How Concert Production Teams Work
Inside the structure, roles, and coordination that make professional concert production possible. A professional concert production involves multiple specialized departments, each with defined roles and responsibilities. Understanding this structure explains why professional events run smoothly and why coordination is the invisible skill that holds everything together.
Production Manager
The production manager is the central coordinator for the entire event. They oversee all departments, manage the budget, build the production schedule, and serve as the primary point of contact between the event organizer, venue, and production crew. On show day, the PM runs the production meeting, manages the timeline, and makes operational decisions when plans change. Everything flows through this role — if a department needs something, the PM is who they call.
Audio Department
The audio department typically includes a front-of-house (FOH) engineer who mixes the sound the audience hears, a monitor engineer who mixes what the performers hear on stage, and a system technician who deploys, tunes, and maintains the PA system. Larger shows add audio crew for stage patching, RF coordination for wireless systems, and a playback engineer for backing tracks. The FOH engineer works from a mix position in the audience area; the monitor engineer works at stage level, usually side-stage.
Lighting Department
The lighting designer (LD) creates the visual look of the show through fixture selection, color palettes, and cue sequences. A lighting programmer translates the LD’s vision into console data during pre-production or on-site programming sessions. A board operator runs the console during the show if the LD or programmer is not present. Lighting crew handle fixture installation, cabling, and focus. On touring productions, the LD typically travels with the show; on one-off events, the LD may be local.
Video Department
The video department manages LED walls, IMAG (image magnification) cameras, projection, and content playback. A video director calls camera shots during the performance. Camera operators shoot from positions around the stage and venue. An LED technician manages wall assembly, processing, and signal flow. A media server operator handles content playback and triggered visuals. On smaller shows, one person may handle multiple roles; on arena-scale productions, each position is a dedicated crew member.
Stage Management
The stage manager controls the flow of the event on show day — calling cues, managing artist changeovers, enforcing timing, and communicating between the stage and front-of-house positions. On multi-act shows, the stage manager ensures each changeover happens within the allocated time. They maintain the show rundown and communicate timing updates to all departments via intercom. The stage manager is the voice that says “standby lighting cue one” and “go.”
Rigging & Staging Crew
Riggers install and operate the overhead systems — truss, chain motors, and all equipment that flies above the stage and audience. They work from the venue grid, catwalks, or arena steel. Staging crew build the physical stage, risers, barricade, and ground support structures. These departments deploy first during load-in because everything else hangs from or sits on what they build. They are often the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Communication & Coordination Infrastructure
Professional productions run on structured communication. Intercom systems (wired and wireless) connect department heads on dedicated channels. Production radio channels handle logistics, security, and operations. The production manager, stage manager, and department heads are on a shared channel for show-critical communication. Visual cue systems supplement verbal communication in loud environments. This infrastructure is planned during the advance period and tested before doors open.
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Start the ConversationProduction Team FAQ
Common questions about concert production team structure and roles.
It depends on venue and production scale. A club show might require 4–8 crew. A theater production typically needs 10–20. An arena concert can require 30–60+ crew members across all departments. Festival main stages may need 20–40 per stage, plus site-wide production staff. Crew counts are determined during the advance process based on the specific production requirements.
