and patrons. There’s also the occasional bathroom cleaning, snow shoveling, and sidewalk sweeping. #MontanaTheaterLife.

Like most nonprofit leaders, I’ve learned that the to-do list never really ends. The key is reassessing priorities every day, delegating when possible, and remembering to leave space for the parts of the job that make it all worthwhile. Because the truth is, no two days at Hamilton Playhouse are ever quite the same. One minute I’m writing a grant report. The next I’m hunting for a missing prop teacup, answering a patron email, and trying to figure out why the printer isn’t working. It can be chaotic, exhausting, and occasionally a little ridiculous. But at the end of it all, the lights come up, the curtain opens, and our community gathers together. And somehow, that magic of live theater makes every spreadsheet, snow shovel, and last-minute prop emergency completely worth it.